What environments do you engage your photography?

Just curious how you guys do it. I mean, do you just go thru your normal weekday and weekend things and just have your camera with you, do you have an image you wanna shoot and you specifically head out just for that? Or do you mainly go away on a trip somewhere away (maybe close by) or maybe there is an event in the city and you do your photog there?

 

For myself even nowadays and even with overseas with dSLR technology with usable extremely high ISO I still find myself using base ISO on a tripod at the golden hour, I head out just for photog by myself but at times I think what am I doing there is more to life just that. With overseas I have seldom taken photo's in the daytime and reserve them for dawn and dusk but now I am thinking of changing that with a lighter camera and not take the tripod out "everyday" 9am and back at 9pm. I have 2 dSLRs over 14yrs and in total I have less than 30,000 shutter actuations.

 

 

Cheers.

I take photos at all times of the day. Sometimes I have something in mind and go out to deliberately shoot it, often a person. Other times I go out to explore and don't know what I will find. I try to be inconsistent in my shooting methods. I especially like what might typically be considered unflattering light. I find light a challenge and am often stoked by difficult conditions and situations. I mostly take my dslr with me when I want to shoot. I don't carry a camera with me at all times, except for my cellphone camera, which I use sparingly.

I'm a planner and plodder. I shoot almost every day, but it is with a particular shot or type of shot in mind. Ever since spending time with Ansel Adams in the late '60s, I've worked to pre-visualize my shot. I pretty much have the image worked out in my mind well ahead of time - sometimes weeks ahead if it is a major expedition, like a week at the Grand Canyon or something. I will anticipate sun (or moon) angles and relative positions pretty exactly. There is an app called the photographer's ephemeris that does a slick job of that. Most of the locations I go to I have been to many times before (part of the advantage of being 75 years old). From time to time I will just grab shots, bet that is usually to test out new gear or a new technique related to software that I test for some developer.

A little of both. I usually have a camera with me based on the assumption that anything could happen anywhere any time. I also go to specific places for photography & use it as an adjunct to other hobbies too.

To me, photography is a game of chance so, to maximize my chances, I shoot in all environments and at all times of the day. I am out and about 5-6 hours a day most days, snapping away at all sorts.

I make it a point to bring a camera bag with me any time I go out. I switched from a DSLR kit (Nikon D3) to a mirrorless one (Sony A7) to save some weight and space, by about 30% (lenses are still heavy, if you carry enough of them). If I see something interesting, I may stop and shoot. Often I stop at a local forest preserve or park and look for some new way to see it.

 

I'm retired and no longer travel abroad for business, but when I travel I devote as much time as possible to photography. In a turn of events, I actually scheduled a week with my brother (no spouses) to Iceland, strictly for photography. We're already talking about the next trip. Call it a "bucket list."

As a former Kodachrome shooter I have four golden hours every day, from 10 AM to 2PM, as the instruction sheet said. Colors are most accurate and shadows are not obstructing long swaths of scenery. I usually shoot on various conservation lands where I like to walk, often with my cell phone when I am too lazy to carry a camera.

Family oriented photography. I shot 4 photos of my Grandkids in the backyard today with my Medium Format camera using Arista 400. Then I shot 3 photos of my Grandkids at CostCo having a treat from the snack bar with my cell phone and posted them on facebook while they had their snack. Anyway general photography and I do not care what time of day it is. There is always a photo out there especially with B/W film. Shadows are your friend.

I've tried to limit my scope to a more manageable scope. Now all I do is old film cameras, modern AF and digital cameras, travel, macro, abstract, and the others on the site list..... :}

As a former Kodachrome shooter I have four golden hours every day, from 10 AM to 2PM, as the instruction sheet said. Colors are most accurate and shadows are not obstructing long swaths of scenery. I usually shoot on various conservation lands where I like to walk, often with my cell phone when I am too lazy to carry a camera.

Charles, I found your comment most interesting. I, too remember shooting at ASA 25 and 32. These days I avoid shooting in the harsh light of midday. I prefer rainy overcast days when colors are most saturated and shadows soft. I also like the early part and late part of the day and look for those long deep shadows you avoid. I like the definition the shadows provide and the current set of digital sensors allow detail to be capture in those shadows if

No set way

I lean towards early morning or late in the day. I also have been checking the weather report regularly. Bright sunlit conditions bore me lately, I might get over it.

I do a lot of "casual" portraits, meaning more documentary rather than set up. Therefore, I shoot in a lot of different situations, indoor and outdoor. I pay careful attention to light and shadow. Indoors during the day, window light is very nice when handled well. Without much window light with digital I can use higher iso's which is great. I typically set my D7100 at iso 3200 when indoors (no flash). Outdoors I use open shade, or early evening light.

I plan my wildlife shooting, based on what's happening with the wildlife. In spring, it's about trying to shoot babies and mating behavior, for instance. I shoot golden hours, but when shooting a 500mm and above, that's not so critical.

 

For travel, I get out early, usually before my travel companions wake up. Sometimes there's a specific target, but often I'm looking for great light on an unexpected Mid-day, when touring sites with my travel companions, I still take the cameras and try to deal with the light. I shoot closer, but I also know that I can clean up atmospheric haze, to a high degree, in RAW conversion.

 

Someone mentioned thinking in terms of Kodachrome. I shot it, before there was not much option, save for Fuji and Agfa, each with it's own set of saturation problems. Those rules are totally out the window today. I suggest that they be forgotten and learn how to expose digital negatives, taking full advantage of dynamic range, image stabilization, autofocus and post-processing.

I shoot just about anywhere as my always-have-it-with-me camera is my iPhone. Unless I'm working on a project I have no set agenda for making photographs. Basic stuff I come across when I'm out and about.

 

Here's one from this morning on a hike, followed by a few more recent pix where I usually make photographs, in urban environments with people.

 

http://citysnaps.net/2015%20Photos/Deer%20at%20Edgewood%20Park.jpg

 

 

http://citysnaps.net/2015%20Photos/Flag.jpg

 

 

http://citysnaps.net/2015%20Photos/BART%20man.jpg

 

 

http://citysnaps.net/2015%20Photos/Museum.jpg

 

 

And here are some pix of something a little more deliberate.

Edited May 21, 2017 by Brad_

I like to walk so I add some extra effort to it and train at the same time to have the bag on my shoulder. It's nice to just go for a walk and be in the creative zone mentally letting what ever presents itself inspire the photo.

I'm barely ever using tripods and usually carry some camera somewhere and shoot what might catch my eye. Sometimes I am wandering around hoping to spot subjects. I am not yet content with offered high ISO options. - Once they'll increase significantly I'll try to buy such cameras. Golden hours can be nice but it is hard to schedule life to have them. When asked to shoot / cover something, I am likely to pack different &/ more gear than on my own.