Being in the right place at the right time has a lot to do with getting a successful shot. Being familiar with your environment takes the guesswork out of predicting what is going to happen next.
In this particular instance, a GoPro Hero was being held right at the water’s edge at the side of an ice hole in Northern Norway. We were busy shooting normal cameras and one GoPro was set to take a shot every two seconds. Just as the diver surfaced and began removing the hoses from her mouth, the GoPro fired and got the exact moment that the water covered her face like a veil.
Being familiar with the sequence of events in any assignment allows the photographer to predict what image could be possible and when it will occur. Knowing that the first thing the diver would have to do is remove their equipment on surfacing and then would handle it to the tenders on the surface took the guesswork out of this shot. The first GoPro was shooting the near-surface shots, and another one was taking shots below the ice of divers ascending into the hole. At a two second interval, the cameras had to get something! In the meantime, we shot with normal surface cameras of everything else that was happening around the entrance hole. It all makes for a very busy session. If you know what the sequence of events are ahead of time, the chances of getting a worthy shot is almost predictable. This time, the GoPro nailed it … but not by accident. Pay attention to your surroundings. You only get one chance of grabbing the shot.
