Have you ever tried your best at something yet had a nagging feeling that something was not right? This happened to me with this particular shot. I needed an evening Denver skyline for a particular event. I set up my tripod and camera and went with a wide angle lens. Those familiar with photography can guess the tool I left. As the light of day diminished the lights of the city and cars increased. I shot for an hour and as usual kept checking my monitor to look at my histogram and check for sharpness. I noticed a slightly soft look on the buildings but otherwise I liked the drag of the shutter which produced the stream of lights from the moving cars. When I uploaded them at home I was so disappointed with the blur on the buildings. The floodgates of negativity opened and disappointment raced through my brain as I looked at each image. I had depended on my time release setting on my camera to ensure a crisp image with such a slow shutter speed. That tool I had not included in my bag, my cable release would have resolved any blurring issue. All the images were disappointing at first glance. In this particular image I saw something I quite liked for some reason. Yes, the buildings had an impressionistic look to them with their softness, but the stream of light with the softness of the image pleased me. I had not captured anything like this in the past. Some photographers for a unique effect add a little camera movement as the shutter release is pressed to get this effect. I had done it by using my timer. I left this folder of images alone for a few months. Yesterday I perused them and discarded photo after photo when I took a second look at this image. I decided to keep it. I liked the effect. That was a good enough reason to use it.

Where is the gratitude in this? I am pleased that I had at least one shot from that hour of shooting. It may have been different from my expectations, but I have learned that relying on expectations is a sure way to be disappointed in life. A friend has a saying: expectations + reality = disappointment. Well I had disappointment alright, but I also at a second run through found one that was uniquely appealing to me. I was also reminded that my inner voice which helps me in life can also help me in my photography. I am grateful for this opportunity.

Tell the negative committee that meets inside your head to sit down and...shut up. ~Ann Bradford
Peace.