Hail Mary!

So why is this blog post title closely associated with the Catholic faith paired with a photo that is obviously from a Jewish wedding? The irony is not lost on me. Read on...

I am just shy of six feet tall. Unfortunately, so are most other people. This is a particular problem on a crowded dance floor during the traditional Jewish chair dance called the "Hora".

When I find myself in this situation, I borrow a trick from my sports photography days. I use a technique called the "Hail Mary," which is when you hold the camera over your head and shoot "blind."

With the advent of digital photography, this technique became much easier because you receive instant feedback. Back in the film days, I used to pray the "Hail Mary" that my shot was framed up correctly, sharp and properly exposed.

This technique is about instinct and familiarity with your equipment -- and luck, of course! You must feel comfortable and confident enough in your own photographic abilities to risk a key storytelling image to the photographic equivalent of a calculated guess.

To perfect this technique, it is important to use a wide-angle lens (with a naturally deeper depth-of-field) and to increase your aperture one to two stops (shoot at about f4.5). Pre-focus the camera on the subject before lifting it over your head, and then aim the lens at a slightly lower angle than you would expect.

The prayer helps too.