The Right Time Right Place Is it Really Just Luck?
You know that saying about being in the right time at the right place? That experience where good fortune comes from this magical formula of location savvy-ness + positive time intuition= victory?
WELL HOW MANY OF US ACTUALLY MANAGE to make that work out? If you are like me it just doesn’t happen out of the blue as the saying eludes. Other than a few lucky cases, most occurrences of right time right place working out, come from several methods of preparation.
Have the Right Tools at ALL Times
My father always tells me, no matter how insignificant something might seem ALWAYS make sure to bring your camera, it is often in that moment you will wish you had it. If you are simply driving to the mailbox, bring your camera… if you decide to take an evening hike, bring your camera… if you are a cowboy by trade and are simply going on a family vacation… bring your saddle, it could end up paying. If you are an outdoorsman going on a business trip, bring those skis… you have no way of knowing that you might end up in the right place purely by accident but it will not be the right time because you don’t have your tool for success right there with you.
Do Your Research
When I travel I am constantly looking up things about the places we will be passing through or stopping at. Know what sights there are to see, what attractions that place has hidden in secret, know what events are coming up in your area, know what you could be exploring! This is applicable to me and my camera because if I have no prior idea to what I could be missing out on… guess what? I will miss it. If you are looking for that job you want and you didn’t realize a future employer put up an ad on a forum in your field because you didn’t do your homework… then someone else benefits by being in the right time and place. Even if it seems insignificant, look into it a bit.
Have a Backup Plan
I don’t know how many times I have planned to go photograph something and the pictures I snapped from an added on second thought adventure yielded the better pictures. If you are going to take the time to do something be sure you have something else to fall back on when the first “perfect time perfect place” is not quite as magical as you thought it would be!
This photo of my good friend’s beautiful little girl was only possible because I had an extra camera with me at the time. I could not believe how perfectly the sky, puppy, and small child came together… thank goodness I was prepared!
Always Be Looking
It is easy to fall into routine and fail to keep looking for opportunity. If you want to be in the right time and place, you have to be searching for it constantly, otherwise the moment the equation adds up perfectly you might not have even seen it.
In the midst of evacuating cattle during a wildfire, I still managed to be in the right time and right place because I never stopped looking for something to photograph.
Until next time, Ceily Rae Highberger
All photos in this blog post taken with my Sony Alpha 6000 and iPhone 6s