This image sums it up! We all have those days when we go out chasing butterflies, and end up getting bitten by mosquitos! This was just such a day. It seemed like everything was in place, a group of my closest friends and family, all together for a BBQ and a pool party, when my Brother Justin, chosen brother, not blood, but brother just the same, had a few short intimate moments with his beautiful little princess Peyton! By the way...this was AFTER bringing the exposure down in LR and attempting to salvage an amazing image...
Now of course, Justin and his Significant other haven't made it out to a lot of group events lately as, in addition to Peyton, they were VERY recently blessed with another beautiful princess in their life, so this opportunity was not common. Naturally, this was they day I chose to not only borrow a lens I didn't normally have quick access to, a beautiful Canon 70-200 2.8L, but also took the opportunity to play with the new Canon 7D Mk-II that another of our group has...And THAT little bit of greediness cost me an entire day of shots.
Now, don't get me wrong, it wasn't the Camera's fault, it was mine. I chose a day full of unusual opportunities with my closest family and friends, to play with a camera body I had not even had the opportunity to touch yet, much less master the controls of, and, being the fully manual guy I am, this little moment of excited opportunity to play with the newest version of the body I normally shoot with, cost me an entire day of amazing shots. But THIS one, was the one that kills me the most. Intimate moments like these are what we live for as photographers, for our clients, but even more, for the very special people in our life we know would cherish them forever.
Fortunately, despite my ineptitude with the controls of a new and unfamiliar Canon body and control setup, I did manage to get a few passable, though not amazing, shots of this beautiful young lady and even a shot or two of her beautiful mother and her amazing father Justin. Shots that I know they love and have already hung in their home and in his office. But all in all, the day was a butterfly net full of mosquitoes...
So the lesson here is, when you are going to shoot, and the subject matter is important to you, whether a client or just something important to you or those close to you...Stick to what you know unless you have no choice. No matter how enticing that opportunity to play with new gear may be, you always run the chance of regretting the shots, and the moments playing with a new piece of gear are fleeting, but the images you could have caught, for yourself, or for someone else, are irreplaceable.
ALWAYS strive for the beautiful butterflies in the garden, but even when you do get nothing but Mosquitoes, try to keep your head on straight, remember that we all make mistakes, and see every bad shot as an opportunity to improve what you do, the frames you see and the moments you immortalize in the chaos we all call life!
Capture Moments...Capture Life...Capture CHAOS!!!!
Gill
