Anything can go wrong in digital so I DO take a look from time to time to check out everything is ok apart from exposure, certainly there are a few moments one cant do it or shots can be missed.
Not looking at the LCD in the manner described above is a risk I dont want in my weddings and I am not sure the B&G would be happy or hire me if they knew I dont take advantage of every singel tool we have in these days to assure the best we can.
TTLKurtis wrote:
I think 'chimping' refers to the people who look at the LCD after almost every shot and are missing good shots while they're 'chimping'.
With regards to weddings, I typically go into a room and look at the meter, pop off a shot, look, adjust as needed, and don't look at it all that much after that. What I do of course use the screen for is to make sure that I got a good shot (no blinks or weird faces) if I want to make sure I get one shot with a particular composition in a fairly static scene. (i.e. getting ready, people are talking but not moving around super fast).
For more action-oriented shots, it's not worth losing shots to chimp.
For commercial work, I tend to look at the LCD a fair bit as we're usually dealing with a controlled situation and tweaking small things until it's just right....Show more →
Food for thought: in his Captured by the Light, David Ziser recommends checking exposure with the blinkies and histogram indicators. People who want you to shoot with the LCD taped off tend to be old-school, film aficionados. News flash: we're not shooting film... unless we are.
Chimping was coined at the advent of the digital camera for those who were so enamored with aspect of instant gratification offered by digital cameras, that they would (apologies to chimps everywhere), pucker their lips out, make their eyes big, and go OOO-OOO-OOO!! while showcasing their LCD to all within viewing distance. This action became the moniker of an inexperienced photographer who was more enamored with discovering the wonders of digital cameras (like a caveman discovering fire), rather than the wonders of their own artistic abilities or professional conduct. Hence the word "chimp".
Chimping, as it was originally defined, is largely a thing of the past. Today, checking your LCD is a personal preference. I check my LCD after every series of shots, mostly because I tend to make a LOT of mistakes, and I want to gain a certain comfort level that I have the shot (or something in the ballpark) before we move on.
That said, I do occasionally check my LCD, expecting to see a great shot, actually SEEING a great shot, puckering my lips, widen my eyes, exclaim OOO-OOO-OOO and show whoever is close by. Cuz you have to admit, digital cameras are pre-tty cool...
I use to chimp a lot, especially when utilizing flash. I try my best to minimize the amount of times I chimp while shooting a wedding, but it's pretty tough, especially when you get excited about a potential shot. I think that the less I chip, the more opportunities I have to capture a great moment and not miss out on something happening as I'm fumbling with the camera.
