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Tulips, Orange
This image is called a throwaway.
I had been photographing spring flowers in a public park.
As the sun made its way higher in the sky, a breeze began
to blow,
which tests the patience of
floral photographers everywhere.
As it grew brighter, the sunlight also grew more direct, more
harsh.
I also felt suddenly tired, for I had been lying on my stomach
too long,
stretching my neck in ways
it did not appreciate being stretched.
It was time to stop.
A single frame was left on that last roll of film.
Rather than turn it in unexposed, I released the shutter almost
carelessly.
No tripod, no careful composition, no multiple exposures.
Just a throwaway picture because I didn’t want to waste
any film.
When that roll came back from the processor,
this was easily the best image
on it.
So what am I to think?
Should I only do throwaways?
Should I always be so offhanded with my camera?
Or should I just admit the truth: a good picture often has
less to do
with who’s behind the
camera and more with what’s before the camera?
While that’s a humbling thought, it’s also a freeing
invitation.
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