Spray and Pray vs. Studied Composition

[pierces]

Interesting article. Actually an abstract of an article on the effects of snap-shooting on the ability to recall details of object viewed. Not a definitive study, but thought-provoking.

 

http://www.imaging-resource.com/news/2013/12/10/how-photography-can-affect-your-memory-if-you-arent-paying-attention

 

My take-away was to stick with my current practice of shooting fewer carefully composed images and enjoying my time with the camera and subject.

 

YMMV

 

Dave

Edited December 10, 2013 by pierces

[TheRoff]

It was interesting. And seemingly quite true. It also might be called click and run vs. working the shot.

 

Larry

[donaldsc]

Interesting article. Actually an abstract of an article on the effects of snap-shooting on the ability to recall details of object viewed. Not a definitive study, but thought-provoking.

 

http://www.imaging-resource.com/news/2013/12/10/how-photography-can-affect-your-memory-if-you-arent-paying-attention

 

My take-away was to stick with my current practice of shooting fewer carefully composed images and enjoying my time with the camera and subject.

 

YMMV

 

Dave

 

I was on a boat trip on the Kenai once. There was a guy on the boat who seemed to be taking 20 - 30 pictures per minute! I wonder if he even realized where he was? Can you imagine editing or even looking at more than 7000 pictures taken on a single day. Some of the newer dSLRs can take 12 - 14 pictures per second in burst mode.

 

BTW - this is one of the best justifications for using a tripod. You get to look at the image before you take it.

 

DON

Edited December 11, 2013 by donaldsc

[pierces]

I was on a boat trip on the Kenai once. There was a guy on the boat who seemed to be taking 20 - 30 pictures per minute! I wonder if he even realized where he was? Can you imagine editing or even looking at more than 7000 pictures taken on a single day. Some of the newer dSLRs can take 12 - 14 pictures per second in burst mode.

 

BTW - this is one of the best justifications for using a tripod. You get to look at the image before you take it.

 

DON

 

During a Tracy Arm excursion on the last trip, I kept to my usual pace and composed and shot one or two shots of each scene until we came across a pod of humpbacks on the way back to the port. I set the A77 to burst mode and shot short 1 sec or so bursts when the action was peaking. The 12 fps burst shooting was effective in that case but I really didn't like going through 200-300 shots with groups of 15 or 20 being nearly identical. I think I spent more time sorting through the pictures than I did on the actual excursion! To answer your question, I can't imagine shooting like that constantly.

 

As I mentioned above. I really enjoy photography and taking take the time to study my surroundings and compose really lets me SEE what I shoot.

 

All cameras are technically "point and shoot" it's the photographers themselves that need to "see, point and shoot".:D

 

Dave

Edited December 11, 2013 by pierces

[chipmaster]

For sports and action there is still a place for short very high burst shots. For set movements to music single versus burst I have gotten equal keepers per competitor but yield can still be low and one always wonders if 11 fps would be better even if it isn't. I will wager most if not all sports action shooters aren't sprayers more often than not :D

 

For scenic, candid, or action single is best I agree

[Ebvette]

Using the burst mode has its place I any type of photography, but mainly is used for action shots. Bursting just to take a large series of stills is just a waste of memory. I shot a Nikon D4, and rarely use the burst mode unless I am taking photos of jet aircraft, actions sports, or in some case low light. Other than that its just a waste.

 

Many years ago I was taught in photography school the camera is merely the tool, and the person is the creator of the photograph. The tool only creates what the person controls it to create, and never will the tool take a photo on its on when it wants too.

 

I live by that rule, and I have to SEE the photo before I take it. BURSTING is over rated, for years I worked as a photographer for the Boston Red Sox, freelance, and never owned a Motordrive unit, they were too expensive the the Nikon F2 and F3s, and yet some of the best action photos I have taken were without a drive unit.

 

Many sports photographers will tell you the burst mode becomes a crutch, and although used, it not abused by a good sports photographer.

[shootr]

Thanks for the article, I appreciate Dave's diligence in consistently providing new, viable threads here in this corner of the CC forum.

 

I'm kinda of doing an experiment this next cruise, but it seems to be 180 degrees from the study. I was feeling like my taking all my gear, composing shots and trying to capture moments was taking away from my on-the-spot enjoyment of the moment. You know, being there, being immersed in the surroundings and "soaking it in".

 

This coming cruise will be nothing but a quality P&S (wife's) and the GoPro (mostly for video, but for "fisheye" and "in your face" selfies or other, different perspectives than what my traditional equipment provides).

 

I don't know if I'll miss my standard gear, if I will feel like I missed opportunities, or will I have better memories because I focused on my enjoyment of the moment rather than capturing it on media.

 

Either way I'll be in the Caribbean in March and certainly am not going to fret about it :) .

 

PS - can someone recommend a great P&S? :D

[Smilin'Wave]

Interesting article. I personally believe that there are times when burst mode comes in handy. I use it for bird photography, specifically birds in flight, & for wildlife photography. I only use it when necessary & for short bursts. Otherwise, taking your time to frame & setup the shot is the best way & also a fun part of photography.

[pierces]

PS - can someone recommend a great P&S? :D

 

RX-100... ;)

 

Dave

Edited December 14, 2013 by pierces

[Emperor Norton]

During a Tracy Arm excursion on the last trip, I kept to my usual pace and composed and shot one or two shots of each scene until we came across a pod of humpbacks on the way back to the port. I set the A77 to burst mode and shot short 1 sec or so bursts when the action was peaking. The 12 fps burst shooting was effective in that case but I really didn't like going through 200-300 shots with groups of 15 or 20 being nearly identical. I think I spent more time sorting through the pictures than I did on the actual excursion! To answer your question, I can't imagine shooting like that constantly.

 

As I mentioned above. I really enjoy photography and taking take the time to study my surroundings and compose really lets me SEE what I shoot.

 

All cameras are technically "point and shoot" it's the photographers themselves that need to "see, point and shoot".:D

 

Dave

 

Funny. It was after getting back from an Alaska cruise that I decided spray and pray was a waste for travel photography (for some action shots it may be useful imo). At the time I had a Nikon F5 which shot at a blazing fast 9fps (IIRC thats still the top film camera speed). After getting home and having my slides developed I was aghast at how many shots of near the same thing I had.

 

Of course you can now ask why spray and pray rather than set your camera to video;)

[framer]

Different techniques for different subjects. Every shot is setup, and composed regardless of shots per second used. Composing should be a habit, visualize what you want before the camera is raised.

 

framer

[peety3]

For a lot of sports/action photography, my theory is that the shot you wanted happened between the first and second shot in the burst. The reality is you're only catching, at most, 4% of the action. (On my older Canon 1D Mark III, it can do 10fps, which is one shot every 100ms. Minimum shutter speed is 1/250th, which means the shutter is open for 4ms, so at best it's capturing 4ms every 100ms. My newer 1D X can do fps, which is one shot every 83ms, but minimum shutter speed is 1/1000th, or 1ms, so 1.2% of the action.) Therefore, I usually suggest learning the timing of the action/sport and getting it right the first time. However, until you learn the timing, sometimes spray&pray is the research tool, and on vacation with unfamiliar wildlife, spray&pray could result in more keepers (or better keepers) than a studied composition of the whale that's now already underwater. ;)

[Emperor Norton]

For a lot of sports/action photography, my theory is that the shot you wanted happened between the first and second shot in the burst. The reality is you're only catching, at most, 4% of the action. (On my older Canon 1D Mark III, it can do 10fps, which is one shot every 100ms. Minimum shutter speed is 1/250th, which means the shutter is open for 4ms, so at best it's capturing 4ms every 100ms. My newer 1D X can do fps, which is one shot every 83ms, but minimum shutter speed is 1/1000th, or 1ms, so 1.2% of the action.) Therefore, I usually suggest learning the timing of the action/sport and getting it right the first time. However, until you learn the timing, sometimes spray&pray is the research tool, and on vacation with unfamiliar wildlife, spray&pray could result in more keepers (or better keepers) than a studied composition of the whale that's now already underwater. ;)

 

Honestly how many people will be here using a 1DX (or equivalent) under water :p

 

IMO the best advice is practice practice practice at home:p

[peety3]

Honestly how many people will be here using a 1DX (or equivalent) under water :p

 

IMO the best advice is practice practice practice at home:p

Thanks for making my point even stronger: the 1-series has the highest frame rate, and therefore the highest percentage of action caught. ;)

[framer]

Honestly how many people will be here using a 1DX (or equivalent) under water :p

 

IMO the best advice is practice practice practice at home:p

 

The whale underwater not the camera:rolleyes:.

 

I shoot a D3s with fast glass. A good camera and lens is worth every penny. The technique you use, I prefer to call habit, is priceless when you demand the best results.

 

framer

[donaldsc]

In some instances, you have to do spray-and-pray (love that description). I did an eagle photography trip in Haines last November. When things started happening, you just took as many pictures as you could as fast as you could in the hope that one would be good. I have a D300s so I could not shoot as fast as the others even though I had purchased one of the really fast cards for the trip. The sounds from the really good cameras sounded like machine guns. I did get some great pictures, however.

 

Usually however, I do not use the spray-and-pray technique.

 

DON

[Out of plumb]

I'm a large format film guy. On my last trip to Kauai, seven days (not a cruise) I took a TOTAL of 40 picutres with my 8x10 camera, about 50 with the little 4x5. And 700 with my little D3200. Of them 80% from the film are fantastic, digital its about 30%. Why? Because when I lift a digital camera I know that its going to be a snapshot, one for the album. WIth film, its going get enlarged, so I take my time and compose, expose, and apply tilts, shifts and swings. I do use the digital for a preview of what the film may capture.

 

 

http://www.jpaulsenward.com

Edited February 25, 2014 by Out of plumb

[Steviewonder1]

I took this picture from the top deck of a HOHO Bus in Paris. I saw what was coming and the picture that could be. I was shooting 6 frames a second and this is the best of the one's that I got. I also have a second picture when the bus got closer with a wide angle lens that put the sun in the middle of the tower.

[chipmaster]

For a lot of sports/action photography, my theory is that the shot you wanted happened between the first and second shot in the burst. The reality is you're only catching, at most, 4% of the action. (On my older Canon 1D Mark III, it can do 10fps, which is one shot every 100ms. Minimum shutter speed is 1/250th, which means the shutter is open for 4ms, so at best it's capturing 4ms every 100ms. My newer 1D X can do fps, which is one shot every 83ms, but minimum shutter speed is 1/1000th, or 1ms, so 1.2% of the action.) Therefore, I usually suggest learning the timing of the action/sport and getting it right the first time. However, until you learn the timing, sometimes spray&pray is the research tool, and on vacation with unfamiliar wildlife, spray&pray could result in more keepers (or better keepers) than a studied composition of the whale that's now already underwater. ;)

 

For the first few years I bounced between high frame rate and squeeze one well timed shot. A few years ago I shot with a then claimed professional shooter we hired for a national championship hosted locally. I had to chance to shoot next to him. I took a look at his keepers versus mine. I won hands down, but he had a different need. He told me he only needed to get 2-3 keepers from any one routine and produce 6-10 shots of which he charged ~ 100 bucks/person. He made a lot of money, I captured far more magic moments.

 

For scenic, portrait, candids spraying is stupid!

 

In the end I'm convinced for action you can't have enough FPS.

A few that would NOT have been timed and only happen once, you don't want to trust your timing. In the end I wasted little time filtering thru 200-400 shots from a 1'30" routine to get the 3-10 keepers.

 

Enjoy a few of my spray and pray