… or in any photo-taking situation for that matter, is taking a single shot of a subject and move on. The photo below is that of the Rafflesia, the world’s largest flower. It is from the Rafflesia pricei species.
This photo was taken during a field trip in Borneo’s Crocker Range several years back and I had just bought the Canon PowerShot G6.
Even though that was my first encounter with the rare flower, all I managed to do was taking a single shot of it and be satisfied with it. Now, I several years and thousand shots later, I realise what a blunder I made in that encounter.
Why taking a single shot is a mistake
Taking a single shot of a subject is like leaving a lot of money on the table even though you are broke. By doing so, a photographer is limiting himself of options, plenty of options, to shoot a picture better.
The following photos are among my “single-shot mistake” photographs taken during my early days of playing with digital camera. They could have been shot at a better angle or up close.
For instance, I could have taken this picture from the ground level and capture the intricate detail of the cup fungus.
Notice the dew drops at the base of the fungus below? I didn’t know they existed then. I missed the opportunity to shoot unique pictures completely all because I failed to “see” the things up close.
I could have shot these creatures separately, varying their backgrounds and depth of fields.
Blurry pictures are sometimes artistic but the picture below is far from being artsy. It is the result of careless phototaking and not taking shots until the subjects are in focus. With some fiddling of the shutter speed and burst mode, in just several more shots, I could have frozen this caterpillar’s movement and capture its glorious detail.
[Note: You may also want to read this article "Insect Macro Photography With Compact Cameras... Tips and Tricks and How-Tos"]
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Focusing on the head and eyes is very important too. Even if we got a great shot, this mistake will spoil the whole thing.
Great shots and very good point about snapping more than one shot. Even if 4 or 5 pics look the same on my little camera LCD in the field one always pops perfectly once I load them onto my computer.
Tadpole, that is very true…
Lauren, that happens to all the time… photos seem to be in focus on the LCD screen but many are not. by then, its too late to go back and re-shoot the pictures