The entire process of capturing a photo is a different experience for every person. Sometimes the shot of a lifetime happens by accident; sometimes it has been planned out for days, weeks or even years in advance. Other times its something seen after the photo is taken, something hidden and brought forward from the background. Many people take photos to try and hold onto a special moment in time. A vacation, a birthday, awards, a new car, a wedding or even a new baby.

My process for capturing most of my freelance work comes from a little bit of everything. I do plan on where I am going. I usually like to select a place with lots of activity. A park, a public market, a fair or even a busy downtown street. Once I get to that place, I sit and watch what’s going on around me. Where are people coming from, where are they going, and what are they doing.

I get my bearings on the flow of the place, and then I walk around looking for spots of interest. Is there nice filtered light coming from under the tree, is the water bouncing of the sidewalk in the water park and twinkling in the sun, Is the sky reflecting off the glass windows of a building, is a bench creating an interesting shadow on the children sitting on the grass near by?

Once I have noted my places of interest, I select my lens. I usually like to use a long range lens, I like my 75 – 300mm for freelance work, as you can get in close without getting in too close. Anything bigger and people think you’re a private detective or the paparazzi. Anything smaller and you can’t get in close enough without then noticing you.

Most of my best work is done when the people don’t even know I am there. Many times I have had to look away and pretend to focus on a pigeon or a taxi cab, in order to avert the sudden glare from someone who has spotted me. If you get caught, the person will usually shy away from you, clown around or get angry. There are a few people who will just ignore you and keep doing what they were doing, but those people are far and few between.

I have never taken a tripod with me on these expeditions, as I find it hard to move around freely while weighted down with too much equipment. I pack light and take only what I need. I make sure to be prepared with extra batteries, lens’s, and am always ready for a change in weather. One of my instructors said “it sucks to be wet and cold” and it really, really does.

The most important thing is to take your time when shooting. Don’t have any other place to be, don’t be in a time crunch. Patience is the key to great photos.

I usually shoot a full 1 GB card (jpg) and only look at the photos when I get home rather than viewing them as I go. I have a different perspective after I am out of the situation and it also curbs me from deleting things I think are bad at the time but might be gems in a different place and time.

The finished photo here was taken in the summer at a popular public market. A street performer was getting ready to perform and people had gathered around and were waiting for the show to start. I saw these two sets of children so different but so alike. One set had huge ice cream cones and the others did not. I knew it would not take long before the ones without, couldn’t resist watching the other two eating those cones. I only waited a few moments before I had the shot I wanted.

The last step is going over the actual shots you have taken. Once I have selected the ones I really love, I will crop them out and make any corrections if necessary. I always try to leave the photo in its rawest and purest form even though shooting digital always offers the temptation to change things around. This photo is now hanging at my father’s summer home after winning an honorable mention in the International Photography Competition last year.

Freelance is about getting out there and taking photos. Just remember that anywhere, anytime – great photos happen, you have just got to be there to catch them!

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