Planned Photos and Photos of Opportunity

What’s the difference? The definitions are somewhat subjective. This month I have uploaded some photos of Ft McHenry, Antietam Battlefield, which observed the 150th anniversary of the battle this past September, and Colonial Williamsburg. All of these shoots were planned. I knew I would get some flag photos at Ft McHenry, some battlefield shots at Antietam and some photos celebrating Grand Illumination (which kicks off the holiday season) at Colonial Williamsburg. What I did not plan for was the stormy clouds over Antietam that day, making for a more dramatic sky. I also did not plan on being at Ft McHenry as the sun was lowering (4 hours after I arrived), thus capturing some very cool shots of the starburst sun and the American flag. And many photos at Colonial Williamsburg were unplanned (like the one of the sun setting) as I was there for four days.

Since I have a camera in hand most days when I venture out, many photos are ones of opportunity, and I would guess that is how some great shots come about. We can sit all day at Conowingo Dam (in Maryland) and watch eagles, shooting away with our cameras, but the elusive one of the eagle grabbing a fish out of the water just happens on the eagle’s timetable not ours. We hope we get it, but we never know when or if it will happen.

This month I included several photos of opportunity. Last April during Washington DC’s annual Cherry Blossom Festival, I visited the new Martin Luther King Memorial (it opened in August 2011). It wasn’t until I viewed those photos on the computer, that I saw how powerful the two images were together. Similarly, over Thanksgiving weekend, I visited Maryland’s Science Museum. The morning sky was boring and gray, but as I was walking up the stairs of the museum during the early afternoon, I spied the Inner Harbor through the barred windows. I was very pleased with the results.

Please take a look at my planned photos as well as my photos of opportunity that I uploaded this month. And as always, enjoy!