I was in downtown Atlanta the other morning, I had to hand deliver some documents and I did not want to use an overnight service.
Downtown Atlanta is about 40 miles from the office, so it’s not a short trip. And you have to deal with traffic and all of the other impediments of urban driving.
After my delivery, I was just starting to head back to Newnan when I saw a most beautiful presentation of the cityscape in the morning sun. It almost took my breath away.
I had my camera (as usual) but to get the shot I would have to turn around, go though a traffic light or two, park, and take the shot.
I looked at my cell phone and decided that I did not have the minutes to spare. I had to be back at the office by 11:00 A.M. and I hate to be late!
So I continued back to the office, forsaking the opportunity to take the photo. It gnawed at me all the way back to Newnan.
And of course, I was on time, but the party that I was meeting was thirty minutes late. I could have taken all of the shots I wanted and given up nothing!
The next time I see a shot, I’m taking it. Life is too short, I love photos. I’m not going to pass on another one!
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You are right in saying that life is short. If your gut is telling you to do something - do it. Then you have no regrets. Have a great weekend.
Isnt' that always the way? WE rush to be on time for our clients, and they end up being late!
You are right... life is too short for missed opportunities. Lovely shot with the tress turning colour!!
Enjoy your day
Richard, I've done that several times too. You just know it is THE shot, but you let it go. Bummer!
Paula...
Exactly. It's not about a picture, it's about missed opportunities! Thanks and have a great day.
Gloria...
I am as fanatical about being on time as I am at taking photos. I always take picture of Atlanta in the fall for some reason, but I wanted to get that summer shot and I blew it! Thanks so much.
Bob...
And poof! The opportunity is gone. Thanks my friend.
Hi Richard,
One day when driving we saw two huge turkey vultures sitting on a chimney of a big, expensive house that was in disrepair. One was looking down the chimney. Hilarious and so indicative of the current market. We looped back to get the shot, and the birds flew off before we could capture it. Such a bummer! We know how you feel.
~Lisa
Well Richard you do make up with it with all the wonderful pictures you share with us on AR...it's not just the ones lost, it's the ones gained also!
I have done that and have regrets... Sometimes we have to just stop everything for a few minutes to have a moment to ourselves. When I decided to take off with the kids and go to RainCamp a lot of people were miffed with me. I discovered the only clients worth having are the reasonable ones. :-)
Richard,
Funny, how we ruminate on the ones that got away. I'll bet you won't do that again.
Rich
Richard,
I feel your pain. But, opportunities are all around us. I feel like I "miss the shot" daily. So, I just keep looking.
Yes _ I agree. Take The Shot.
Never doubt your first instinct. . .we are so good at clouding it with mundane unimportant things
You are right about life being too short. But not doing the thing you wanted to do doesn't end with photos. It also includes family and friends.
I regretnot having supper with my grandmother on one occasion because I wanted to spend time with my cousin and his wife. My grandmother was hurt and I would not do that to her for nothing! But I did and I deeply regret it....she is gone now... along with the opportunity.
Coming to you from Texas...
Rich, it seems like that kind of thing happens non stop. The other day I rushed to meet an agent at a short sale and skipped breakfast before my long drive to the middle of nowhere. I get to the house and the agent calls me at the designated meeting time and said "I am running about an hour late"....uggh
For some reason, before I read it, I thought this would be a basketball story. We miss so much in life because of what we chose, sometimes for the better, sometimes not.
Richard, like you, I always have my camera handy, and I probably would have pulled over into the flat tire lane to try to get the shot! That's not a good thing, is it?
Richard...Your story resonates in more ways than a photo opportunity, life seems to always offer options and missed shots doesn't it?
Richard, you are a lot like myself and don't like to be late or keep someone waiting for you. Not a bad quality either!
Oh my gosh, I hate it when I do that. I pass up the photo opportunity because I am rushing. And like you, I regret it...sometimes for months or years afterwards.
I resolve to do that NO MORE!
Hi Richard!
Ah...don't you love the "artist brain" (I have the same affliction)? We catch a picture in our head and want to keep it or recreate it. These things float around in our brains until they finally are saved for posterity...otherwise they continue to float. Here's the good news...while you may not have captured it for others to enjoy, you will enjoy it forever!
Richard,
Well said, and I think this applies to all of us. Sometimes we must just do what our gut tells us to do.
Richard,
Thanks for the post. I realize I too need to stop and take the shot! I have missed many a shot running for business to find the other party is late or a no show! Good advice for all!
Great post Richard. Life is too short to be bothered with missed opportunities. Maybe you could have called your 11 AM appointment and asked if it would be OK if you were 15 minutes late coming from Atlanta.
I think we can all relate to something similar. I know I have passed on a few good things before.
OK, Richard, enough kicking yourself. It's past and there is another great shot waiting for you. But next time, get yourself ready for the shot and then just call that person and say you're running a few minutes late but you won't be long. Then you have both opportunities. Ahh, isn't hindsight frustrating?
agreed. Your plan for next time is the only way to go.
Richard, classic smell the roses story. Always stop. Life is way too short otherwise. Like, what's the hurry???
Richard,
I've done it too.. I guess we all have. Then your party was late. That really was the kicker! I agree. Take the shot when you get the chance. Once you take it, you can enjoy the captured moment for many years. What really bugs me is when I'm not driving and I can't get the driver to stop because I want to take a photo. Talk about grrrrr...
I've been so inspired by your photographs that I try to take my camera with me everywhere so I can get those shots. Sorry it missed this one. The next one will be even better.
Slightly off topic - when I was a kid, my Dad went to Emory Dental School. We lived near the campus.
The tallest building in Atlanta was the Hyatt Regency (22 stories I believe). There was still a Trolley on Tracks running from Emory down Ponce de Leon to "The Varsity".
Today, Atlanta Traffic is so tough, that when we drive from our home in Tallahassee to our vacation house in Highlands NC, we go AROUND Atlanta. We get off I-75 at Forsyth, then to Madison to Athens.
Okay, back on topic: Enjoy your drive, Richard... and stop to take the pics!
Having once been a professional photographer my advice is NEVER avoid taking the shot. Always do your best to get to the best advantage point and TAKE THE SHOT. You can never have too many great photos. And while taking the shot.... take several. The average National Geographic publication has thousands of photos to choose from for each assignment. You never know which of the exposures will be the money shot! Go for it! It does not take much in this digital age to take hundreds of shots and cull all but the best. Like Nike says.... "Just Do It" !!!!
Oh my Richard, can I relate to that story!!! I kick myself every (and I mean every) time I do that. We live so much in the moment and when we're pressed for time we make snap judgements... then later in the day I so totally regret that decision. I'm amazed at myself and how I so easily gave up on something so cool that would have brought me lasting pleasure for years to come over a couple of minutes because I was stuck in a frame of mind I couldn't move away from...
Oh... by the way... that's still one very nice skyline...
Fernando... By the way, you nail it... I am such an intuitive guy and I know from experience never to doubt that first gut thought/impulse... You are so right... never, never doubt that first instinct.... never! It's usually almost always 99.999999999% right...
We have all missed things- you have the wisdom to realize what you missed. Better luck next time.
Hi Richard - Any time I know I'm going to be outside of my regular area, I always try to plan a little extra time just to look around or grab some shots. My guess is sometime before the end of September we'll be reading a post about the Atlanta cityscape. That would be a great reason for an early morning weekend trip.
Richard, I know there are many moment like this. My sister just graduated with her photography degree last spring, and she brings her nice camera with the great lenses with her whenever we get a chance to go somewhere together. We've kind of taunted each other about this elusive hawk she's been trying to get pics of for the last year. I've caught him a couple of times, but my run of the mill point and shoot camera just didn't have enough zoom to get a quality pic. Well a few months ago, I was driving along with her in the car on a Saturday morning, and I'm saying, "did you see that?", "see what?", "see that hawk just sitting there?", "yeah sure...don't taunt me". "Well I'm turning around, you've got to get that picture..", "Don't bother, it'll be gone...". I turned around anyway. I missed it and drove right by it on the way back and had to turn around again...
This beautiful red-tailed hawk was just sitting on the side of the road on someone's front lawn, and didn't fly off. I parked the car and my sister got out with her camera. Seems like the hawk had just taken down his dinner (a decent sized rabbit) and was now camped out on top of it. In spite of our presence only 15 feet away, he wasn't leaving his meal. Over the next 1/2 hour that hawk proceeded to have his lunch while a stream of 3-5 cars constantly stopped and gawked and drove away, a jogger ran by less than 4 feet from this fellow and still he stayed. My sister approached a little closer and probably snapped over 100 photos--a few very excellent ones--in the time we were there. Some were very graphic, and for her, probably not something she'll get another opportunity to observe or photograph, due to the fact that she has trouble walking any kind of distance or hiking, due to psoriatic arthritis..
It was well worth the time to get off our "agenda" for the day and capture the moment!
How true it is that the biggest regrets we have in life are about the things we didn't do. I would have to agree with everyone else, next time follow your gut and get the shot. I love your photos and suspect many people derive a great deal of pleasure from them.
This is what I love about AR. The true reminders to slow down and enjoy life!
Great life metaphor! Sorry you missed the shot -- but you know, you really didn't. You remember it!! You just missed it for your friends, and that's okay. We know you'll delight us with others!
It seems like all of us have experienced this with photo ops.
Richard,
What's that expression...something about stopping to smell roses?
I had a shot I wanted to take on a recent road trip. However, there was no shoulder and no place to pull over. We even went back to look after turning around a mile later, but couldn't find anywhere to park; so a shot was missed.
Richard:
You seem to make a lot of deliveries in person. That really speaks to your dedication and probably presents you with opportunities for photos that other people miss altogether.
Richard - AMEN brother, you now have gotten a course correction in life. I had the same opportunity while sitting in a tree in Oklahoma. I saw about 4 baby bobcats trying to catch a bunch of butterflies in the fading sunshine and had no camera... It was the most amazing thing I have seen in a long time, now I take a camera everywhere...
Richard, boy do I know that feeling. How many times I think I should stop, then I decide it is not convenient. I should adjust my way of thinking for sure. Thanks for the reminder!
Richard - I've missed some great shots as well. They seem to burn into your mind since they couldn't be captured in a photo. I'm sure you were quite miffed with that client that was 30 minutes late!
I always have my camera with me, and pull over often to snap something that catches my eye. I saw one today too, but didn't stop because I was afraid of being late, like you. I will go back later because I know it'll still be there. It's great: a plain wooden post stuck in the ground (like a mailbox post) that a FSBO has written in sharpie marker on it: LOT FOR SALE and his cell phone. Too funny!
I can only imagine the frustration you felt, Richard. I just started carrying my camera with me (at Lenn’s urging), so that when I see a great photo-op... I’ll be ready.
Getting the shot is evrything. If you snooz you lose, so go for it, or you'll miss the opportunity. As my grandmother always said......When the bus comes in be sure to get on it, or you'll miss the opportunity!!"
Patricia/Seacoast NH
Richard, the Atlanta skyline is indeed photo worthy. I used to like coming into town from the airport and seeing the old Fulton County Stadium along side the freeway then hitting the skyline. You are right, life is too short and a few minutes to appreciate some beauty is well worth the effort and time.
Love the message of this post! A lesson to be learned by all. Thanks for sharing all the beautiful shots you did not miss!
Margaret
That's a hard way to learn a lesson, but a great lesson to learn! I'm with you. Stop and take a shot.
I keep passing by all these beautiful barns in Southern Maryland. Tonight I stopped and snapped a few photos and I 'm going to keep snapping! This place is barns, beach, boats, and Bay so I may as well slow down and show it all off.
Richard,
i usually have my camera with me when I go to the beach. I did not take it one time with me as we went later than usual, and the sun was already down.
that was the launch day of a shuttle, and it was the most magnificent launch I ever witnessed. I still regret it
The shot I most regret missing was Bluecifer with the sun rising behind him. (Bluecifer is the nicknamae for the evil-looking blue statue with glowing red eyes at Denver Airport.)
Scenery is my favorite thing. I remember a night driving from the East towards Jackson Hole, Wy. There was the most fabulous sunset over the Tetons. I didn't have a camera. I have tried to duplicate that timing again many times, NO LUCK. Clouds or something have never let it be the same as my memory but always worth the try.
Hi Richard, Considering some of the amazing shots you have shared with us I'd say we all missed out ! Maybe next time !
Hi Richard - I hate to miss a perfect shot and will double back and even find a spot to pull over and walk back to the perfect spot. I have finally convinced my husband to stop the car when I tell him I need to take a picture. If the road and traffic allow, he will even back up for me to get the right angle (not on the freeway though, of course!). I wonder if it is an addiction.
You go Richard! I'm one creative person who knows what it means not to allow anything to get in the way of the passion inside of us.
I'm sure we've all had regrets at one time or another over being in a hurry and not taking the time to stop and smell those perverbial roses.
I am constantly running out of the house in a hurry and forgetting to take a camera with me. Very frustrating!
Sue of Robin and Sue