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I had the image in my mind all week long. I knew what I wanted to capture. Another attempt at capturing a decent negative space type shot. What a better place to capture it than the county fair. I had figured it wouldn't take but a couple of hours to find a son on a fathers shoulders. I walked all over that fair. Through the petting zoos, the rabbit/pigeon house, the horse arena, the sheep barn(yes I just typed that), and all through endless rides and carnival games. For three hours I dodged teenagers and kids with candied gooey fingers. I could not believe it, not once did I see the shot I had in my mind.
I decided to call it a day. As I began to filter through the sweaty people on my way back to the car I of course got stuck behind this slow walking family. The kid was obviously tired and lacking energy to continue. Maybe even a reluctance to leave perhaps. As I followed them, they came to a sudden stop in front of me. Losing my patience I decided to try to get by them when it happened..... a mere twenty feet from my car...The father suddenly, triumphantly, lifted his son over his head and directly on to his shoulders.
It didn't hit me at first as I almost kept walking to be honest, but then suddenly, I found myself rushing to grab my camera from my shoulder. This was it. This is what I had come for. What I spent three hours parading around that fair for with my new lens. I knelt to the graveled ground and begin firing away. The entire time anticipating the overweight region rat behind me, so engulfed in eating their nachos, they had not noticed I had stopped in front of them. I waited to be trampled and, well, ultimately become cheesy... well, more cheesy than normal. I lucked out. It wasn't the best angle but well, I got it. Well, got it on one of 10 shots. lol Somehow, the boy new I wanted him to look back in to the center of my frame.
On the drive home, I realized I had learned something. Maybe even just was reminded of something I already knew. That is just when you think you're defeated. Think you will never reach your goals. Never stop trying to achieve them. Because they are still out there, you just have to reach out and grab them with both hands. With hard work and time, everything will come together. Sure it might be later rather than sooner. But always keep your eyes open for that opportunity to achieve what you are ultimately trying to accomplish. Just be careful, cause you might actually just walk right in to it.
“Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” ~ Sir Winston Churchill
