MetaChat REGISTER   ||   LOGIN   ||   IMAGES ARE OFF   ||   RECENT COMMENTS




artphoto by splunge
artphoto by TheophileEscargot
artphoto by Kronos_to_Earth
artphoto by ethylene

Home

About

Search

Archives

Mecha Wiki

Metachat Eye

Emcee

IRC Channels

IRC FAQ


 RSS


Comment Feed:

RSS

07 March 2008

I missed the photo of a lifetime... let this be a lesson.[More:]

Prologue
I am obsessed with the sky and sometimes I think it's so beautiful that I should just take a picture of it through my windshield while driving home from work. I usually don't because it's only beautiful to someone as obsessed with it as i am. But anyway, the point is: I've been keeping my camera case in the backseat of my car just in case the sky gets to that point that I must take a photo of it.

Chapter One
So, today I am driving to work with my brain a third off, a third paying attention, a third listening to advertising in between sports talk radio, and a third looking at the sky. I come into Chicago from the Eisenhower, which as you near the city has many local roads crossing over and also two or three rail lines. As I come over a slight incline, I look ahead and I see a row of brand new, bright green John Deere tractors moving endlessly over the expressway like ducks in one of those amusement park shooting games that are always in video games but rarely in amusement parks. My eyes start to click into composition mode. Behind the row of John Deere tractors is the Sears Tower view of the Chicago skyline against a nicely textured overcast sky. It's rush hour so there is heavy traffic moving underneath --in a way, through-- this tractor parade. Lines are intersecting in all kinds of interesting ways with this bright green accent in an other wise colossal but drab scene. Oh. My. God. I think. And I grab for my camera in the backseat.

Chapter Two
This is a flashback, like in Lost. It's Wednesday, and I'm meeting an old employee at Map Room for drinks and an unexpected session of listening to novice poetry and giving a lesson on writing better poetry. I also have a delicious glass of Bear Republic IPA. YUM! I've been having lots of conversations with people lately about how I keep camera gear in the backseat of my car. I worry about it, but I like to have it handy and I conceal it enough that it probably wouldn't grab anyone's attention -- besides, thieves want stereos, GPS units and ipods not tripods and whatever is in random black bags. But I feel like I am going to be responsible tonight and put the items in the trunk.

Chapter Three
Present narrative time (I make you think it's the past, but actually it's the present... ha ha. tricked you!). I reach back to grab my camera and it's not there. I remember Chapter Two. Are you fucking kidding me? Maybe I can take a picture with my camera phone... just so that I have a record of this event. That's a stupid idea, I don't even know how to work my camera phone. I drive past.

Chapter Four
Self-analysis. I always miss photos because I hesitate for a split second. I have a great eye for unusual moments, but I naturally resist breaking moments with myself. I don't want to affect things, so my impulse is that half-second slow. I have to actively convince myself that it's ok, that inserting myself is what I should be doing. I often default to caution, and I'm actively trying to combat that. Wednesday night, I took caution too far, and right now I'm taking too much time to respond to this setback. As I close in on Downtown, I am debating with myself about how I can go about getting this picture. Finally, I say to myself... Turn around. You'll figure the rest out, you're good at figuring stuff out.

Chapter Five
I do exit the expressway and double-back, finding a perfect spot to shoot from and get to work on time. But at this point, that section of cars is long gone and only bland tankers are left.

Epilogue
I am frustrated with myself but plan on trying even harder to overcome my overly conservative nature whether that be disrupting others or disrupting my own pattern or simply throwing caution to the wind. I have the ability to do terrific things, but I absolutely need to get over these things. Today, they very clearly cost me. Let's not let it happen again.

If you read all of this, I am sorry.
That completely sucks. Over-completely. I hate driving by a once-in-a-lifetime shot like that and not having my camera on me. Or having a dead battery. Or forgetting I had it on some special setting for my last shot and forgot to put it back to my defaults.

But am I reading it right that all of your camera equipment was stolen!?

/reads again
Oh wait, maybe you were responsible and put it in your trunk?
posted by rhapsodie 07 March | 22:54
But wait, isn't John Deere in Moline?
posted by netbros 07 March | 23:23
I had been responsible and put my gear in the trunk, but I don't think it was a responsible thing to do at all in hindsight.

It was a train shipment of tractors probably headed from Moline elsewhere; I've never seen a shipment that large that close to the city though and probably never will again.
posted by pokermonk 08 March | 01:39
Yeah, that sucks big time. I have several moments when I smack my head and wish I had a camera handy. Now I carry one in my purse, within reach, but I'll still occasionally miss great shots for other reasons.
Case in point: During a recent snowy morning, whilst driving slowly and carefully to work, I passed a horse pasture. Four young horses were cantering around, playing in the snow. They were running to the right, and as if on cue, all turned at the same time to run to the left. In the falling snow; it was magnificent. But I couldn'd stop - not with the road conditions and cars and all. Damnit.

Also, I'm big on the sky, also. Have you ever seen what looks like a smidgen of rainbow in the sky? I've seen it twice in the past two months or so, and I've taken pictures but I'm not really sure how well they've come out.
posted by redvixen 09 March | 12:17
Upcoming MeCha Radio... || Help me bunnies!

HOME  ||   REGISTER  ||   LOGIN