Forcing the perfect photo

Sometimes I see the picture before I take it. Other times I only think I do. When I see it on a larger screen or after it has been developed, it's not what I saw. It just doesn't work. For digital photos, I might try to edit the perfect image into existence, but it doesn't work.

The other side of this experience is that there are times I come across a photo I don't even remember taking - one that works, despite me. It is a surprise and sometimes, it's a better surprise than getting the shot I actually wanted.

Expertise is the ability to see the thing you try to accomplish, but do it without thinking. So if I was an expert photographer, I would take the picture I saw in my mind, and it would result in the same picture.

I would love to get there, but I am happy for now to be well short of it. The surprise of the unexpected makes the unknown enjoyable.