Why I Think The Most Important Part Of Photography Is Creating the Chance to Be in the Right Place At The Right Time.
What sacrifices are you willing to make to get 'The Shot'?
I transferred $2,300 (AUD) to a guy on another island, 4 hours away by boat. We’ve never met, but for some reason, I trust him. I’ve been messaging him on WhatsApp about his second-hand 200mm-400mm lens.
“I’ll give it to my friend, he’s coming to Bali and can give it to you tomorrow”, he messaged. With sweaty palms, I texted back, ‘sounds good 👍.’ When I first started travelling, I almost refused to let the guy I was buying a SIM card from take a picture of my passport, and now I’m transferring a complete stranger $2,300 and blindly trusting that his friend will bring me a lens in working order. Life just works out, and this was no different… The lens was in perfect condition, and I’ve had so much fun with it since.
One of my favourite photos using this lens is this one below:
I used to see photos like this and think they were incredible. I never thought about the behind-the-scenes of how they were taken, so let me tell you. I was travelling with the absolute essentials in a 25L backpack, including all my camera gear, which left space for maybe 4 outfits. I didn’t mind because I thought it would be a short trip, but I ended up being on the road for almost 3 months… I just had to make do with the small amount of stuff I had, and I was travelling just by bike, so the lighter the better. I packed up and drove from the South to the North of Lombok for 3 nights. My goal was to get some photos of all the different monkey species living there. I spent hours in the forest walking around, looking up into the trees, but came out empty-handed. I saw some monkeys from a distance, but they were either too far away or the shot was obscured by trees. I felt defeated that I didn’t get ‘the shot.’ After a few days, I got impatient and left to go back to the ocean… But I knew I wasn’t done. It was annoying me that I had driven the whole way and didn’t get ‘The Shot.’ So a week later, I drove all the way back…
This time I got super lucky and saw lots of monkeys straight away in the perfect spot, I finally got the shot I wanted! In doing so, it made me reflect… What makes a good photographer? Is it knowing your camera and perfecting all the settings, having all the right gear, or is it the willingness to go the extra mile? Even when it’s scary, even when it’s uncomfortable, even if it means you leave with 30 mosquito bites.
Obviously, knowing how to use your camera is important, but I think good photography comes from taking risks and the willingness to go the extra mile to ensure the photo turns out. It’s waking up at sunrise even when you don’t want to, so that you can get the good lighting, it’s the extra kilos carrying your camera on a hard hike, it’s taking a bus on a gravel road in the middle of summer with no A/C for 10 hours, it’s getting eaten alive by mosquitoes and sleeping in the jungle. That’s what makes a good photographer, and that’s how you get the best shots.
Lombok, Indonesia
June 2025
