A Stormy Night.
The evening I went out to make these images was pretty peculiar. It was storming east of town so I was planning to head that direction after sunset. I held out hope for a vibrant sunset because there was still a little space left on the horizon, which usually equates to good light. I don't recall why but as usual I didn't have a lot of time to find an interesting location. The tree below is right beside Jessie Lake, in town, and I've always wanted to use it to make an image. Personally, I don't like the cut grass at the bottom of the frame, which is why I decided to get closer in order to use some of the reeds in the foreground instead. Although the light and clouds were amazing, I couldn't find a foreground that I was totally satisfied with or paired well with the cotton candy, coloured clouds.
The last image you see is also a product that left me feeling disappointed, primarily due to the massive strike that went off while I was getting out of the vehicle to set up my gear. The sinking, forlorn realization of, "if I had been a few moments earlier I would have had a perfect strike directly above the building" swelled up inside. For the average person, looking at these images could be considered a success. I even think if I were scrolling through social media and saw them I would think that the photographer was decent. However, knowing the behind the scenes and potential for the conditions I went home that evening with a sense of failure.
You might be thinking that's a little ridiculous but when you care about creating the best imagery at a location with unique conditions its difficult not to feel disappointed in the results. Thanks again for reading and if you think I'm wrong in my assessment of the photos and my interpretation of failure, I'd love to hear it!
