It was going to be a brilliant shot. The heron was perched on the far side of a pool. The weather was perfect, the water was still. I had the camera on autofocus with the focusing square locked onto the bird. The exposure was right; all was well. I was in a hide on the other side of the road about 60 yards from the animal and all I had to do was wait. And wait and wait and wait. Just as the bird moved a couple of times and started to open its wings, a lorry drove past. When the lorry cleared the field of view the bird had gone and I was left muttering words I wouldn’t have used if the bishop was sitting next to me.
One thing I’ve learned from wildlife and sport photography is that you are going to have missed opportunities. You look the wrong way, you focus on the wrong thing, you don’t press the shutter in time, all lead to lost images that would have been competition entries. Most people can identify with this. A failed job interview, a missed appointment, a botched relationship can so easily end up with a sense of “what if.”
The things that professional photographers say is don’t worry about the missed opportunities, rather get ready for the next one. If we focus on the regret of not achieving what we want, we miss out on the next thing that comes along. There will also be another opportunity, but we don’t grasp it by looking back. But while there will be more opportunities the number and quality of opportunities are affected by what we do. There is a well know military phrase about following the 5 p’s I won’t tell you what specifically these are. If you want to know, ask an old soldier. But loosely translated they say that proper preparation prevents a below standard performance. The thing I’ve learned as a husband, father, grandfather, priest and photographer is that the more investment I put into a situation the greater the outcome.
But what about when the outcome isn’t so good? There are a few instances in my career where I deeply regret a choice I’ve made. I was offered two posts as a second curacy. I choose one in good faith but with hindsight should have taken the other one. When I’m in a dark mood and think about the “what if” moments I come back to the rocks in my life of faith and family and continue to be grateful for what I have.
Ian.