Misfire, Misfocus, and Misfortune
There are times when you are in the perfect mood, and you feel you will get the best shot, as you are excited and pumped and all ready. However, life does not pan out as we wish at times, and the one thing that can completely ruin my day is when a shot is ruined by a technical malfunction. I call them M3, the misfire, misfocus, and misfortune moments, that occur in most photographer’s life.
I am sure as a photographer, or as a learning photographer you must have encountered at least one moment where a great shot was simply ruined by a small technical malfunction. As this is not new, but I am sure it leaves you as frustrated as I get when I see the image. Because there are times when you are in the zone, and you keep snapping images, and when something like this happens, it throws you a bit off, as it could have been the best shot of the day.
[pullquote] This simple yet effective trick has allowed me to produce great images, as when I hit back after a misfire, misfocus, and misfortune; I am more focused than before. [/pullquote]
However, throughout my years as a professional fashion photographer, I have learnt that it does not end well when you start to dwell on things, as you keep on missing more moments that you have captured. So when such a moment occurs, you should learn to look past it, and tune your mind to focus better. This will help you overcome the barrier, and get better shots.
I say this, because I have seen many photographers just stuck in the moment and it holds them back. Think about it rationally the misfire, misfocus, and misfortune has happened; and now you need to look past it. Being stuck, and upset about that one unlucky moment will only hold you back. So keep in mind that it has happened, and you cannot go back in time and change it, but you can move forward and hope to get better shots.
So keep in mind that there will be a time when the shot of your life is ruined by a small malfunction, but you can either end your career, or you can use it as an example and set your career in the next gear. It took me some time to train my mind, but I got myself there, as I wanted to move forward in life and not dwell on things that have passed. So my advice to all new photographers is that you should learn to look past your mistakes, and move forward.
This simple yet effective trick has allowed me to produce great images, as when I hit back after a misfire, misfocus, and misfortune; I am more focused than before. As there is no other choice for me then to produce an excellent shot. Yes, there have been times when I have been devastated due to a technical malfunction, but I have never let it set the stage for who I am.
