This has been killing me for a while, so excuse me while I vent.
As a photographer, it's easy for me to just say shoot every angle, composition, and exposure until you're blue in the face. Shoot, shoot, shoot, and then shoot some more for safety. That's the way I shoot. I don't pretend to be some brilliant photographer who gets it right the first time every time. From experience, I've learned that the more you shoot, the more chance you have of hitting the target you wanted to hit. That takes time and effort.
If you're at a fireworks show, there's no point in shooting the entire time.
Think about it. Why did you bother to show up at all? Isn't life all about experiences? Well, if you're shooting photos the whole time, you're literally missing out on your life.
If you're not an avid photographer who works at putting everything together to get at least a "good" shot, then you're just wasting your time beyond the first couple of minutes of shooting anyhow. If your shutter, aperture, and ISO could use a tweaking, but you have no clue what any of those things are, then you will get your personal best shots within about two minutes. Anything longer will be more of the same.
For crying out loud, just put the camera down and find someone to put your arm around.
I know what you're thinking, listen to Tortorich getting all high and mighty. He must think he's the best thing since sliced bread.
No.
I'm not saying give up. If you are truly interested in photography, and you want to get better, then by all means shoot away. Missing the truly memorable moments of your life may actually be worth it if you are working to become a better photographer. I can respect that.
Think about it: The Fourth of July fireworks show has just started. You take your trusty iPhone and call up the camera app. You switch that bad boy to video, now you're feeling like Spielberg. You proceed to watch the entire fireworks show through a viewfinder. Oh, here comes the extravaganza. I'm gonna zoom in a little for some added impact. This fine Apple product will surely give me quality results, I'm sure of it.
Then the smoke clears.
You've just watched the entire show through a viewfinder. Your significant other, your kids (if you have them), think you're boring. You could have at least thrown an arm around them. You could have at least announced to them which ones you thought looked pretty.
You get home, you play back the video and look at the stills. Not impressed.
How do I know? It happens to me all the time. I shoot all kinds of cool stuff that seems way less cool when I get home and pop in my memory card.
Last year, I shot several football and basketball games for my cousin. I wish I could say it was a lot of fun to watch a relative play sports, but I can't. I didn't watch. I couldn't. I was too busy looking through a viewfinder the entire game, every game.
Now that I think of it, if I had a son playing sports, I would hire a photographer to just focus on him.
You may say, "Tortorich, have you lost your dadgum mind? You're a photographer. That's like a plumber going to the Yellow Pages when his faucet leaks."
This isn't the same.
We hire photographers to do what we cannot do, and also what we don't want to do. I could post myself up on the field, but why? I'd rather be in the stands with the other parents and fans, cheering like a nutcase.
When I sign the check for the photographer, the memo may say "photography services" but it should really say "thanks for letting me be a dad."
About Michael Tortorich {Photographer | Writer | Journalist}
Who is Michael Tortorich? A lifelong resident of the south Louisiana swamplands, his journey as a journalist (with a specific flair for photography) began well before earning a penny for his work. He's a proud LSU graduate, holding a degree in journalism (along with minors in two avid subjects, history and psychology). He has worked full-time positions at two local television stations (in graphics and as a show producer), and as a sports editor of a suburban newspaper. He currently owns and operates Michael Tortorich Photography, LLC. The business provides a wide range of photography services, including event coverage (weddings, parties, sporting events, etc.) and portrait sessions (high school/college seniors, families, children, etc.). He also coordinates social media for the City of Donaldsonville (facebook.com/DonaldsonvilleLA and twitter.com/CityofDville), and contributes to Ascension Parish online news source, The Creole.
For more information, see:
Michael Tortorich on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/tortorich
Michael Tortorich Photography on Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/MichaelTortorichPhotographyLLC
Michael Tortorich on Twitter - https://twitter.com/MikeTortorich
Michael Tortorich on LinkedIn - http://www.linkedin.com/pub/michael-tortorich/22/35a/a61
Call or text at 225-717-0762.
"I shoot things...with a camera."
