It is not often you get to return to a place or space where you defined and established yourself as the person you want to continue as from that point and as a different and more experience version of that person.
It is humbling and it often comes with an awareness that you have changed, as has the place. If you are lucky, you get to connect with the magic again, but with an awareness you have evolved and with evolution you need to adapt.
I am trying to adapt to a few things since returning to the School, because to be honest I have changed more than a little. My goals are similar (to please my viewers with my offerings and cement my place in the establishment again), my techniques and gear are basically the same with the exception of expanded video and it seems my rhythm has returned pretty much.
I am aware someone filled my role when gone and they are still in the picture, but I have returned to a welcoming fold, no hard feelings either way, but an awareness there is a point of comparison.
What has mainly changed is my productivity and efficiency.
When I was previously given six hours to cover a swimming carnival at the schools internal pool, a favourite spot with special light and constant action, but a tight space, my output was high as everything that worked was kept. Now, with more practiced skills, it can be a little over the top.
I took just under 2000 files, I submitted 640, because if the paper taught me one thing it was to be efficient and fast and get the shot, a habit I don’t want to lose, but what frustrated me was the heavy culling during the shoot, afterwards in processing and on submission.
An hour spent (a long time for the paper) could theoretically net 200+ decent images from probably three to ten times that many (depending on your motor drive setting), but the needs of captioning and realistic use usually dropped that to ten only required. I adapted by using the lower end of drive settings (single shot), reduced my chasing of unlikely outcomes, ignored “filler” images and generally learned to leave when I felt I had what I needed, not necessarily what I wanted.
My math is now 100 submitted images an hour assuming the action does not stop and one in three keepers is ideal (no bursts, so low waste), so about 300 images taken.
The big change now is providing variety in a space I know and one that has limited options.
The head-goggles-cap shot is my meat and potatoes because it is safe and relevant, but several hundred runs the risk of boring the viewer.
There are already a lot of rules for this type of thing, especially in this jaded, suspicious world, rules I am keen and bound to abide by. If a file is captured that is not appropriate in any way, it stalls at the next step.
Modern software can detect a profile or partial face on social media to help any not well meaning person find their target and our sheltered little part of the world tends to attract people who just want, or need to be left alone, so heavy vetting is applied.
Abstraction and chasing pure photographic beauty with only a hint of specific subjects works for a few, allowing future users to post without fear.
This combined with a need to be respectful but relevant forces on me a set of creative constraints that are challenging to work with, but challenge is the road to satisfaction when you overcome it.
The haunting, contemplative generic shot is a solid choice and has the benefit the viewer may still recognise themselves.
Layering works for a change. Occasionally you get three arms at the same angle, but I cannot show you those as they have faces!
The rare “ripple” shot, an award winner once, they are just a matter of “saturation luck” these days.
Tight, active, emotive and anonymous.
Some motion blur, which tends to burn your shutter count with sporadic wins (you need a still point to wrap the motion around and at this level, the kids are rarely that smooth). The one clear face is known to me and safe enough.
Some more blur. More effective if you are directly side on, but there were electronic thingies in the way.
Finally the detail and odd angle shots that you see over a long day.
Always fun, even if it is getting harder to do a good job, but I would not be anywhere else.
The next carnival is the senior school at the local aquatic centre, a location with its own challenges.
Gear used for the day consisted of an EM1x with either 40-150 f4 or 75-300 kit zoom and my oldest G9 mk1 with 12-60 Leica. The G9 had a “moment” possibly heralding its imminent demise, but after a lot of work and the odd drop, I can forgive it its failings. The poor thing was running hot all day doing stills and video (and heat).