Stopping for the moment

You never know when an opportunity will strike. It can happen in the weirdest places at the strangest times. To catch an opportunity one must slow down a bit, take a moment, always be looking, always be framing and always packing….a camera that is. 

For example, the other night I was getting ready to bundle in for the night, and while I was closing the blinds I noticed a very happy little spider busily spinning his web in my window frame. On the outside thankfully (anyone else watch Arachnophobia at an very early age, probably a little too early?). The best part however, was the full moon was set up perfectly behind, and providing a great silhouette of him. Well I promptly gathered my camera and started shooting, which if you had seen me, I think my reputation would have been altered a bit. Pulling the Warrior Pose in my PJ’s in the dark with my 70-200mm (including hood) and attempting to hold still with no tripod. To make it even more difficult, I started to laugh remembering a BuzzFeed list on poses photographers pull, and this was the highlight of my night. All made for an interesting attempt to take a picture.

I’ve never tried shooting something quite like this before, and I think if I do that again a tripod will be involved obviously. If I hadn’t been looking though, I never would have saw the chance to try something new. At the same time, if I hadn’t had my camera handy well I wouldn’t have been able to do anything about it either.

I have a long country drive to anywhere from where I live, it’s beautiful scenery and you can see why Alberta is called Big Sky Country. You can see forever on a clear day, even the mountains which are hundreds of kilometres away. The storms that pass through are awe inspiring, I could literally compose a coffee table book in one season of storms through this area. I have an unlimited view of passing trains daily, there are no fences around here. The thing is, when I am driving around doing errands, getting groceries, running into town for this, that and whatever…I have not been packing all the time. Even a little camera (seriously why do I not actually have one?). The things I have missed, oh they just break your heart. But that’s only part of the reason, the other, I don’t always take the time to stop. Usually when I did pass an opportunity, I was on my way home from a long day at work and just picturing that glass of wine on the front porch, or on my way with a list of things I ‘needed’ to get done NOW - or at least I thought I did. The point is we choose where and when we are, and we choose if and where we stop and take a breather.

No matter what your passion is, what your hobby is, take the time to stop and enjoy it. Practice it, experiment with it. Always be prepared for the opportunities that are there every single day. Seeing the moment is just the first step, stopping in the moment is the second, enjoying the moment is the goal.

And now off to town, big camera in tow, to get a smaller camera to carry all the time. Like that happy little spider, I am going to enjoy what I do where ever I am. In the immortal words of Ferris Bueller and John Hughes - Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.