The Sniper's Shot

The Sniper's Shot

Zero six hundred,

The brief comes in,

The target located,

The light is green,

Sighting your scope,

Checking spare ammo,

The hard routine begins,

A five klick tab,

Settling into position,

Amidst the undergrowth,

Caressing the dials,

Forefinger is primed,

Target down,

Now hold your fire,

A gentle click,

Change of magazine,

Mission complete,

Return to base,

Briefing room projection,

Assess the results,

Kit cleaned and packed away,

Ready for the next call.

Explanation

OK, so this one is actually about a photographer going out to take photographs, using the analogy of a military sniper undertaking a mission and drawing parallels between the two.

Zero six hundred,
The brief comes in,

This is when the photographer will decide the best time to go out and take the pictures. Perhaps considering what time dusk might be, or when there might be the most/least traffic. Looking at maps, using Street View, looking at other photographs - all similar to how a military briefing might occur to disseminate the intelligence gathered.

The target located,
The light is green,

OK, so they know what they want to photograph, and possibly under what considerations. It's time to set off.

Sighting your scope,
Checking spare ammo,

This is an analogy of a special forces sniper checking all their kit before embarking upon their mission and comparing it with a photographer checking they have all theirs. Tripod, lenses, spare battery, memory card.

The hard routine begins,
A five klick tab,

A hard routine in military terms is where a small patrol of special forces, for example the SAS will create a hideout and stay there for a long time assessing the situation, deciding when best to "go noisy". A klick is slang for a kilometer, and tab is a British Army acronym for "Tactical Advance to Battle". So this really just suggests there may be a walk to get to the best vantage point and setting.

Settling into position,
Amidst the undergrowth,

Again, this draws comparisons between a sniper getting himself set up in an inconspicuous position and a photographer trying to get just the right spot and holding themselves in a rigid position if not using a tripod.

Caressing the dials,
Forefinger is primed,

This is how a sniper would delicately manipulate the settings on his sighting scope, and refers this back to a photographer selecting the options on the camera for things such as shutter speed, aperture and so on. The forefinger is of course in the snipers case what rests on the trigger ready to release the bullet. In the photographer's case, it's the "take photo" button.

Target down,
Now hold your fire,

The photo has been taken/subject shot. The sniper would not move, just keep still for a moment, as would the photographer, just to let that extra split second take place so there is no jerk in the camera.

A gentle click,
Change of magazine,

The gentle click is the release (depending on which camera) of the battery release button to insert a new battery (although if their battery only last one photo, they should really consider purchasing a new camera!). In the sniper's case, they may have to change magazines to put in a new bullet.

Mission complete,
Return to base,

OK, so photographs are taken, nasty terrorists are shot, it's time to return to base/home.

Briefing room projection,
Assess the results,

Here comes the fun part! Have any of your photos actually come out, or is it a cacophony or blurry lights? In the sniper's case, it's reviewing any footage there might be, or listening to intelligence to find out whether the shot was a success.

Kit cleaned and packed away,
Ready for the next call.

The guns, the lenses, the camera are all cleaned and ready for their next outing.