Photograph with a plan — but take what nature gives you

It’s a great idea to go out to photograph with a plan in mind. But, don’t get so locked into it that you miss out on the opportunities that are around you in abundance. Roll with the weather. Turn your head for your anticipated subject. Work the scene. You’ll came back with lots more winners from your photo outings.

Milky Way — that was the plan

My apps told me that in spite of the cloud cover I saw it would be clearing during the time I wanted to photograph the Milky Way. Well the app was right. But I needed to use it a little better.

Clear Outside gives you a great report on the clouds. Low, medium, high and total cloud cover. It was correct in its prediction. The clouds parted over my head and the stars began to shine. Unfortunately, the cloud cover to the south and west of me did not.

Next time, I’ll make sure to get the cloud forecast for towns to the south of me as well. No Milky Way that night. Lesson learned.

Not the Milky Way

Photograph with a plan does not need to be written in stone. I’m going to share several examples of some images I made that were a result of remaining open to different ideas. Oh, and turning my head around at the right moment.

Always remember to look behind you for a totally different photo when photographing in nature. You never know what might be waiting there in subsequent posts.

Gear used

An Olympus Micro Four Thirds camera is my camera of choice for quality and light weight when I head out on the trails — the OM-D E-M1 Mark III with a M.Zuiko 12-100mm f/4.0 lens. The camera was mounted on a Fotopro Eagle E-6 carbon fiber tripod, which I like for its tight specs and light weight.

Yours in Creative Photography, Bob