Do I take the picture when the elements aren’t ideal?

Do I take the pictyre when the elements aren’t ideal? We are told when we are taking pictures, when the right time is best to take the shot for the subject that you are photographing. The advice given is sound and does add to your photography when you take the pictures at the best possible time. What do you do when you are in a situation, where the conditions are not ideal, they are not what you would normally take the shot in, do you still take the shot?

If you know that you’ll never get the opportunity again or there is no guarantee that you’ll get the opportunity again then the short answer is YES, take it! Why would you not take it. The images featured in this article are taken when the elements weren’t ideal. Each image that I have included in this blog has many elements that are not ideal and normally I wouldn’t taken them if I had a choice.So why did I still take them? When it comes to wildlife, it is always unpredictable and you can never predict when you are going to get the next opportunity.

If you were taking a landscape and one that is not far from you, then you can choose the time you wish to photograph it. You may arrive and the scene changes as you arrive and you don’t have the right light etc. Would I still take that? No would be the answer if I know that I can easily come back to it when the weather improves to what I want.

When it comes to wildlife, it’s a completely different story .When photographing wildlife, there are aspects that professionals teach to help you in your wildlife photography. They are best put into practice when you have some control over the moment. If you are doing a workshop, then a good teacher, should put you in the best position to the best of their ability including wildlife photography so you can take the picture. Then you will get far better results compered to taking the subject at the wrong time.The situation that the professional will put you in, usually will take in all of their knowledge and you benefit from that. Having said that, there are times, when that is not possible as wildlife is unpredictable and when those moments arise, do I still take the shot, answer is yes.

Why would you say to still take the picture when the moment is not quite right? You take it as you may never get that opportunity again and also, remember, these are your memories as well. Not every image that we take can be ” perfect” although in my opinion there is rarely a perfect image.Never lose sight that every image that you capture is your memory of that movement that will be with you to the end of your days. Even if the shot is far from being perfect, you can still look at the image and the experience of that moment, comes alive and you will not only remember that moment but also the entire experience, before and after. That’s why I say, still take the image when the situation is not idea as is still your memory of the moment.