Do You Chimp? Here Are The Pros and Cons of "Chimping"
by Cody Johnson | Jun 5, 2012 | Advice
Digital Photography seems to be growing with no bounds and nowadays the developments are so earth-shattering and revolutionary that one is often left overwhelmed. With all these technological advancements, photography has seamlessly transformed from a hobby into something that millions of individuals across the globe religiously pursue.
As the wide array of photographic developments continued to grow, different camera terms were also introduced and ‘Chimping’ is one of them. As far as the inception of ‘chimping’ goes, this term was coined to characterize a photographer’s habit of looking at the camera’s LCD screen after every shot.
Chimping is called so as it has often been noticed that when a photographer captures a brilliant shot, he shows it off to those in his surroundings, mimicking the excitement of a chimpanzee as he examines a new object. That is why curious photographers checking out their shots at the LCD screen are said to be ‘chimping.’
Many believe that photo chimping as a habit takes over a photographer so completely that he/she just cannot seem to get rid of it. While photo chimping runs quite rampant in the photography community, like everything else, it has its pros and cons. Whether one should do photo chimping or not is an endless debate and at the end of the day, the choice rests with no one else but the photographer.
In order to evaluate if chimping is something you should get involved in or not, the following account is a kind of photo tutorial. Aimed at helping a newbie or first timer decide if photo chimping is something they should opt for, it will help you fully comprehend the implications of your actions.
Pros Of Photo Chimping: Why You Should Do It?
In order to fully comprehend the scope of the advantages of chimping, it is important to realize that chimping does not necessarily imply lack of confidence over your skill. Rather, it will only be justified to say that chimping is synonymous to learning. Wondering how? Read on to find out.
- With chimping, you will not have to wait to determine if your shots have turned out in the desired manner. This way one can easily stay clear of any frustration or annoyance that comes from discovering that you have failed to accomplish the desired.
- You can check and double-check your photos to make sure they are free from exposure or focus issues.
- One can easily correct the mistakes then and there, without having to wait.
- If you are checking the result the very instant you are clicking your camera, to reshoot you will be saved the inconvenience of having to set up the lights again as the model will be right in front of you.
Cons of Photo Chimping: Why You Should Not Do It
- The most obvious reason you should avoid photo chimping is you are most likely to miss a brilliant photography opportunity without ever knowing it.
- When you chimp, you start believing that every single shot you take is amazing even when it is not. Initially, it gives you satisfaction but later on you feel as if you no longer possess the ability to take good shots. The opposite is true as well. You start disliking all of your photos and you get discouraged. Don’t judge any photo based on what it looks like on the back of your camera.
- Chimping interrupts your flow. It can be thought of as an annoying text message you receive while talking to someone where you have to pause and resume the conversation, totally disrupting the flow. To be frank, photography is no exception. Focus on shooting first and then evaluate your best shots.
- Battery life consumption. It should not come as a surprise to any photographer that using the LCD screen again and again to check out shots kills battery life faster.
- If you are habitually chimp your photos, you are most likely to delete some potentially good shots. Since you have no way of knowing if the next shots you take will be better or not, you may delete the best of the lot. Also, there are times when a shot does not appeal that much the first time you take a look at it. Do not delete any shot that you feel is not upto the mark.
In a nut shell, do not make photo chimping your second nature. Try to do a shoot with it and without it and you can judge for yourself what works best for you. After all, it is time you open up your eyes to the world of photography around you.
