Photographer Michael Probst captures amazing documentary, history-making, and landscape images. Sports photographer Gerald Herbert insists on providing the best coverage possible as he documents the New Orleans Pelicans NBA basketball team. Maine news photographer Robert Bukaty often snaps pics of fox kits and puffins, but his recent image of the aurora borealis is otherworldly.
What makes a great shot? Consider Probst’s aerial landscape shot—taken by a camera mounted on a drone. It has garnered esteem as a masterpiece of composition, color, and imagination.
On several mornings in April, Probst drove around Frankfurt, Germany, studying fields saturated with bright yellow rapeseed blossoms. He checked several fields with his drone. But, “Once it was in the air, I saw that the fields were still too green. . . . A lot of my efforts fail,” he admits.
A few days later, the fields offered “the brilliant yellow” he’d envisioned. But something was missing, so he waited. In about 25 minutes, a tomato-hued vehicle meandered along, and click. The image came together. The solitary red car, bold against the green and yellow, makes the image visually appealing.
Herbert, however, waits less and preps more. He hangs remote cameras around the arena to cover every essential angle. One is in the rafters. Another is on the stanchion supporting the goal. He keeps batteries fresh and ensures that camera settings are correct.
For this shot, Herbert placed a remote camera behind the goal’s glass. Some photographers use black foil and tape to eliminate reflections, but Herbert opted not to. He said he was pressed for time, but the resulting glare makes the image gritty and real. He didn’t know until after the game—when he could evaluate all his images—that he had fired his camera from a distance at just the right moment for this powerful action shot. Zion Williamson, LeBron James, and Anthony Davis—three of basketball’s biggest stars—all appear in one dynamic frame.
Patience and perseverance can pay off. Bukaty had given up on getting a great northern lights shot. He was half asleep this spring when his daughter urged him to go outside. She heard friends were seeing the auroras. Bukaty’s professional camera captures wildlife and action shots well, but it’s not so good at focusing on the night sky. He nabbed this breathtaking photo with an extended exposure on his iPhone. The lights appear more striking because of the house in the foreground. It gives a foundation but draws the eye upward.
Bukaty was thrilled with his photo. But “I’m even happier to witness my daughter’s excitement over the natural phenomenon,” he says.
Why? Capturing moments in photographic images documents history in the making, expands scientific understanding, and evokes emotion as an art form.
