I took up photography seriously again in 2008. In the intervening sixteen years aspects of the way I photograph, some of my thinking about photography and some of my expectations around photography have changed. In this - irregular - series I identify the what and the why of those changes. In this first post I explain why I don’t chimp. Each post is accompanied by a random photograph or two from those sixteen years.
I Don’t Chimp
I assume most readers know what chimping is but, just in case, a brief explanation: chimping is the practice of examining an image on the rear screen of your camera immediately after taking the shot. The rationale for it is that the instant display of the image enables the photographer to check that the acquired image is as expected or desired in terms of focus, exposure and composition. If not, it can be retaken (circumstances permitting).
When I started photographing digitally in 2008 I routinely chimped just because it was what you did, though I don’t recall many - or indeed any - occasions when I felt compelled to try and reshoot an image in light of what I saw on the screen.
I didn’t deliberately or consciously stop chimping. I’m not even sure when I stopped, or if it was sudden or gradual, but these days I never chimp. It’s not so much that I deliberately choose not to, more that it never even occurs to me to do so. Thinking about why I stopped, I came up with five considerations which I think played a role.
First, and the most mundane reason, I’m getting old(er) and my eyesight, particularly my close vision, isn’t what it once was. Even at the best of times trying to view an image on a three-inch screen, particularly in daylight, is less than optimal. You might be able to tell if you’ve cut off someone’s head, or got your exposure completely wrong, but when it comes to assessing details it a lot more difficult. With my close vision not exactly razor sharp these days chimping isn’t going to convey any useful information to me.
Second, I have greater confidence in my equipment. I’ve learned to trust the technology in my cameras, and that trust has increased as the technology has improved. I think it’s harder today to get a poorly focused or exposed shot than it is to get an accurately focused and exposed shot. Metering systems and autofocusing systems, even in cameras that are not necessarily state of the art, are so sophisticated and so reliable, that constantly checking seems superfluous.
Third, I have greater confidence in the equipment in my head, that is my own mind and judgement. The experience I have built up over time means that composition is now more or less instinctive, not something that I need to think about. I’ve already visualised the composition before taking the shot. This does not mean that every frame will be beautifully composed, but I will not make a judgement either way on the basis of a brief glance at a small screen. Given this, I no longer feel the need to question or second guess my composition by chimping.
Fourth, sometimes a picture doesn’t reveal itself on first look, not even on a large screen let alone a small one. I have many images taken over the years that I considered deleting on first viewing but held off on doing so. With a second or third viewing, or returning to an image after a few weeks or even after some years, I see the image very differently. Sometimes I will decide that the best course of action is deletion after all, but many times I have reached a new appreciation for the image. In the case of images re-viewed after an extended period of time this may not be because I see something new in the image, but rather because my own perception of what constitutes a good picture has developed and, I hope, matured over time.
Fifth, and finally, I don’t chimp because while I am looking at my camera screen, life is happening around me and I am missing it - missing both the experience of it and the opportunity to photograph it. Now, I understand that there are some types of photography where this is less of a concern. Where the photographer is in a studio in control of the setup and the lighting, or even working with a static or slowly changing landscape scene, there may be no risk in chimping. For the rest of us, though - shooting sports, wildlife or, as in my case, shooting on city streets - we are not in control, and need to be ready to respond to life as it unfolds before us. Chimping gets in the way.
And so, I don’t chimp.
Thanks Mike. Having a great viewfinder is another incentive to not let the rear screen take control. I tried the X100v in the Fuji store in London a couple of years ago and was very impressed with the viewfinder - and the whole package. I've been waiting for the second hand prices to drop on the V but they never have. I'm still hoping once the initial rush on the VI calms down I might find one at a decent price. I've been using Fuji's for the last ten years - currently the X-S10.
I chimp at times but with an electronic EVF haha