Be Prepared

by Joseph T. Sinclair

I was driving toward Delta, Utah on Highway 50 from Ely, Nevada. I was in the middle of nowhere many miles from anywhere. There are 152 miles of nothing between Ely and Delta. I had my camera on the front seat next to me to take photos of the interesting rugged mountains and canyons along the way. So, I was prepared. Sort of.

Coming the other way was a chap walking along the highway and carrying a wooden cross seven feet high made from 4x4s. He was towing a little red wagon with his camping gear on it. I was stunned and drove right by him without taking a photo.

Was he a Jesus impersonator on his way to Vegas? Was he a self-flagellating penitente on a pilgrimage to Las Cruces? Was he a lumber salesman carrying a sample for repairs on someone’s Sevier River salt flat shack? I’ll never know. I was dumbfounded. My camera was ready to shoot, but my brain was in full drain.

How can you tell a story like this and have anyone believe it? You can’t. Unless you have a photo. So, if you miss the photo, you can’t even tell the story. If you want to be a photographer, you have to be mentally prepared as well as have a camera in hand.

Which one are you?

1. Poor little Jimmy. That mountain lion bit him before I could scare the big cat off.
2. Poor little Jimmy. That mountain lion chewed on his leg for several minutes before Jimmy beat the big cat off with a stick. I got a dozen great photos of it all happening.

If you choose 1, you’re just a tourist taking snapshots. If you choose 2, you have great potential to be the next Ansel Adams. You have to be ready to do your job if you’re a photographer. No one is going to fault you for utter disregard of someone else’s safety so long as the photos are good. In any event, safety isn’t usually the issue that might be a distraction. It could be anything beyond the bounds of reasonable expectations.

For example, who could have predicted that I would see a guy carrying a big wooden cross along the pavement pulling a little red wagon in the middle of a vast desert penetrated by only by a lonely highway? No one. Nonetheless, I should have gotten the photo. Only my mental sloppiness caused me to miss the photo-op.

Therein lies the lesson. You need to be aware. Having the equipment ready isn’t enough. This is particularly important today because you carry a competent camera with you wherever you go. At 10MP a digital camera is the equivalent of a 35mm film camera. And smartphones typically have cameras between 12MP and 20MP. Thus, you have a camera in-pocket that’s more than adequate. If you can keep your mind in-gear, you’ll get those great photos.

Don’t let the heat of the moment overwhelm your cool photographic persona. Be prepared.