Now that we are dealing with a hospice situation I am finding I don’t have a lot of spare personal time. It seems I will be in Buffalo with my wife for a while, with a couple of days each week for me back in Doylestown so I can teach and do some necessities. That means most new photography will have to be done here … during small windows of opportunity.

I guess if you have read my last two entries, this is starting to sound like a travelogue. Hopefully you will keep reading and this will be somewhat of value. The point is that I have to be opportunistic … either for photographic prospects that won’t require too much time to try to exploit, going back to a location several times for a limited time if necessary, or having my camera nearby at the ready when I see something interesting or something happening.

That’s what happened the other night when I was going out to pick up some take out for dinner. It was nearing dusk and the snow had started to come down … the fluffy stuff that’s really nice that’s great to ski on or make snowmen with. Behind the building was a pond that had yet to freeze. The ducks were floating on the water, and the streetlight was lit. It reminded me of Paris. Not a bad thing to think about when things are not going the way you would like them to.

Needless to say, I ran back into the building, climbed the stairs and grabbed my camera bag. Photo Tip: It’s a good idea to have your camera loaded so you can move into action quickly. As the Roman philosopher Seneca said, “Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.” Well, guess what, that advice has stood the test of time!

Time was of the essence as it would be dark soon and I would not be able to see the ducks that were now paddling away! I pulled out my spot meter, took a reading of the bright streetlight and opened up three stops beyond what the meter told me was the correct exposure (In an upcoming entry I will discuss a simplified version of the Zone System that can even be used for 35mm and roll film users).

I made five or six exposures with from a couple of different positions as the snow began to fall harder. Plus-X film at 1/30^th of a second, opened to f/5.6 and a click. Maybe I’ll get a keeper! Or maybe it will just be a bust. While I hope for the former, it doesn’t matter to me that much. What really matters is had I not made the effort I would never know the result, let alone have the opportunity to make a wonderful print – and that would truly bother me!

Making the effort is so much better than getting into the car because it’s snowing hard and it’s just too much of a bother to run back upstairs to get the camera!

Many would do that, or wouldn’t be prepared for the opportunity if it presented itself. Don’t be one of them. You will be much happier!