“Chimp” is a term used by some photographers to describe the habits of other photographers who they perceive to be looking at their rear LCD screen on the camera too much. But the information on the back of your camera can be really helpful, especially if you’re a beginner. Here are my arguments about chimpanzees and some ways you can use your LCD screen efficiently.
What is it?
Here’s Wikipedia’s definition: “a colloquial term used in digital photography to describe the habit of examining every image on a camera monitor (LCD) immediately after it’s taken.” I think it could be argued that if you replace “colloquial” in this definition with “offensive”, you will have a better understanding of how it is sometimes viewed in the online world.
And why the term “chimpanzee”? I don’t know for sure. I guess chimpanzees like shiny things, like screens. So do most people.
Why is it ‘bad’?
The term comes from the view that looking at your LCD screen too much can be detrimental and cause you to miss a shot in front of you, which is basically good advice. You don’t want to be caught checking the back of your camera to see how your final shot came out only to miss a special moment happening right now.
But I think some people have taken it too far, even taking the view that looking at the back of your camera is a bad thing. I’ve even heard of some photographers sticking a piece of cardboard over the back of their camera to avoid the temptation to look at the rear LCD. That, frankly, seems absurd. Why would you spend thousands of dollars on a digital camera just to get rid of one of the important tools it provides? At that point, selling your digital system and going back to film might be the best option. You will definitely save yourself a lot of money on camera equipment.
Use your screen
A useful analogy can be thought of the LCD screen on your camera like the rearview mirror on your car. You have to strike a balance between focusing on the road ahead and glancing in your rearview mirror to check what’s going on there. Ignore the rearview mirror, and you risk changing lanes and crashing into an oncoming car. Look at it too much, and you are caught looking back when a situation occurs on the road ahead of you that requires your immediate attention, such as a sharp corner or someone stopping. right in front of you.
So let’s take a look at the useful information on your LCD monitor. Of course, this varies slightly depending on whether you’re shooting with a DSLR or a mirrorless camera. But the basic principles remain the same.
For myself, as a landscape photographer, histograms are one of the important things that I use when shooting. Knowing that my exposure is right where I want it, or that my exposure frames for HDR are in the range I want, is valuable information. If I’m shooting a scene where the light is constantly changing, I tend to set my camera to aperture priority and check the exposure first to make sure everything looks good before I move on. customary. And I check back periodically. I can also prepare for HDR exposure. In that case I guarantee that I will get good range on my chart for each shot. Again, if the scene changes rapidly, I might set my frame to a larger number of shots, say seven instead of five, just to be sure. I’d rather have more images that I can discard later than not enough to produce an effective HDR image in post.
Another way I can use the screen is to double check my focus. I can zoom in on specific areas if I’m worried about the important focus. I’d rather do this and risk missing a photo while I’m doing it than assume everything went as I planned and find out later when I open the images in Lightroom that I missed the focus I wanted and the opportunity was gone. Peaking on your screen is also a great tool, but keep in mind that it can be deceiving. So double-checking by zooming in can be helpful when it matters.
I also sometimes use my LCD to check the composition and overall effect of my selections there. Sometimes, looking through the viewfinder, I may be focusing so much on my main focus in an image that I don’t pay enough attention to how it all comes together. I find that seeing it on screen gives me a different perspective. This is also why I like to use both the viewfinder and the back of the camera. I tend to see images differently from person to person.
It’s true, I’m primarily a landscape photographer so my subjects are mostly still. But lighting can change quickly in a landscape scene. Clouds can move in and out, and the sun and moon move surprisingly fast across a single frame. So while I don’t shoot fast action sports, the landscape changes faster than you can imagine. For me, it’s been a process of gaining experience and being aware of when I can check the camera and when I need to keep shooting.
So if you’re a beginner, don’t let anyone tell you that you shouldn’t look at the back of the camera after taking a photo. Do what you need to do to achieve a greater level of comfort in your profession, and as your expertise grows, the need to look at the back of your camera will likely decrease. Over time, you’ll learn what’s best for you between using the tools at your disposal and not getting too distracted by what’s developing in front of you. A work method that makes sense for one person may not be appropriate for another. So if you see posts and comments talking about chimpanzees, take it as one person’s opinion. Happy shooting!
