The best laid plans

to paraphrase Robert Burns.  Sorry, Bob.

With all the tools at our disposal now like Photographer’s Ephemeris and just plain Google maps, we can really get a handle on a location, the light and how best to showcase both.  In our minds we envision the photographs we want to take.  We move the pin all over the map deciding on the best vantage point.  We make ‘shot lists’.

This morning I set out for Lubberland Creek Preserve with visions of a lovely saltmarsh sunrise in my head.  I knew just the spot.  Saw that a certain little island would be backlit perfectly this time of year.  Felt that the marsh itself would be frozen enough that I could walk out and not get my feet soaked.  I hoped for a bit of mist or frost or both.  Maybe even deer in the meadow.  And clouds.  Don’t forget clouds.  The forecast called for partly cloudy, so things would be perfect.

Then shit happens.

Yah.  It’s inevitable, right?

First I was low on gas and had to stop.  After a false start at an exit that only had a single gas station – closed! – I lost a few minutes there and at the station that was open.  By the time I got to the preserve, I was running late.  I could see color in the sky and it was building.  But wait…where are the clouds??  Well no worries, maybe there will be some mist, fog or dare I hope?  – deer in the meadow.  Ok deer, where are you?  Didn’t you get my memo?  And wouldn’t you know it, above freezing so no mist, no fog no nothing.

Bah.

What’s a photographer to do?

Find something else!

With the rest of nature doing its best to thwart me (it feels like that sometimes, doesn’t it?), I had to regroup really fast.  For a few minutes I found myself falling into the trap I wrote about in my last post.  My pre-determined shot list wasn’t materializing and I didn’t have a fall back position.  So I just stood and looked for a while and realized where my eyes were going.

The light in the grasses was beautiful.  And the contrasting colors really worked well…finally nature was giving me a little break!

I changed lenses to my old 90mm f2 so I could have a bit more reach and just kept crunching over the reeds and grasses, hunting for new compositions and arrangements while the light lasted.

I had a great time until the light ran out.  When I got home and saw what I had, I was very happy that Lightroom helped me keep the processing uniform so as to bring the images together as a set.  No, I didn’t get precisely what I wanted, but I did get something worthwhile and pushed myself to find it.  I’m content.  Besides, it’s not like it’s going anywhere and I can always have a do-over!