Thinking on what to write about today, the idea of limitations came to mind but then again, we’ve been talking about that a lot already and they’re used as the classic excuse for not getting something done. In the 1996 movie “The Rock” with Sean Connery and Nicholas Cage, the two characters have an argument as things weren’t going their way. Cage’s character says he’s doing his best and to this, Connery’s character retorts, “Your best? Losers always whine about their best.” (We left out the part about what winners do. You can search for it on the Internet.)

At first, I thought, what an arrogant thing to say but it eventually became clear that people who don’t get things done keep blaming something else while those who do get things done just get them done regardless of what the circumstances are. Another example here is a Filipino singer blaming the microphone in a concert for his mediocre performance when another the performer before him whipped up a storm using the very same mic. True story. Can’t say who he was here (but if you ask me in private I may give the whole story).

The “moral” of the story is simple: Your best may simply not be good enough (with apologies to a once famous song) but it needn’t always be like that. The fact is that your best when you’re just starting out with photography (and life, actually) will most likely not compare with what you can do on a fairly regular basis once you really go shooting more frequently. The idea of what your best is, is really situated in time and space. At a particular point in your life, there are things you can do and things you can’t do. It’s but a phase and a challenge to become better. When we’re young we’re told that good, better, best comprise the normal hierarchy of things and that “best” is the superlative. It really isn’t and if you believe that your best now can be your best for the rest of your life, pretty soon you’ll find out that your so-called best has not only been superceded by those you once considered inferior but it’s also already become so forgettable.

The next “moral” of the story: Stop blaming things and try and outdo yourself. Your best for today is simply the next thing you have to outdo. Oh, and stop blaming your equipment already. Even the simplest cameras can generate masterpieces in the hands of a master while the most expensive cameras and lenses can be the most expensive point-and-shoot in the hands of a pretend-photographer.

Continuing and thanks to Bryan Peterson

We once said here that perhaps some of the best and cheapest photographic accessories are your legs. They’re free and they’re adjustable, too. Those of us who hear little popping sounds when we bend our legs are being given a sign: Get more exercise so you can shoot more. Plus, a little exercise never hurt anybody and when the little exercise becomes a lot of exercise, things can really get good (or so I’ve heard. I haven’t gotten into a lot of it).

Bryan Peterson is not only a photographer but also an author and a dedicated family man (many shots in his books are of his wife and kids). He has written four books: Understanding Exposure, Understanding Digital, Learning to See Creatively, and Beyond Portraits. He has this really simple yet, really necessary exercise as explained in Learning to See Creatively. The gist of it is to take your camera and pop in a lens. If it’s a zoom lens, identify a focal length and stick with it for the rest of the exercise.

The next thing to do is to find something to shoot. Anything. Really. Then shoot your subject. And again. And again. And again. That’s oversimplifying though. That’s what people seem to think some photographers do (just giving you the same shot over and over). What’s really happening here is taking a look at a subject from a fresh perspective and shooting again. You need to take one shot maybe standing up, as most shots are done. Then a little lower, maybe while genuflecting or kneeling (See? All the kneeling in church helps.) then one a little lower, then one on your belly. If you can manage it, try another shot way up high, maybe on a ladder, then another shot really down low. The great filmmaker Orson Welles actually dug a hole for one shot in Citizen Kane so that the frame was dominated by a guy’s shoe. If you have a shovel always in the car and the people who own the spot where you’re shooting wouldn’t mind, go ahead and dig.

While you’re at it, try another side of your subject. There are some subjects which do give you choices in terms of composition and background. If you just take one shot and then leave, you lose the opportunity for a possibly much better shot. Take a shot from different angles. You won’t believe the difference the angle can make with some shots. Experiment with different backgrounds. Moving a bit to the left can drastically change your shot or maybe a slight movement to the right will do it. Some people don’t realize it but a move around your subject can sometimes do wonders.

The major idea is to take stock of a situation and see its possibilities with everything that’s around it.