Monsoon clouds over Saguaro National Park
I came to Arizona with an agenda, a list of essential photos for the U.S. Highway 89 book project. I have a vision for the book, I can see it almost page-by-page. For the last 10 days, I have been knocking out pictures that fit into that overall vision. I can get overly task-oriented, to the point where, if I'm not careful I could miss out on other great pictures.
At Glacier National Park, I was intending to photograph the classic view of Grinnell Point at sunrise. Without any clouds, the scene is pedestrian, and the second morning I went out, the sky was "severe clear" over the lake. To the east, the clouds colored up spectacularly. So I walked over to where I could see the pretty sunrise, without intending to photograph it. Then I saw the reflection of the clouds over the creek and started shooting. The result is one of my favorite photos from the trip. Will it make it into the book? Probably not, but I'm glad to have it, and to have seen it that morning.
Similarly, I was wandering about Saguaro National Park last week in search of sunset location when a thunderstorm kicked up. This photo idea wasn't on the agenda either, but it was the one I wanted to make when I saw it. It might even make the final cut for the book, but I wasn't thinking of that at the time.
The lesson I'm learning out here is that, while the structure of the project helps set the compass for my work, I have to be willing to toss aside maps and checklists and trust my inner direction, if I'm going to make the kind of pictures I really want to make.
