While unloading the dishwasher the other day, I reached up overhead to put a glass away on a shelf.  Noticing that the shelf was pretty full, I had to give it a little shove to try to make it fit.  In the process of shoving in this new glass, another glass on the other side of the shelf started falling. I saw it coming, so I caught the falling glass in mid-air. 

This might not seem like a big deal to you but it's huge to me.  In years past, I would have dropped the glass, feeling helpless as it shattered on the tile beneath me.  I have dropped many, many things in my life and had gotten used to thinking of myself as clumsy.  What a relief to discover I'm not as clumsy as I used to be.  See, you can teach an old dog new tricks!

You may be wondering what the heck this has to do with photography.  My theory about the reason I've gotten better at this sort of thing is because I've practiced photography a lot the last five years.  And one key to being a good photographer is learning to anticipate.  I truly believe my brain has made new connections that have allowed me to anticipate what is going to happen and then allowed me to respond appropriately.

I wish I could say I knew this from personal experience, but, apparently, anticipation is a huge part of being good at sports.  I do know that you also have to anticipate when you are photographing sports.  For example, if you are photographing a basketball game and you want to get the shot of the ball going through the net, you need to anticipate and press the shutter at exactly the right time.  This takes some practice.

Anticipation is also really important when photographing people, especially children.  When first starting to photograph children, you may think they are completely unpredictable, but with practice, you discover that you can anticipate a lot of what they do.  When you are truly present and your camera is ready, you can learn to take the shot after they blink or just after the little boy tackles his brother. By practicing, you will learn to anticipate and take the shot at just the right time.

When shooting action without a flash*, you want to get the shot at the peak of the action to ensure there is no motion blur.  To practice this, find a cooperative child (or a really fun adult) who doesn't mind jumping around a lot.  Ask them to jump.  At the top of the jump, there is a brief moment, called the peak of action, when the direction is about to change (in this case from up to down).  If you have a reasonably quick shutter speed and catch the peak of action, you will avoid motion blur and if focused properly, the shot will be in focus. 

Another way to practice anticipation and peak of action is to photograph a child on a swing.  Pre-focus on the spot where the swing will be at its highest, either in the front or in the back. (To pre-focus, hold the shutter down half-way and keep your finger there or focus and then put your camera on manual focus so it won't change when you're about to take the shot.)  Then take the photograph without a flash and see what happens.

One other key to anticipating is that you will want to have the camera up to your face as much as possible so you can catch these moments.  They are fleeting.  Missing a great shot because the camera was not up to your face is not a good feeling.

There are lots of different skills that all work together to get a great photograph.  Anticipation is one important key.  I hope you have fun with these exercises.  I am fascinated by motion as it pertains to photography and am still exploring the possibilities.

"Anticipation... is keeping me waiting" - from "Anticipation" by Carly Simon

* Notice I have said without a flash here.  The reason for this is that the flash stops the action.  For this exercise, you want to see if you can capture at the peak and not rely on the flash to stop the action.