So How’d You Get That Shot?

Oxbow Bend, Teton National Park Wyoming

Often I am asked at shows and gatherings how I got a particular photo. Well the answer is a mix of things. I do quite a bit of planning before going to an area to photograph. Checking with various sources on the internet, I find the sunrise and sunset times for areas, check with other photographers for their experience and information as well as checking with locals whom I have befriended while visiting those locales. I will also check for weather conditions for that time of season, anything that may give me a “leg up” on my ability to at least be in the right place at hopefully the right time. Once on location I will be looking for the right composition but most importantly the right light. Light conditions can make or break a good photograph. Preparation is the key. Conditions, equipment and safety, all play a key role. I have to admit though, with everything listed above in place, serendipity plays a big part. You never really know when that opportunity will present the “finger print shot” as I call them. Thus generating the question, “how did you get that shot?” The photo shown here was taken at Oxbow Bend in Grand Tetons National Park. I had done my preparation before the trip from the San Francisco Bay Area and had already gotten some really nice shots. In the afternoon a storm was coming in and I was heading back to Jackson Hole to my hotel when I decided to just stop and “take it all in”. I was the only one there. As I ate the last half of my sandwich and what was left of my coffee, I was listening to the ducks splashing in the water with that muted sound and overall silence as the snow was just moments away from falling. All of a sudden a small pinhole opened in the clouds to the west and a bright, almost flashlight like beam, began shinning on the aspen grove across the pond from me. I grabbed my camera and took ten hand held shots and then it was all over. As fast as it came, the light was gone. Literally 3 minutes worth. I drove back to the hotel in a rather hard snow storm content in just having been to there to see such a wonderful sample of Mother Natures beauty and kindness.

And that’s how I got the shot….

I will be posting more such photos and how they were shot in
future articles. Comments and questions are always welcomed.

…and please don’t forget to check out my workshops

Thanks for visiting!

John