If there’s one thing I’ve learned from photography, is that you don’t always know what your best shot will be. Sometimes I spend a lot of time planning and setting up a photo, shooting multiple photos from various vantage points, only to be disappointed by every one of them. Then other times I’ll shoot a one-off photo without thinking, and that ends up the “winning” shot.
This is evident looking at my photos on Flickr. Some of my most popular photos (“popular” meaning highest number of views and favorites) weren’t planned. One July 4th we watched the Boston fireworks from the top of the Museum of Science. When we were leaving I put my little point & shoot camera on the wall and took this shot of the Zakim Bridge in the distance:
I didn’t think much of it — and I still don’t particularly like the photo — but Flickr members sure seem to like it. Even more so was my cousins’ wedding cake, which was near a window and I happened to notice how it looked while the sun was setting:
I think it’s important for me to always be practicing and learning to the point where things become second nature. So when a perfect unplanned photo opportunity presents itself, I’m ready for it.
