Its been said that timing is everything.  This is especially true in the field of Photography.  Having my camera ready and in the right spot just when the light is right takes some sacrifice.  I can only speak to my own experience.  I've spent countless hours traveling to a pre-determined location just to be there for the perfect light.  Sometimes, the weather has other plans for me.  The moment will be delayed on this day.  Henri Cartier-Bresson, a legend in the world of photography is credited with this quote.  "Photographers deal in things which are continually vanishing and when they have vanished there is no contrivance on earth which can make them come back again." 

Photography is more than simply taking photos, it is a philosophy of life.  As photographers we are observers first.  We live with a compulsion to observe the world around us.  Textures, patterns, composition, tone, color, angles, humor, tragedy, and many other things are all around us.  We capture light in a box.  It seems like magic sometimes.  Many of us love to browse historical photographs.  It becomes very clear after a short time that our world is constantly changing.  Always remaking itself, sometimes at a pace so slow we are unaware of the speed at which things vanish.  We celebrate the temporary, and capture a moment.  If we are successful we can say, "here look at this" and others will look and agree.  I have reached the age where many of my loved ones are no longer around.  On occasion we sit and browse the family photo archive.  There are smiles and tears of course, but always there is a longing to be back in that moment if only for just a short while.  What would I say to them?  Would just a hug and kiss do?  Would I warn them of the future?  Briefly, I am transported back in time.  The photograph has allowed a connection and sparked a memory.  The camera has captured a fraction of a second, preserved it, and in that fraction of a second a powerful emotion to be recalled at some future date, and this is magic. 

When I am in the process of making a creative photograph my first step is to observe how I feel about my subject.  Then with choice of lens, angle of light, and camera controls I attempt to get my emotion into the composition.  When I can do that, a successful photo makes its way into my portfolio.  I am also aware, that this moment is transitory.  Nothing is more dependable than change.  It is relentless.  Often, we allow ourselves to become completely engrossed in our current stage of life.  So engrossed in fact that we imagine it will go on forever, just as it is now.  Realization comes to us often in the form of an old photograph.  We laugh at how we looked, and sometimes envy our youthful appearance.  The more time that passes the more valuable our old photos become.  Very impressive for an exposure that took only a fraction of a second out of our history.

There is an abandoned house that I've photographed on more than one occasion.  I've captured different times of day and angles of light.  I've used different lenses and even a filter or two.  I do not know anything about the history of this building.  It was an ordinary building made special to me by its state of decay.  I have to admit to a bit of complacency, planning future shoots in different seasons of the year.   The day arrived when the light was just how I imagined I wanted it.  A dark blue clear sky, crisp clean air, and good sunlight to bring out some surface texture.  The surrounding vegetation was bright green and lush.  This should make for a successful color shot, especially in late afternoon when the Sunlight warms up a bit.  Upon arrival, what I found was an empty lot, leveled and used for different grades of gravel and mulch.  The previous sessions were all that was allowed me.  I can only imagine the history that disappeared with the house.  I am left with questions.  Who lived there?  When was it built?  Did a farm exist there at one time?  How many hopes and dreams went into the construction of this modest home on the edge of what once must have been a farm?  The images in my archive tell an incomplete story.  The frames I've captured tell part of a story that will remain unknown to me.  Our world continues to remake itself.  New things appear and replace things that are continually vanishing.  I will continue to celebrate the temporary with my camera and place my frame around a small part of my world.