A New Years Resolution

I had intended to go to Elmley Marshes today, but the forcast was wrong and, guess what, it's gray and 'orrible.

This leads me to my first photographic resolution for 2011:

1. Never intentionally shoot in crap light.

For anything other than record shots (and not being a birder or a naturalist, I don't really have any reason to take record shots anyway) it's just a waste of time.

To illustrate this point, here's a shot of a Red Kite.

It was taken at Gigrin Farm in Wales last summer. We happended to be in the area for a wedding, and despite the overcast weather, we decided to drop in. Red Kites are a magnificent subject to photograph, but this shot (along with pretty much every shot I took that day) is rubbish - it's flat, it's dull, it's boring. Why? - crap light.

In contrast, here is a shot of a Bananaquit, which are commonplace birds in Antigua.

I much prefer this shot (hopefully you agree!). The difference originates in the fact that, although the subject is the Antiguan equivalent of our LBJ, it was shot in good light. This brings out the colors and contrast, especially in the background.

It's no secret that crap light makes for crap photos, but in the past I have tended just to go out anyway, even if the weather is lousy. In 2011, I'm going to pick my battles more wisely. This might lead to a bit of a reduction in the number of excursions I make and the number of shots I take - but hopefully in a good way. It also leads me on to the subject of my next post, in which I'll take a look at some numbers from my EXIF data in 2010.