PRO COLUMN
Rob Cottle on developing as a photographer. Forget having the best camera: it’s when and where you point your lens that matters
The five Ps cost nothing but they are priceless
As I re-read my wildlife tips in this month’s magazine (p38), I found it fascinating that there was no technique or equipment advice making the top tips. That had me pondering on what had and hadn’t been important in the development of my photography.
When I first started out it was more about capturing shots without messing up, but through trial, error and enthusiasm I improved and started to capture odd images I thought were okay. I devoured information from magazines and books, viewed videos on YouTube and attended seminars until my okays happened more often, but still with no consistency. Like most, I thought that if I could only afford that new, expensive camera then I would improve exponentially. It couldn’t be anything to do with the fact that I wasn’t very good or that I didn’t have a plan.
I bought that ‘better’ camera, but still I wasn’t progressing as I wanted. It took quite a while for the penny to drop, but eventually I came to realise that a better camera will only allow me to capture a technically better shot of the same thing that I was taking prior to getting a new one.
Now everyone likes a new toy, but if you think about it, a dull image will not be improved if it is even sharper or has more pixels. If it was average before, it’s going to be average after. It’s the same with technique – perfectly exposing a shot doesn’t make it a good image, just a correctly exposed one. Better cameras give you more control, and an understanding of technique can elevate a good shot to a really good shot, but it’s at what, when and where you point your lens that matters.
To make better images it was the planning and creative side of things that needed to change, along with a tenacity to keep improving. Luckily for me, my strengths are being methodical and mulling things over, which allowed creativity to pop its head up. I found the five Ps: planning, preparation, patience, perseverance and passion absolutely priceless and yet they cost nothing.
Planning will find you the location, the light, time of year and subjects. Preparation will enable you to know your subject and the equipment to use. These will place you into a position that if the patience and perseverance is rewarded you can come away with an image you’re happy with. The passion is needed to return time and time again. With those plans in place, it will free you up to be more creative, which was especially lacking in my work.