I first noticed him inside the Aquarium part of the Zoo. It was our first trip of the year. Because of the looming threat of more craptacular weather, there weren't that many people around. He stuck out like a sore thumb as he hauled his massive wooden case to and fro. As I stood by the jellyfish, trying to find a good angle for a photo, he popped open the case. My jaw literally fell to the floor as drool gushed out. Inside that case was Every Photography Fan's Dream. Thousands and thousands of dollars worth of high-end equipment sat carefully placed all through the case that was big enough to hold a kid.
The old man carefully selected a lens, set up his tripod, and began to adjust the settings on his camera. I flushed a bit from embarrassment as I turned and snapped this shot:
I thought to myself that I wish I could get the amazing photo I knew he would get. Mine was a tiny bit out of focus, but I had fallen behind Mr. Husband and Alexis, so I didn't want to take the time to adjust camera settings and find a more stable way to hold the camera.
As the little old man shot what were sure to be stunning shots of the jellyfish, I turned over my shoulder and grabbed a quick shot of the octopus.
Peering in my viewfinder, I was happy overall with the lighting in the shot, but then I thought about how much better my 50mm lens would be for capturing the vivid colors. I thought about switching lenses, but then realized I had fallen even further behind my little family, so I continued on.
I caught up with them at the polar bear exhibit, just in time to see one of the polar bears jump into a waterfall. I quickly pulled my camera to my face and started snapping. And snapping. And snapping. I knew the photos wouldn't be ideal. The sun shone harshly down on the scene, so the white balance would be out of whack. The thick plexiglass surrounding the exhibit would further dull the colors. Just as I began pondering going into full manual and trying to correct the situation, the little old man appeared.
Again he carefully opened his case, this time grabbing a meter before selecting a lens. He started to set up his tripod as I stood clicking away, slightly embarrassed that I wasn't using my camera the "right" way in the presence of obvious greatness. As I continued to snap photos, the polar bear grabbed a toy ring and slung it around his face before strutting across the exhibit.
And just as quickly as the play time started, it stopped.
The little old man never managed to get a single shot; he was still setting up his tripod when the action concluded.
Fact: I *can* use my camera in full manual mode. I know how to use every setting, even if I sometimes don't remember the technical term for what I'm doing. The terms usually come to me later.
Fact: Other than turning off the flash (which I ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS do) I generally run around in auto mode. I switch to correct things if the opportunity arises, but often it does not.
Fact I learned, courtesy the little old man: Sometimes it's better to do things the "wrong" way than it is to miss the moment entirely.
