Shooting My Shot

It all beings with a spark of inspiration. Just a little something to get the creative juices flowing and before you know it, you’ve created another mood board and a Google Doc with half an idea for a plan. For me, that spark was Peter McKinnon. I am obsessed with the guy. Since watching “The Bucket Shot” (parts 1 and 2), I’ve been thinking about my photography and how I’d like to develop it further.

Granted, I’ve only been doing this for just under 3 years now (since just before my son’s birth), but I am looking at ways to improve the craft, to start getting more recognition for my work and looking at how I turn this hobby into something more. I realised that all of my shots, except for the sports shoots, are all done on a spur of the moment. For the most part, this turned out well. But there are certainly times where I wish I’d planned it just a little to get a great shot out of it.

So, this is where “Shooting My Shot” comes into play. I’m going to start a project that I can work on over the coming months and capture the perfect photo of my subject/topic. I may start off small as funds and equipment are on the small side, but over the years, I’m hoping this will help me to develop my skills as a photographer and push me further out of comfort zone and into a better place.

And I have just the subject in mind for project one.

I call it “Catch That Squirrel”. The Idea; capture a squirell eating a nut in the autumnal leaves. Simple in premise, a little more difficult to put into practice. It comes about after I set myself a little goal last autumn to get a picture of a squirrel. One I failed in as they are incredibly fast and I didn’t have the equipment or ability to do it at the time.

The equipment side I’m better on. I have “The Beast” aka the Sigma 150-600mm lens, a monopod and my retractable stool which should help with the waiting game. The ability is somewhat there, that one’s for the jury to decide.

Now as we are already in the autumn, this leaves my window of opportunity quite small. So over the next few weeks, I’ll start planning and trying to get out and capturing it as best I can, whilst obviously documenting the whole journey.

Close but no cigar.

I came pretty close last Saturday during a walk with the family, but not close enough. We got the squirrel eating the nut, but it’s incredibly out of focus, it’s not in the autumn leaves and it’s just wrong. Could have been a good shot if I had my 600mm lens and not the 300mm kit lens, and if Fin wasn’t yelling…

Let’s see how we do!