Yesterday, April 9, I was overjoyed to discover that the stars were aligning to provide me with the epic shot I’ve been longing for, for over a year now. The temperature was well above freezing, and was forecast to stay that way into the evening after dark. Fog was forecast and indeed, as I looked out the window toward the East, I could see a fog bank approaching from the ocean. I packed up my Camera bag and headed off to Mira Provincial Park where a tree I call The Sentinel awaited. The Sentinel is an ancient Birch, one of two that overlook a small open space on the walking trail. My plan was to prepare for en evening shoot using a technique known as “Light Painting.” (Light Painting is a technique where the Photographer “paints” light onto an object using a flashlight.)
While en route, I drove out of the fog into bright sunshine and blue skies. I stopped for a take-out coffee and continued on, believing in my soul that by the time I reached The Sentinel, the fog would be back, but as I walked from my Jeep to the trail-head, that didn’t seem too likely. Stopping at a picnic table to enjoy my coffee in the sunshine (two of my most favourite things) I checked my weather app and sure enough, fog was still predicted for the evening hours.
I knew I was way too early for the epic shot, but I wanted to be prepared when the time came. I had a plan to wander around the area with my camera, taking various images of different compositions so that I could have an idea what and where would be best for “that” nighttime capture.
After about an hour, I settled on a location and focal length; I shot a number of exposures to make sure I could repeat the composition at night. 16 X 9 Aspect Ratio, f-22 for maximum depth of field, 1/30 second shutter speed, ISO 100, 21mm Focal Length.
The professionals would stay there, have a sandwich, boil some water for coffee or tea, and be there when darkness fell. I had opted to mark out a spot on the ground for each tripod leg, and leave, to come back later. As it turned out I didn’t have to mark the ground since there was an ideal place where I could set up with my back against the Sentinel’s Partner for the right shot. I went home, had dinner and waited for darkness to fall.
Leaving the house with Anne in tow, I could barely see the road because of the fog. Excellent! However, once we reached Horne’s Road, the fog had yielded to rain. I pressed on in the hope that the rain was only a temporary shower, which it was. Alas, the fog didn’t return.
Arriving at the Park, I removed my camera and tripod from the back of the Jeep, leaving the bag and the rest of its contents where they would be safe and dry. Walking in total darkness, we made it to the walking trail and The Sentinel. I set my camera on the tripod and got it and myself in position; turned on the bright light and aimed it at The Sentinel and focused the camera.
Has anyone caught the flaws in my plan? What did I do wrong? What did I fail to do right…? I’ll give you a few moments to reflect on this.
After taking a number of shots, in which I was disappointed, I also noticed the “low battery” icon flashing on my camera. Of course I had a spare, after all, this is about preparedness isn’t it? Of course, I had left it in my camera bag back at the Jeep. And it was beginning to rain.
In Photography, there are times when one’s plans come to a sudden halt. Here I was, minus the fog I’d been so eagerly anticipating, not achieving the shots I’d prepared for, and it was all about to be called on account of rain.
I looked at the LED on the back of my camera; the settings all corresponded with what they’d been in the afternoon. I switched to live view, the LED was black! I shone the light on the tree… Barely a glimmer showed on the back of the camera.
OF COURSE! I had my settings set for afternoon, when the sun was high in the sky and there was plenty of light to work with. At night, I’d need to use totally different settings! I bumped the ISO up to 400, dropped the aperture to f- 4.5 and tried again. With a shutter speed of thirty seconds, I was successful! In fact, a little TOO successful, because the image was quite washed out. I dropped the ISO back to 200 and tried again. Much better. I also did the same with shutter speeds of twenty and fifteen seconds, shutting the camera off after each exposure to conserve my battery..
Then came the frosting on the cake. I had Anne take the light and get behind The Sentinel and point the light upward. As she did this, I held the shutter open for twenty-five seconds and VOILA! We had a back-lit image that created a lovely ambiance.
Even though I was rushed due to the dying battery and rain, I still feel comfortable with the results. After reviewing them on the big screen of my computer, I was convinced the best plan was to combine several exposures in a Photo-stack, which was my original plan anyway.
While I fell short of being fully prepared, I did manage to get a fairly good image and learned a few very valuable lessons, one of which is not only to pack spare batteries, but carry them too! Being prepared does not guarantee the shot; many outside influences can get in the way of your successful execution of your plans. Anything from the weather to fatigue and “brain fog” can cause a fabulous, carefully planned out shot, to be less than expected.
Which leads to one final topic. No matter how prepared one is, one must be prepared to be unsuccessful. That doesn’t mean to plan to be unsuccessful, nor to prepare to fail, but be prepared FOR failure. Preparation means you won't be completely devastated should failure occur. Should your shots be unsuccessful, you’ll have an opportunity to try again, putting to use all the things you’ve learned along the way.
Before I leave you, I want to take this opportunity to give a shout-out to two individuals who gave me encouragement back in the days when I was unaware of the Photographer within me. The first is a friend I have known since the mid 1970s – a gentleman named Mike Fleet. Mike was often seen wandering around the city of Fredericton with a Yashika SLR and a tripod slung across his back, held there by a piece of heavy twine. Mike accompanied me on many Snowshoeing treks (having snapped a few images along the way) and even more evenings and late nights as my Musical career was blossoming. For awhile he came on the road as a sound tech, but ultimately chose a more stable life in building maintenance in the Halifax region.
Secondly, is Barb Wrathell who became a friend of Anne’s in the early 1990s and eventually a friend of mine when I met her a couple of years later. When I got my first DSLR, Barb came for an afternoon visit. When the three of us decided to go for a walk through the woods and along the shore, Barb asked if she could take my camera. I said yes, and after reviewing the images she captured, I became more enthused about taking Photography more seriously. To both Mike and Barb, I extend heartfelt thanks for inspiring me and driving me forward.
Thank you for taking the time to read this. As always, I appreciate your thoughts and comments. Until next week, keep your shutter finger warm and always remember to pack (and carry) extra batteries.