The Blog@DHP-Patience; Or How I Almost Missed the Shot 07/31//2011
"The two most powerful warriors are patience and time"
Tolstoy
As an artist, it's important for me not to just find my subjects, but to also be able to photograph them when the conditions are right. Sometimes I stumble across something that I want to shoot when I am far from home and just passing through. In a case like that, I don't have much of a choice and I make do with the lighting and weather conditions that I have. It's possible to make great images in less than ideal conditions, it just takes a little more work and imagination.
When the art is practically in my backyard, I can be a little more particular. I can watch it on a daily or at least weekly basis until the light, the sky and the surroundings are perfect. In the spring of 2011, on my way to work, I saw an old Chevy truck sitting sideways in a driveway. It was in pretty good shape compared to what I usually shoot, but I still like it and wanted to capture it. The light was okay, a pale purple in the sky, but I decided to wait until another day. This went on for over a month, I'd drive past, look at the truck and the sky, and continue on. Some days it was overcast, some days raining and on others the sky was just bland.
"Have patience." I said to myself as the days went by. Patience is something that does not come naturally to me. Often what appears to be patience is actually procrastination, which can be dangerous when looking for and creating art. Truly, nothing lasts forever and if you wait long enough, it will be gone.
One morning, as summer was drawing near, I was headed to work as the sun was coming up. I made my usual commute past the truck, and I could see the sunlight coming through the dew covered windows. It looked amazing. I slowed down, debating whether to go back and shoot it, or wait until another day. The beginnings of procrastination. About a half mile later, I made the choice. I turned the car around and went back. I spent about fifteen minutes shooting the truck, first for the art, and then for reference. I do that so that I can identify the year and model of the vehicle later on. When I was finished, I packed up my gear and continued to work, excited to edit the photos that afternoon.
I was very pleased with the way the shot that I titled "New Morning" turned out, and over the next few days as I drove past, I smiled to myself.
On the third day after I took that photograph, I headed to work, expecting to see that truck again. As I started heading down the hill, I could see that it was gone. I'm not sure where it went. Perhaps it was sold. Maybe it belonged to someone who had been there on an extended visit, or possibly they put it in storage somewhere. All I knew was that it would not be greeting me on my morning drive anymore.
If the procrastinator in me had won the debate a few short days earlier, I never would have been able to get a shot I had been waiting a month or more to get. It's a fine line, and I'm glad that I was patient just long enough to get my image before time ran out for it.
"The two most powerful warriors are patience and time"
Tolstoy
As an artist, it's important for me not to just find my subjects, but to also be able to photograph them when the conditions are right. Sometimes I stumble across something that I want to shoot when I am far from home and just passing through. In a case like that, I don't have much of a choice and I make do with the lighting and weather conditions that I have. It's possible to make great images in less than ideal conditions, it just takes a little more work and imagination.
When the art is practically in my backyard, I can be a little more particular. I can watch it on a daily or at least weekly basis until the light, the sky and the surroundings are perfect. In the spring of 2011, on my way to work, I saw an old Chevy truck sitting sideways in a driveway. It was in pretty good shape compared to what I usually shoot, but I still like it and wanted to capture it. The light was okay, a pale purple in the sky, but I decided to wait until another day. This went on for over a month, I'd drive past, look at the truck and the sky, and continue on. Some days it was overcast, some days raining and on others the sky was just bland.
"Have patience." I said to myself as the days went by. Patience is something that does not come naturally to me. Often what appears to be patience is actually procrastination, which can be dangerous when looking for and creating art. Truly, nothing lasts forever and if you wait long enough, it will be gone.
One morning, as summer was drawing near, I was headed to work as the sun was coming up. I made my usual commute past the truck, and I could see the sunlight coming through the dew covered windows. It looked amazing. I slowed down, debating whether to go back and shoot it, or wait until another day. The beginnings of procrastination. About a half mile later, I made the choice. I turned the car around and went back. I spent about fifteen minutes shooting the truck, first for the art, and then for reference. I do that so that I can identify the year and model of the vehicle later on. When I was finished, I packed up my gear and continued to work, excited to edit the photos that afternoon.
I was very pleased with the way the shot that I titled "New Morning" turned out, and over the next few days as I drove past, I smiled to myself.
On the third day after I took that photograph, I headed to work, expecting to see that truck again. As I started heading down the hill, I could see that it was gone. I'm not sure where it went. Perhaps it was sold. Maybe it belonged to someone who had been there on an extended visit, or possibly they put it in storage somewhere. All I knew was that it would not be greeting me on my morning drive anymore.
If the procrastinator in me had won the debate a few short days earlier, I never would have been able to get a shot I had been waiting a month or more to get. It's a fine line, and I'm glad that I was patient just long enough to get my image before time ran out for it.
©2010/11 David Hill Photography
