One of the tricky things about being into photography is striking a balance between living in the moment, and taking a photo of that moment. A rule of sports photography is that if you saw it happen then you didn’t get it, I know this full well after having my lens attached to my face for the duration of the 2008 Wimbledon final 4th set tie break – I got some great photos but I didn’t actually see one of the greatest tie breaks in tennis history.
When I got my first SLR in early 2006 I was terrible. I couldn’t go anywhere or do anything unless I had my camera with me. I remember turning up to a thanksgiving party where I knew almost no one (friend of a friend) with my Canon 40D, a large 24-70 f/2.8 lens and my 580 EXII flashgun attached to the top and thought it was totally normal!! Holidays were another time where perhaps I could have put the camera back in the bag a little more often, but it’s hard to argue with a “shoot everything” approach when you come home with memory cards full of great shots you can hang on your wall and look back at when you’re an old man.
Since returning to Australia I’ve taken a much more balanced approach, and if anything maybe I should get the camera out more often. Australia’s a stunning country with loads of crazy photo ops, but because I live here now there’s not the same urgency to capture everything with the camera.
I was faced with a genuine moment of truth on the weekend just passed.
To set the scene – we’re on a boys weekend at a beach house at Middleton, it’s late in the day and we’re playing beach soccer. I’m really enjoying running around and trying to slam a few goals despite my modest foot skills, but there’s something that’s niggling me. I try to ignore at but I can’t. It’s eating away at me like and sending me slightly instance, I’m like Jack Torrance at the Overlook Hotel expect I’m repeatedly typing THIS LIGHT IS FRICKIN’ INCREDIBLE – THIS LIGHT IS FRICKIN’ INCREDIBLE – THIS LIGHT IS FRICKIN’ INCREDIBLE – THIS LIGHT IS FRICKIN’ INCREDIBLE.
In the end the choice wasn’t mine. I was forced by powers beyond me to make my excuses, dash back to the house, grab the camera and return to the sand to capture the action. What do you think, was it worth missing out on playing to have these photos locked away?
Who’s the best mini-golfer in the whole of Victor this week? This guy!!
This is very close to my favourite shot of 2010 thus far.
