This Is How the Universe Says 'I Love You'

You cannot convince me not to love this photo.  And yet, this was one of those shots that I almost deleted the  moment I captured it without even looking at the result because I had not meant to take a 1 second exposure.   When I finally saw the image for the first time on my monitor at home, however, I was instantaneously smitten.  Yes, it's blurry and partially blown-out and not anything like what I thought I wanted to capture, but upon first sight, I knew it was perfect.

Was it merely good luck or a happy accident that produced this photo?  Perhaps a little of both.  Nevertheless, I prefer to see it as the Universe's way of whispering 'I Love You' to little old me.   It's probably not evident to anyone else, but what I recognize in this photo is the fluttering of my heart as I witnessed beauty unfolding before my eyes, the beauty I am woven into as part of my little community of love and faith.  In between the blur and fuzz, I see grace and hope embodied in the bended knees of people I cherish dearly, people who bow their heads in love not to ideology or religiosity or unexamined faith but to the humble task of leaning on one another and carrying each other's burdens.

The Universe knew I would never think to take a long exposure, and so she intervened on my behalf and left me this little love note, and for that I am ever so grateful.  It is personally more powerful and more meaningful than any image I could have captured with my own human eyes.

Please share with us today your images of serendipity/luck/happy accidents/gently whispered messages from the Universe, those images that unexpectedly made your heart skip a beat.

Comments

[Marcie]

This was one of those that wasn't as I'd meant it to happen. The shadows across the pond..the not quite perfectly crisp clarity of this father and daughter. And yet - it spoke to me:
http://www.marciescudderphotography.com/index.php?showimage=1068

[T]

This is one of those "oops" photos - not what I set out for, but deliriously happy with the picture. It was taken on my youngest daughters birthday, with her face overing over a bouquet of flowers.



http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_0KAxr-4VHis/S1O3vCGRGQI/AAAAAAAABgM/66yu1uPelfo/s1600-h/b-dayflowers.jpg
(the toning is the only treatment to this pic)

[Laura]

I love it when you're taking street photography and things just happen to align for a lovely scene.

Like the first picture here: http://www.dashily.com/home/?p=257

I was just taking a picture through the lit trees, but then a woman with her dog just happened to walk into the frame at the perfect moment, making for a much more interesting photograph. I like it when things you can't control serendipitously work out.

[Puna]

Wonderful photo. Here's one that I was glad to be there at the right place and at the right time.

http://lifesignatures.org/wordpress/2010/01/january-30-alfred-hitchcocks/

[curiousillusion]

Wonderful picture.

This is one from yesterday, that I took after getting frustrated (was trying to take a pic of something else that didn't work out):
http://www.flickr.com/photos/curiousillusion/4336279298/
I kinda like the result, even though it was completely different from what I was going for.

[Toni | Daily Vignette]

This is one that I almost deleted, but I looked at it and it made me smile...so I kept it. So glad I did. =)

http://dailyvignette.com/2009/08/16/103019-as-of-today/

[Kara]

My husband and I were walking around downtown, looking at various art exhibits, and we came across a studio that had some, err...very interesting views on art. I snapped a picture of a nude mannequin wrapped in Christmas lights because I thought "this is so freaking ridiculous that I just have to take a picture."

Well, when I got home and actually looked at the picture, I was blown away by how much I actually liked it. It really was an accidental, and rather judgmental, capture.

http://ketchupjars.com/2010/02/05/day-36-project-365/

[Erika]

Here is a happy mistake by me. It reminded me that an image doesn't have to be clear and crisp to be a good image and not throw an image away with out really seeing it on the computer screen.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/gashuttergirl/3601581929/in/set-72157619356074974/

[maile]

Sarah, this post is so touching. I loved reading it so much. Thank you. xo

[Kellee]

That's really beautiful. <3

[georgia]

i love shots like this! that kind of blur is so intriguing to me. intentional or not.

here is one of my favorite happy accident shots. i did not set out to get this shot. i was just trying to photograph the many birds that were flying around, but i happened to get just the one. i love the simplicity of it, and its message to me was less is more... in my photgraphy and in my life.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/28567264@N05/4229674833/in/set-72157623000936547/

[elk]

sarah the thought that you are blurred because of the feelings at the time is so wonderful..."the fluttering of your heart" as you say. so glad you did not delete it!

he is 11 years old and not supposed to be on the couch...it is not a good photo technically...a wink and a whisper from the universe ..just let him stay there:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sammymom/4331526032/

[kristin]

this is an old one of mine, a summer ago splashing in the public fountains in philadelphia , kellen and his "magic cape" i loved this so much.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/14811117@N02/2753545512/

[DawnS]

I came so close to deleting this one...I almost got knocked over by a wave and it turned out blurry. When I got home & looked at it on my computer I just loved it! This photo gives me the feeling that my daugher is saying "Yes!" to life :)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lilac-girl/4338805746/

[Jodie]

This wasn't the shot I was going for - I wanted a picture of my son's hands and hit the button too early. But once I saw it, my heart melted. I know these hands won't always be this small and won't always be so eager to hold mine.

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_Kfpf9--rM5A/S2o8h9wAYaI/AAAAAAAALuA/YyKIYR67S8M/s1600-h/IMG_3402a.jpg

Great post, thank you!

[Sara]

This was one of those long exposures that made my heart skip a beat when I downloaded it. Love love love dreamy photos.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/spelliott/4335348401/

[Jenny]

I have fully embraced "the blur". I love the hazy, painterly feeling of it.

I was photographing my children dancing in the halls. The last photo of my daughter makes me think of a graceful bird and reminds me of what a fluid, creative mover and shaker she is.

http://jenniferblaauwphotography.blogspot.com/2009/12/whats-next.html

[Samantha Dutcher]

This picture was much the same way. Though it speaks to me more of Wonder than of Faith, perhaps they are intertwined. This picture is not sharp, it's not really clear what's going on, but, captured by accident, nearly deleted, it is magical.

http://robandsamphoto.com/artwork/213131.html

[Deirdre]

This is my daughter, who is thirteen and in-between worlds. She is part child and part woman. She is heading into unknown territories. I tripped when I took this photo, and somehow the blur says everything to me about my daughter:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/superdewa/4287496752/in/set-72157623219559036/