Is there a place for Opportunistic Shots?

[ucci]

Okay so we all know basically what to do in setting up to frame a good capture. And the end result usually reflects our careful attention to details such as camera settings, tripod well positioned, the best light angle and so on whilst the subject patiently waits on us to do our thing. And we can be justifiably pleased to show others our capture.

But is there a place for posting the odd, off the cuff, opportunistic shot taken in a flurry; the precedent being, " Hey, never seen anything like that before and bet I, and probably most others, never will see again. "

Okay, so I was ambling along beside the river, bored witless, filling in time, with nothing in sight worth a shot, waiting for mrs ucci to disengage from some market project she was involved in. And then around the bend in the path I came across this. So, how often do you expect to see wild ducks sitting up on a fence? Just had time for a rapid reflex shot before they took umbrage to my presence and departed the scene.
So, this is posted for its novel value and not any artistic merit.

For those who may find my post inappropriate or tediously boring, please accept my most humble apologies. Us old men can be so boring at times

[Manfred M]

I think this is an interesting shot given the tonality of the scene and the subject matter, but the busy background ultimately distracts and hides the interesting positioning and colours of the ducks, so the image is not as effective as one might hope.

I suspect most of us take grab shots when we are out and about, especially when traveling. The ones that work best for me are the ones that follow the same workflow as a planned shot, albeit at a much faster pace. Being aware of the shooting situation and having the camera preset and sometimes pre-focused helps a lot too. That being said, I find my success with grab shots is much like anything else, practice. But even with all that, my success rate in shots that are good is not nearly as high as when I shoot normally and plan the shot.

[billtils]

I like this Ken, the story and the outcome.

The starting point in any discussion on a photograph is does it grab the viewer. The answer can be "Yes" for many reasons and many grab shots will result in a "Yes" as this one does (at least for me). Of course there are elements that are less than optimal, but your focus is nicely on the birds leaving a softer background. Maybe a crop to kill off the wire netting under the "perch"?

[Tri Danimal]

I agree a tighter crop from the bottom right would make it a better image for me. I dont think there are any problems with having the off the cuff shots posted. SHare away.

[Donald]

Absolutely. Without opportunism we wouldn't have many of the great images we have today. It's not a case of whether there is any place for opportunistic shots, more a case of knowing when an approach based on opportunism might work and when it clearly won't.

[Shadowman]

Nice shot.

[mugge]

Absolutely. I do it quite often. My success rate is ah, well eh.
Cheers Ole

[wilgk]

I’m a plus one, fr the opportunistic shutter click!

Photography can be kinda like shopping sometimes, when you go out to buy that exact something, you will never find it.... but sometimes just strolling along, you see that certain something, which you simply must have!

Then you tell your partner.....New, this? Nooooo had it for ages

[John 2]

………………………………... Photography can be kinda like shopping sometimes, when you go out to buy that exact something, you will never find it.... but sometimes just strolling along, you see that certain something, which you simply must have! ……………………………………………...

I'll go with that. When I think about it, most street photography must be opportunistic.

[Jim A]

It's about being more spontaneous more often, Ken. Not stopping to think it fully through.