on the fly

The other evening on the way home from shooting an event, I saw the strangest thing. A massive flock of crows were swirling around the tops of a small outcrop of tall trees. It was such a spectacle cars drove by slowly, all watching the almost eerie display. I rolled my windows down to hear the birds squawking and cawing in a loud mysterious symphony.

I had my camera right there with 3 shots left on my card from the shoot I just left. I whipped a u-turn and pulled over in hopes to catch the birds dipping and diving overhead against the evening sky. By the time I got out, the frenzy had died down and all that were left were a few crows on the line, like I might have found on any other day. As if nothing had happened at all. Sigh.

I pointed my camera upwards and clicked off the last shots anyway. I had stopped after all. Why not? When I got home, I discovered the shot featured here. It was the very last of a long day. It might not translate all the action that had taken place mere moments before but there was a sense of calm that happened to be just as perfect.

Have you captured anything on the fly lately that might have come as a delightful surprise? Something you glad you quickly clicked off, just because?

Comments

[jenny modesitt]

So interesting...I usually am always taking pictures of the kids or people in general. I often struggle with taking pictures of anything else. Yesterday I noticed a cool little bug on the door and decided to try my luck at something new. I thankfully was quick enough before he/she went away.
http://momentswiththemookies.wordpress.com/2010/07/10/day-1902010/

[mosey]

The light in that photo is wonderful - it works beautifully in silhouette. Funnily enough, my recent "on the fly" was somewhat similar to yours - pelicans flying by in formation, almost perfectly following the line of the island in the bay:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/7687752@N03/4750719225/

[lucy]

i love it when unexpected things happen in photography....

i took this out my card window -- a truck was driving by with some interesting words on the side. i took a couple of quick shots, and instead of the words got the balloon tied to its side:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/lucyloomis/4720260199/

[Kelly Langner Sauer]

Two weeks ago, driving in the rain:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/kellylangnersauer/4748638553/

[Brooke]

Affirmative, ghost writer. I finished playing frisbee with my dog and she collapsed on the tile. I quickly grabbed the camera and joined her on the floor. It became an instant favorite once I uploaded.
Meet Chase. And her pool of pink tongue. : http://www.flickr.com/photos/shutterboo502/4766227838/

[Lisa]

I do this quite frequently, though I don't have one on this computer to share. Sometimes, like you said, the photos themselves don't turn out "stunning". But what I like more about it is what feelings and memories the photo evokes for me. With these, it isn't what can be seen that is important - it's what can't be seen that makes that photo a favorite.

[AnnGeeDee]

I was driving to work, running a few minutes behind, but had my point and shoot in my purse next to me when I stopped at a red light and realized there was fog all through the fields to my right. I quickly grabbed my camera, but before I could get my settings changed and snap a shot, the light turned green. I couldn't just let the moment pass, so I decided to snap a few shots anyways as I pulled away and this is what I ended up with when I loaded my pictures onto the computer that evening: http://www.flickr.com/photos/40070449@N08/4584441259/

[cigi]

I've had a hummingbird feeder on my patio for a while now but have never managed to capture one in action until this morning. Just as I was about to go inside, this little guy appeared. A split second later he was gone.

http://instamaticgratification.wordpress.com/2010/07/10/189365/

[Denise]

On the 4th of July, we were having a small cookout with some family friends before heading down to the river to see some fireworks. As we walked away from their house, I quickly noticed the sunset and rushed to the car for my camera. My boyfriend and my brother were both doing their usual "Ohhh now she HAS to take a picture. We're not even going to leave for another hour...."

But I ended up with this. Just one shot was all it took. I am praising my camera for capturing the colors so vividly, as we saw them that night. And I am praising myself for ignoring the criticism and stopping, on the fly, to get this.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/deniselivingston/4774217295/

(click on it to view larger and on black. love.)

[Kat]

I love it when that happens! One of the joys of photography for me...

Here's mine!
http://www.kateyeview.com/2010/04/beautifully-backlit-boy.html

[Sarah Taylor]

I am a lover of bird/powerline/sky photos! I often think I take to many...this one is lovely!!!

[Jasmin]

I captured just one of tose mysterious crow moments some days ago. They seem to get hysterical just after some secret sign they gave each other
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jasmin_mo/4749678751/

[Becky Sue]

I was driving the back roads of New Hampshire looking for access to a pond when I saw these wildflowers on the side of a dirt road.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/rslaflam/4782321329/

[DorkyMum]

I was out the other day trying to get some exterior architectural shots for a challenge I'm involved in, but every shot ended up with a person unexpectedly in the frame too!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dorkymum/4782739628/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dorkymum/4782106597/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/dorkymum/4782738478/

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[darrah parker]

Speaking of flying, I took some photos at the Palm Springs airport recently as a way to distract myself from being nervous about the tiny plane I was about to get on. I used my iPhone and took a couple of shots of the plane from the airport. (It was so eensy-weensy-tiny, I wanted to show my husband how tiny it was.) As the plane rose into the air, I looked down at the desert floor and my anxiety rose. I quickly grabbed my iPhone and turned it on before the "allowed" time (shhhh...don't tell anyone) and took some shots on the fly. It really helped me relax and to my surprise, it turned into a nice series of photos. I was able to release some fears by finding the beauty in the moment - not an easy feat!

http://www.darrahparker.com/blog/fear-is-a-sneaky-little-bastard.html