Sometimes we as photographers are so infatuated with capturing that most perfect of images that we spend hours upon hours of our time studying locations and weather patterns, waking up at ungodly hours and travelling vast distances across the country, or even countries, in search of it. The desire to attain such an image and the seemingly endless stream of awe inspiring images from fellow photographers on the internet for which we compare our own images to can be a source of incredible jealousy and drive us insane in our pursuit of perfection. It seems like the harder you try to capture such an image, the harder it is to get. All creative juices just stop flowing and you can’t see the proverbial wood for the trees.
I’ve felt this struggle far too often. Telling myself I won’t attempt any photography today because the weather doesn’t look favourable, or it’s probably the wrong time of year for that location. The fact is, these are all self-made hurdles. Excuses. And lame excuses at that. Sure it’s wonderful when a meticulously planned composition turns out to be exactly as expected, but that doesn’t mean all images have to be.
It’s ok to just venture outside without a goal in mind or a care in the world and enjoy the freedom that photography brings us without the fear of failure. Often the best images happen by accident, which is exactly what happened here, as during one foggy winter morning walk on the River Ouse, I’d stopped to grab an opportunistic photo of some nesting birds down river, when a passing rowing boat strayed uninvited accross my path and was framed perfectly by the reeds in the foreground.
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Dimitri Vasileiou • Editor