How well does spray and pray work?

[Derrel]

Here's an interesting, very short article by Ctein, one of America's foremost printers, and a talented photographer an artist in his own right. it's about "spray and pray" photography technique.

The Online Photographer: Stochastic Photography

Any thoughts?

 

[IgsEMT]

thanks!

 

[Infidel]

The article is focused on using this "technique" for complex and rapidly changing subjects. It seems self-evident that "spray and pray" enhances the likelihood of making an interesting capture under these circumstances. That is, of course, if we assume that the subject is rapidly changing between interesting and uninteresting. A high frame rate coupled with a large number of captures will increase the probability of an interesting moment being captured.

 

[Marc-Etienne]

I'm quite happy that a pro actually describe the way I do photography (personally applied to wildlife). My friends used to call me trigger happy However, the results are there. The more you take, the more chances you have. Next time that someone makes fun of me for going hard on picture cadence, I'll tell them that I'm a stochastic photography enthusiast!!

Thanks for sharing this link

 

[Derrel]

I've seen some successful digitla photos that were well,well "into" a sequence of shots. One time my wife managed to take a simply wonderful shot of her sister's little child in his stroller in Hawaii...it was just a wonderful moment...it was shot #15 or #18 of a series, as I recall. She and I went through the series, and there were "almost" and "kill-file" shots, one after another, and then well,well into the shooting sequence was a simply outstanding shot of the boy relating to his older sister. We both agreed, that had she been shooting film, the shot never would have come into being, due to the cost of film.

The other point that arises is the way digital capture and in-field review can allow the photographer to select a shutter speed that is fast enough to capture rapidly-moving subject matter, and that at times "a little bit of blurring" will totally ruin a photo, and that digital capture makes it possible to get JUST the right effect, right there in the field. One commenter referred to this as "the Polaroid effect".

One thing I never really experienced was how sequential action (sports,mostly) could be captured with a professional-level camera with a pro-level autofocusing system; I learned on manual focus 35mm SLR's that topped out around 3.2 to 3.5 FPS; after getting a D2x with 5 to 8.2 FPS capability and powerful autofocus, it became possible to get action shots that were focused in situations where manual focus meant I would have needed to acquire, shoot, lose focus, re-acquire, shoot, lose, re-acquire focus...using an AF s-slr and a MF 35mm SLR of only 3.5 FPS is not the same thing.

 

[syphlix]

heh i don't understand this guy's photography... i guess it just doesn't resonate with me...

funny i'm sitting there reading and wondering "what exactly did spray and pray get you?"

 

[Christie Photo]

Here's an interesting, very short article by Ctein, ...

The Online Photographer: Stochastic Photography

Any thoughts?

Man! Homework?! On Friday?!

 

[white]

Whatever works for the guy. I couldn't do it. I'd be seriously bored, both during the shoot, and at the computer slogging through all the files.

 

[cfusionpm]

The article is focused on using this "technique" for complex and rapidly changing subjects. It seems self-evident that "spray and pray" enhances the likelihood of making an interesting capture under these circumstances. That is, of course, if we assume that the subject is rapidly changing between interesting and uninteresting. A high frame rate coupled with a large number of captures will increase the probability of an interesting moment being captured.

That's what makes artists special though. They take the ordinary and make it sound like it's something amazing. I remember encountering this ad nauseam during my time in UCSD's art department. Pretty much any piece of work from intensely complex to mundanely simple is justifiable as something “more” so long as you can frame it as such. In the case here, he's taking burst shots of moving water at a high shutter speed. It’s something most novice and amateur photographers do with their very first camera because stopping water motion "looks cool," especially with reflections. But if you phrase it like this: "I had an intuition there was an interesting photograph hidden in the subject matter or I wouldn't have even made the photographs, but I had no idea it would come out looking like this. It has inspired and encouraged me to do more of this" then you make the mundane seem extraordinary. Not to dig at this guy at all, but that notion was always something that got under my skin in college.

 

[ghache]

I think i work that way but in certain situation,

I had the shoot the other with a familly and the kid decided to run around like a fuel powered jet. i shot a fiew burst and i was able to get a few good shot with some really nice expression but shooting like that all the time? nooooooo

 

[kundalini]

One thing I never really experienced was how sequential action (sports,mostly) could be captured with a professional-level camera with a pro-level autofocusing system;

I got this series of shots shortly after getting my D300. It wasn't so much a spray and pray as it was an excercise in using and understanding a higher frame rate and the AF of the camera.

This was a couple of years ago and because I'm on the VPN for work, I can't see if the pictures are still there. If not, let me know and I'll jump off to find them again.

Clicky

 

[Derrel]

The article is focused on using this "technique" for complex and rapidly changing subjects. It seems self-evident that "spray and pray" enhances the likelihood of making an interesting capture under these circumstances. That is, of course, if we assume that the subject is rapidly changing between interesting and uninteresting. A high frame rate coupled with a large number of captures will increase the probability of an interesting moment being captured.

That's what makes artists special though. They take the ordinary and make it sound like it's something amazing. I remember encountering this ad nauseam during my time in UCSD's art department. Pretty much any piece of work from intensely complex to mundanely simple is justifiable as something “more” so long as you can frame it as such. In the case here, he's taking burst shots of moving water at a high shutter speed. It’s something most novice and amateur photographers do with their very first camera because stopping water motion "looks cool," especially with reflections. But if you phrase it like this: "I had an intuition there was an interesting photograph hidden in the subject matter or I wouldn't have even made the photographs, but I had no idea it would come out looking like this. It has inspired and encouraged me to do more of this" then you make the mundane seem extraordinary. Not to dig at this guy at all, but that notion was always something that got under my skin in college.

cfusionpm your post made me think of this post:
The Online Photographer: Great Photographers on the Internet

 

[pgriz]

Thanks, Derrel. That was wickedly funny. Goes to show that a little knowledge is a dangerous thing.

 

[cfusionpm]

cfusionpm your post made me think of this post:
The Online Photographer: Great Photographers on the Internet

If you would like to explain the depth and meaning behind these two images, by all means.

 

[JohnS.]

I'm generally like this when I shoot anything that moves. I just point and click. Sure, it's annoying to sort through hundreds of photo's, but some of the expressions and moments you capture are amazing and couldn't be planned. Especially when I have my D40 around my favorite 2 dogs in the world owned by a close friend. For the majority of the time I'm taking pictures of them, my eye is looking through the view finder more often than not. Even if they're not doing anything and just sitting there.

When I do anything that involves stationary objects (ie - car photoshoots, portraits, some macro, etc.), I'm generally less trigger happy and try to figure out how to shoot before shooting.