What a difference a day makes, especially when you are a photographer. Today, I mean this in more ways than one.
Yesterday, I thought that I didn’t much care for the body of work from New Orleans. Sure, I shot a lot, and had a lot of fun, but I just wasn’t liking what I was seeing. Sometimes, this just happens, and I tend to view it as building up sort of photo “karma points” (in the future, at another photo shoot, in another town, sometimes far away and in a completely different setting, I’ll just have that much better luck, thanks in part to my current misfortune. It’s just a law of averages-sooner or later, you’ll get something you like and sometimes, try as you may, you just end up getting squat on a stick. Like they say, sometimes screwing something up gives you a new appreciation for the stuff that you do well-so I usually don’t sweat it, chalk it up to experience, and try to move on.)
Well, last night I went home, popped in one particular 512M CompactFlash, and found what I was looking for. I liked almost every shot. It was like stuff just “clicked” (there’s another pun for you-what with me being a photographer and all.)
This was taken at Lake Pontchartrain. We had the most bizzare light while we were there, due probably to the impending storm. It was bright light and storming at the same time. I’ve never shot in such light, although I have shot in some peculiar lighting situations before (including “weird” situations, like an eclipse and an equinox.)
At Pontchartrain, it was the type of light I sometimes refer to as “God light.” It’s where the clouds look dark and imposing, yet somehow open up in one spot, and “streams” of light come down, seemingly from the heaven’s above, to land upon one “chosen” location for a brief spell. This was the most intense and bizzard “God light” I have ever experienced. At one point, I shot a lightening bolt, you can sort of see the “glow” in one of my images. (I’ve never shot lightening before.)
It’s probably safe to say somebody up above was pissed off at something, and was letting us (collectively) know who was boss. Ok, I can take a hint. But I can also take a photo while I have the chance.
One day later (or even, realistically, 15 minutes more or less) and I would not have gotten the same “God light” at Ponchartrain. One day later, and it might have been bright sun, blasted out sea, raining, or just overcast. Maybe the sun would have sparkled off the waves, making for picture perfect postcard-y images of the beach-the ones you typically see. Maybe the sailboat wouldn’t be on choppy waters, they would look smooth like glass, with the sun glistening off the horizon. I’m not sure what I would have gotten but I do know that totally different shots would have come from it.
But, alas, those were not mine for the taking and these were.
Until next time…
