Take Another Shot

I saw a Pinterest poster with the words, ‘Life is like a camera. Just focus on what’s important, Capture the good times. Develop from the negatives and if things don’t work out…. Just take another shot’.

The analogy caught my attention as I enjoy photography and I’m always looking for that perfect shot especially of the beauty of nature.

As a child, I had to pose for many pictures and often wondered what was going on behind the huge cameras. I remember that to keep our attention, photographers would tell us to look out for some birds that were going to come out of his lens.

I would focus so hard to see the birds and when the flash went off, I wondered if I had missed the birds, but the photographer would have got his perfect shot, so all’s well that ends well.

The equivalent these days is a photographer’s assistant holding toys to help keep the focus of the children.

Let’s get back to the analogy and the words that struck me – focus, capture, develop, another shot. I would like to add a few more words – equipments, vision and backdrop.

Equipment

The right equipments are essential to a photographer as they can make or mar the opportunity to get the right shot. Imagine needing a specific lens to capture a fleeting moment and realising you don’t have it on you.

In life, we also have skills, talents, gifts, passions and dreams. These are essential things we need to live our best lives. So don’t forget to use them.

Vision

Every photographer has a vision of the perfect or right shot in mind and they try many manoeuvres to try and capture them. Recently on the Stray in Harrogate, I saw a photographer lying on the ground to capture a shot. I was fascinated by that sight.

What’s your vision for your life and will you take unusual postures or positions to advance it? Will you go to great lengths to achieve your goals.

Focus

Every photographer works on their focus before they press click. They make sure the picture is perfectly in the frame, lighting is just right, background is a good backdrop and all these take time and expertise. This is when the hard work happens. The actual click is the easy action.

Are you willing to spend time on the preparation phases of the things you need to do? Before you start a business, are you willing to write the Business plan, have it critiqued and refine it? For any interview how well do you prepare?

Develop

The process of developing a photo is extremely important to the finished product. From the days of a dark room to today’s technology for refining pictures, the attention to details remains paramount. The touch ups happen at this stage; merely changing the background can make some pictures more striking.

In life, we must focus on the entire journey, we will have opportunities to correct mistakes, refine our actions, tweak our approaches until we get it right. Every stage is important.

Multiple shots

Photographers take hundreds of shots just to end up with a handful of pictures. Why? They understand they might not get it right the first time, so they keep clicking.

An excellent photographer will rearrange a photo shoot if that’s the only way they can guarantee getting the perfect shot. The final photo defines their work so they would prefer a do-over when they don’t get it right.

In life, we have an opportunity to correct our mistakes and we must be willing to see when a do-over is required.

Thanks for reading my post. I hope these words inspire you and strike a chord and you take the actions you need to take. See your next week.