Do-Over

Chase Jarvis says that the best camera is the one you have with you. He has a point, in that no other camera can capture what you see in the moment you see it. Sometimes, though, the camera you have with you just isn’t capable enough to do what you need, and you have to use something else.

When I arrived at the bus stop yesterday afternoon after work, I was greeted by this moment of Zen. I tried to use my phone’s camera to get a shot, but could not; there was no way to generate enough contrast in the graffiti, and my phone focused on the building behind the bus shelter. I knew I had to come back before it was cleaned off, and my wife was kind enough to hold dinner while I did so. (Have I mentioned that I married the most wonderful woman in the world?)

On the drive back I realized that the only way to generate enough contrast would be to backlight the graffiti with a strobe. Setting up was easy; all I had to do then was wait for a bus to come by, and get my picture.

Heed the wisdom of Joe McNally: “Carry a camera. As famed photog Jay Maisel says, it’s hard to take pictures without one.” At the same time, carry a camera you know how to use well and can control to achieve your vision.