It has been 48 hours since this photo was made. It serves not as an example of a photographer's innate vision, but as a testament to quitting the game before realizing that a much better image was just a few steps away. To be clear, I could have gone back to this location and re-shot the photo under identical circumstances. Instead the sound of rain on the skylight only makes me think about what to cook for breakfast.
My problem was that I quit too soon. I noticed the contrast in the illumination levels between the cold-hued walls of the apartment building and the oasis of warmth in the carport. Because I was using a 50mm lens at the time, it had to back away from the subject to affect the desired composition. After previewing my first exposure, I was immediately attracted to how the camera rendered the contrasting blue and gold colors, but couldn't get the composition right. I really needed a slightly higher vantage point to show the tires of the car and the floor of the carport, but couldn't achieve this without breaking my "only from the sidewalk" perspective on where I am ethically permitted to make my street photographs. Had I broken this rule and actually walked up the ramp, I could have gained the necessary height, thereby giving my car something to sit on. A far less intrusive alternative would have been to take the "Hail Mary" approach and held the camera overhead, since I could accurately frame the image using the rotating LCD display. But I didn't think of that, so here I am, stuck by my computer as the rain forms a liquid barrier I am unwilling to breach.
Just for fun, I made some slight exposure adjustments in post production that brought out the contrasts in color. Seeing this made me want to return the exact spot and have a do-over. but as I said, the rain made that decision for me.
So I'm left with a near-miss of a photograph, one with potential for becoming part of the vast archive of notable digital images made on my morning walks. It becomes a reminder that the pursuit of any goal, even one as simple as a contribution to the Morning Walk collection, is worthy of one's all. I should have tried to solve the problem, rather than move on to the next photo opportunity. I regret that so much potential had been left on the sidewalk where I stood, failing to take the time to explore some other approaches.
