Capturing a great moment can take months of planning. Adventure photographers often spend hours waiting patiently for the light to change or the shadow to hit the perfect length. But great moments can also be captured in an instant, by simply being in the right place at the right time, being open to the possibility, and grabbing the shot with whatever camera you have to hand, whether it’s a DSLR or a phone.
That was the experience for Roberto Zampino who had both DSLR and mobile phone while climbing in a spectacular spot in Sicily known as the Grotta del Cavalla – the horse cave. “It’s a spectacular overhanging wall facing the sea,” he recalls. The photographer had just sent a 7c line and was giving his girlfriend a photography masterclass when he noticed the light begin to change.
“I was trying to teach her about composition and lighting. We climbed until the very end of the cave looking out at the sea. A climber started the same route I had just sent. When he was roughly in the middle of the route the light turned perfect. The red rock lit up with the sunset which lasted for three minutes – three minutes of beauty and harmony.”
However, instead of grabbing the DSLR off his girlfriend and risking an argument, he chose to ‘let the situation flow and keep the peace’. Instead he pulled his mobile and shot this photo that became a Mobile category finalist in 2016.
Other shots require next-level planning and complicated logistics – especially if you’re shooting athletes. Karim Iliya is an underwater photographer, drone pilot and filmmaker based in Maui, Hawaii. For this long exposure of kayakers he had to scout the area. “This photo was one of the more logistically challenging photos I have ever taken, trying to combine two forms of time into one image. One week before I took a similar photo of the river alone but wanted to include kayakers to give some perspective,” he says.
“After showing the photograph to kayaker Adrian Mattern, he pointed to an eddy current, the only feasible place where they could maintain their position so that they would show up in a long exposure. Without any radios or form of communication, I got into position above the valley and waited. They set off from the top of the river and waited upstream until just after sunset, when the light was balanced. In between rain showers I flew the drone out, signaled to them with the drone to go to the eddy. They held their position as long as they could while I took some photos. While flying back the rain returned and darkness covered the valley.”
Spontaneous or planned, what produces the better shot? Join the conversation on Instagram and enter your images via the submit page here.
