We were walking thru the mall with Payton, so she could go see Santa. And that’s when it happened.
She SCREAMED when she saw the Merry-Go-Round.
“HORSEY. HORSEY. HORSEY.”
I blame Auntie Lauren, who introduced Payton to the joys of this mechanical amusement. I blame her because when Payton saw the merry-go-round, she screamed. Into my ear. And her not-quite-2-year-old lungs were well prepared for the scream to be noticed, believe me.
So, after she saw Santa, we returned to the merry-go-round with my best camera (the one in my hand), and I proceeded to shoot Payton with my Samsung III Droid. I ended up getting a pretty good shot.
How?
1. I shot on every revolution of the merry-go-round. I didn’t know what would work.
2. I shot within the capabilities of the camera: the mall was brightly lit, and the distance to Payton was about 10′.
3. Payton’s Dad got 5′ ahead of me, and called to her on each revolution in an attempt to get her attention on the camera.
4. I adjusted the zoom between the shots to try and find the right balance between zoom and background fun.
5. I kept shooting, because I didn’t have time to check to see if I got a good photo or not.
6. I had 9 shots. Of those, only one was any good at all. Well, if you don’t count the one of the back of her head, which is pretty good if you like pictures of hair.
When you use the camera in your hand, you can still get great photos. Just understand the capabilities of your camera, be patient, be steady … and keep shooting.
She was moving, the merry-go-round was moving … I didn’t always get the timing right. Smartphone cameras don’t “engage the shutter” precisely when you push the button.
When you move, nothing can save the photo.
Getting the timing right … but Miss P wasn’t ready for her close-up on this revolution.
