Shoot

Good shots are hard to come by.

It takes a lot to be a good sniper. To get a good shot, one needs to make sure that one takes a position where one’s target will be passing by, in such a position that one would be able to take a good shot off the person in question.

And then there’s the fact that one has to understand the limitations of one’s armory. One has to understand the tendencies of one’s equipment, and how to overcome setbacks in the environment by adjusting one’s equipment appropriately. Knowing one’s target is important, but knowing one’s self is even more important.

Especially when taking photos.

Yes, people, I’m talking about taking photos, candid ones to be precise, and I am not talking about those pesky people who shoot at you from some obscure corner of the map which you will never look at (in simple English, they are called snipers).

Photos are used to capture memories. Some of us can remember exactly every sensation going through our body when we recall a certain day, but for those of us who are not blessed with such great self awareness, photos help us recall days gone by.

As such, when one takes photos, one has to consider why one is taking those photos: is it to remind oneself of where one has been or what one was done?

If it is the former, posing is ok; you’re only reminding yourself you have been somewhere and done something before. If it is the latter, then I personally find candid photos more suitable.

Then again, one may ask, why candid photos? They are proof of us in awkward positions, which we have no desire of letting others know…

Well, that’s where I take a different stance. Anyone can take a photo which has been posed for. However, it is photos which have been taken while one is unprepared for, photos of one in more natural positions, achieved by either hiding the camera or by deceiving the target, which generate photos which have some value, other than the obvious.

Candid photos can capture a lot; the gravity of a situation, the surprised look one has on one’s face, the things one did (or does) in class (or at work), amongst other things. By nature, candid photos mean that the target does not know that he or she is not being shot at.

However, people sometimes react a bit foolishly in front of a camera. When they suddenly find themselves facing a camera, they take drastic measures to cover their face.

Often, this has hilarious results.

The problem is not putting people in this position. I have found many a classmate who was all too willing to put herself (generally) in a compromising position. The problem is remembering to push the shutter once I have the target between my sights.

During orientation, I was talking to one of my friends, who had already sat down. As I pretended to be unable to hear her, she bent over backwards and started talking to me. I then pulled out my camera to shoot her while she was doing this.

Almost reflexively, she pulled out her handphone pouch and covered her mouth, at the same time closing her eyes. I pushed the shutter halfway, let it autofocus, then thought about whether I should press the shutter or not. In the end, I didn’t depress the shutter completely.

I should have pressed the shutter completely that day.

Well, this whether is a candid photo or not, is not really up to me. In my opinion, it is. Some may say it is not; she reacted towards the presence of the camera. To me, it is; her reaction was natural, uncoordinated, but most important of all, spontaneous.

However, it is remembering, and differentiating those actions which can be troublesome. In the split second one has to shoot, one has to consider whether the shot taken is worth the memory on the card, as well as the drain it has on the battery.

When one wants to take candid photos exclusively, this becomes troublesome as one has to figure out whether their reaction to the camera is spontaneous or not. Planned reactions make the “candid” photo as good as a photo in which everyone poses. Spontaneous reactions make for very good, though intriguing candid photos.

Looking back, I keep thinking of what could be had I pulled the shutter that day. One more photo of her, in a position rarely thought of or seen…

Well, there is more to candid photos than awkward positions. While there might not be much worth in the boring look on someone’s face, sometimes, when one goes through one’s catch for the day, some photos can be pretty interesting, even shots of people doing the most mundane of mundane things.

Shooting candid photos is also an art. While most of my shots are just taken randomly, there are times when I actively look out an opportunity to take a good shot of someone doing something incriminating.

Such as sleeping in class.

These are about as candid as they get. They don’t know that a shot of them is being taken, and the position they choose is not voluntarily chosen. Sure, it might be comfortable, but the contorted look on one’s face as one sleeps can be so amusing when taken in the right light.

Looking back, there were so many instances where I feel like saying, “Shoot, I should have taken a shot of that.” But time, opportunity and shots go by, never again to come.

I guess I have to make do with what I already have.