Get the Shot

Last weekend started off with gray skies and a good chance of rain in the forecast.  Not exactly what I was hoping for as I had two outdoor portrait sessions slated.  The rain came as forecasted so the portrait sessions were rescheduled.  Of course this doesn't mean that picture taking is off limits, on the contrary it can deliver some awesome shots.  It just depends on what you are looking to capture.

For me I was amped up for outdoor portraits, not gray dull, and raining.  Normally I would just refocus and head out in search for a rainy day shot.  You can almost always get a good black & white shot on rainy days.  However, I was not feeling it so I decided this weekend would pass without a photo outing.  Parish the thought!

Sunday came with the hope of clearing skies. Around mid day the sky was beginning to tease me with hints of blue sky.  I was hoping by sunset I would get my wish of a blue sky packed with puffy clouds.  At 5pm those wishes came true.  I set off for Lost Dutchman State Park. Woohoo!

Upon arrival another fellow photo pulled into the parking lot.  Chikku is an amazing photographer and has the awards to back it up.  He's an avid landscape photographer so it was no surprise running into him.  Together we set out to get some brackets.   See Chikku's work here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/24884086@N05/

I quickly set up for my shot of the Superstition Mountains as I liked what I saw right away.  This was the first of about 30 images I took during the sunset hours.  Out of all 30 images the first one was my favorite hands down.  This is such a rarity for me as normally I tend to get more in the groove as the shoot goes on.  It is that feeling that makes you think each shot will be better than the next.  Sometimes that is true sometimes it is not.

Being an engineer by trade I tend to over analyze at times and miss the obvious.  In this case, the obvious was right in front me when I arrived.  The light was perfect, the clouds were there.  What more does one need? Get the shot! 

It proved to be a great reminder of the saying "seize the day".  In most shooting situations as this I would have normally taken some time to scout the area, figure where to setup, etc.  Had I done that, well I wouldn't be writing this. :)  Even Chikku made a comment about getting this shot early while he was busy setting up.

I count myself fortunate for getting this shot.  I also chalk some of it up to "success is where preparation meets opportunity".  Something I will be reminded of from here on out.

Until next time...