Like it or not, we all make assumptions when taking photographs. This could be about a shot that won’t work because of the conditions, so we don’t take the photo. My own example is that I avoided taking images that risked highlight clipping for a long time. The result was that my images lacked dramatic light. Why did I do this? Because I’d read it in a magazine.
When Assumptions Become Believes
The problem with assumptions is that they shape our behaviour and, over time, create habits. More worryingly, they can develop into beliefs that are extremely difficult to change.
I remember a disagreement with a very good photographer who criticised one of my images of a reflection in which I had placed the horizon in the centre. I did this because the reflection had beautiful symmetry, but he was adamant that the image wasn’t correctly composed. He argued that every image must adhere to the rule of thirds, or it’s a bad composition.
But these are just a couple of my examples. If you challenge yourself, I’m sure you will have your own.
The Challenge
I’m telling you all this because I challenged one of my habits at the weekend that I hadn’t realised I’d fallen into.
I always use a tripod when doing landscape photography, and I’ve been trying to decide why. It probably comes from my early photographic experience using slow slide films. I did this because it didn’t have the grain of negative film, so it was ideal for my style of landscapes. Of course, I didn’t realise then that this was a style. I thought I was following the best advice from the photographers in the magazines (back then, the internet wasn’t what it is now).
Anyway, I decided to shoot everything handheld on a day in the Lakes. Looking back, this was probably a good decision, as the weather was initially terrible, and it wasn’t ideal to be using a tripod.
My Trial Landscape Approach
My approach to photographing the landscape was simple: I set my camera to Auto ISO with a max ISO limit of 1600 and a slow shutter speed limit of 1/15 second. Here are a few of my shots from the day, all taken handheld.
This is a three-image stitch panorama with the Nikon Z7ii and Nikon 24-120 lens at 68mm. The shutter speed is 1/25 second at ISO100 and f/13.0.
This next scene is again with the Nikon Z7ii and Nikon 24-120 lens at 24mm. The exposure is 1/25 second at ISO80 and f/14.0.
This final shot with the Z7ii used the Nikon 24-120 lens at 28mm. The exposure was 1/25 second at f/13.0 and ISO220.
Learning From Experience
All these shots are pin sharp, and I don’t think I lost a single image all day to camera shake. I also enjoyed this approach much more than struggling with a tripod. After all, being free to handhold a camera was one of the reasons I began championing mirrorless cameras all those years ago.
At this point, you are probably asking yourself what’s special about shooting handheld with Auto ISO.
But that’s my point. I assumed that because I was using a larger camera and shooting landscapes, I should have it mounted on a tripod and use the base ISO setting. This is an assumption that I now realise has been restricting me.
Now ask yourself, what assumptions, habits and beliefs do you have that are holding your photography back?
The Lightweight Photographer 