Saturday, February 13, 2010

Valentine Surprise


One of the things I love most about photography is that it constantly surprises me. Whenever I set out with an image in mind, I usually end up with something else. While it’s vital to visualize before embarking on a photographic field trip, I’ve learned that it’s also important to remain open to the possibilities while I'm out and about.
Between the double snow storms that paralyzed the Mid-Atlantic coast this past week, there was a sunny day when I managed to travel to the Flushing area of Queens with a fellow photographer. Populated predominantly by immigrants, it's known for its authentic Asian fare. After lunching at the food court at the Golden Shopping Mall, we wandered around with our bellies full and our cameras hanging from our necks.
Hoping to find something for Valentine’s Day to post here, I was pleased when I realized that the area is, of course, festooned with red. Red lanterns hang from the awnings, red letters fill signs, red garments cover many of the pedestrians.
Then I noticed that lots of the people walking by were carrying red shopping bags, perhaps in preparation for the Chinese New Year. Setting my shutter speed to ¼ second, I captured an image blurring the flurry of red plastic. While I was pleased with the photograph, it had very little to do with Valentine’s Day.
With just ten minutes left on our parking meter, we were heading back toward the car when I noticed this railing painted bright red. Sinking down to street level, balancing on the balls of my feet, I peered through my viewfinder, and surprise…just beyond the red, there it was...the Valentine I had been hoping for…

2 comments:

  1. I really love this valentine photo! What a fantastic reminder for everyone, even those of us who aren't artists, to keep our eyes open wide in new and old places so that we can take the time to see things a little differently.

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  2. I can't contain myself. I love the photos and your observations and look forward to each one.

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