Luck

I have a few images that I have made over the years that represent scenes which are very rare. They were present for a very short time, minutes or even seconds, and then disappeared or morphed into something different, less photographic. Was I in the right place at the right time? Yes. Was I lucky? Well ... no.

A great many people provide comments similar to "Boy, weren't you lucky?" while pointing or gesturing towards one of these prints. I usually politely agree. But in reality I don't believe in what most people call luck. I like to refer to the following quote:

"Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity" (author unknown)

I truly believe that, as a photographer, if you get your butt out and shoot as often as you can, and mix in some planning, good things will eventually happen. Going out in the morning often yields great "light shows", whether it be a glorious sunrise or sunbeams piercing a light fog. Setting yourself up in a area with a distant background can yield shots with beautifully isolated subjects (because the background will blur out). It's not luck - it's planning and persistence.

Getting one particularly unique shot may seem like luck. But getting a bunch over the years can not be attributed to luck. Luck may be winning the lottery. Great photography is planning and persistence (is there an echo in here).

The image below is a real attention grabber at the shows. The scene existed for only a few minutes. I guess I was fortunate to capture it, but think of all the scenes I am NOT capturing by not getting out often enough (dang 9 to 5 job). Am I unlucky to not capture them - no. I'm just not persistent enough.

Get out there and shoot!