On Monday while on my way home I did some "drive by shooting," something I often do when riding shot gun in my car. Now before there's any miscommunication I just want to clarify what I mean when I say drive by shooting.It involves skill, a good eye, timing, as well as, a lot of observation and calculating.
First of all there are no guns involved, although I do use a Canon to capture the images. Secondly, most of the time no people are involved in the drive by shootings, and if I happen to shoot a scene with people, they usually can't be identified.
I try and shoot it that way in order to avoid having people cringing, shying away from or posing in an inappropriate manner while I get the shot.
Drive by shooting is a technique I began using last spring while on our way back to Thunder Bay, Ontario. We didn't have a lot of time to stop so that I could take photographs, so I shot through the open passenger side window while we were traveling.
BLIND RIVER, Ont.I found this to be a challenging way to take photographs, because it is a lot more difficult to capture a stationary object or scene when you are moving at 80/Km an hour. Let's face it, vehicles shift, bounce and have blind spots. These can be major problems for a photographer trying to get that perfect shot.
There's a lot you have to compensate for while shooting in a car, such as the bumps. There often seems to be a pot hole right near a scene requiring a steady hand, more often than not, I've found that pot holes seem to stick together in a group. Giving you a rough ride and an additional challenge while sighting the shot. You also have to keep a look out on the road ahead in order to 
prepare your shot and know what's coming. Sometimes going down a familiar road and shooting, turns out some great shots. You can prepare and time your shots of a building, scene or landmark in advance if you have a rough idea of what's ahead.
While I'm sure there are some people who think that shooting out of a car is lazy, silly or unprofessional. I, however, enjoy it and recognize that it's not as easy as it looks to get shots that are composed well and in focus.It started out being a convenient way to take photographs while traveling and following a schedule. It then turned into a challenging way to further develop my photography skills, get some fast shots and capture random images on the fly. It has also created a way for me to experiment, try different angles and learn to prepare for the shot.
It's a great hobby that's not only challenging and enjoyable, but it
does produce some interesting photographs. It creates memories, builds skill and is a great way to pass the time during road trips or long drives. I never look at my pictures until I get home, or end up somewhere I can set up my laptop. This heightens the enjoyment for me because it kinda feels like a kid on christmas morning waiting to open presents. I admit that I have taken some shots that immediately went into my trash bin but, more often than not, I end up with at least one sick shot that stands out from the others and impresses.
