Wait

I have been lying on the sand for 30 minutes, my eyes glued to the camera. My bones ache. My skin itches. My fingers are numb. I am starting to get cold. I am waiting. I am waiting for my subject to move. I am waiting for my shot. Most of the time, the shot never happens and those 30 minutes are added to the previous hours of waiting. 

The subject moves the wrong way. The background is not right. The light is not right. I wait for 30 minutes without a pause, and the second I break my stare, it is when it happens. Nature photography is all about waiting.

In the course of their lifetime, a person will spend approximately 3 to 5 years waiting; 35,000 hours motionless, expecting a desired outcome. We wait for the perfect moment. For the right woman, for the right man. We wait for the right conditions.  We wait for the rain to stop, for the sun to come out. We wait for the bus, for the train, for the subway. We wait in traffic, at the bank, at the grocery store. We wait on the phone. We wait for a phone call. We wait for people. People wait for us. We wait for salvation, for forgiveness. We wait for the show to begin, for the commercials to end. We wait for dinner to be ready. We wait for a package to be delivered. We wait for inspiration to come. We wait behind the camera for the perfect shot.

Francois Rabelais said: “Everything comes in time to those who can wait.” While Abraham Lincoln believed that “Things may come to those who wait, but only the things left by those who hustles.” Lenny Kravtiz has always waited for inspiration to write his music. Sean Lennon instead writes everyday convinced that inspiration comes with practice. Alexandre Dumas wrote that “ All human wisdom is summed up in two words: wait and hope.”  At the opposite, W.M. Lewis said that “The tragedy of life is not that it ends so soon, but that we wait so long to begin it.”

Nothing would ever be accomplished if we just waited for things to happen. But again, nothing would ever be accomplished if we were not able to wait until completion. Some don’t wait to start, but have trouble finishing. Others can’t seem to find the will to start, but once they do, they will finish what they have started even if they have to wait a lifetime to see the results. You can’t wait for the right conditions. You can’t wait for things to come to you. But you must be able to wait for the unique to manifest. And when it does, all those minutes, all those hours, all those years waiting, suddenly are worth the wait.

...........

Image and words courtesy of Shutter Brother Daniel Fox. You can find out more about Daniel and check out the amazing things he is doing through The Wild Image Project.

Comments

[Marcie]

Such an inspiring post. I'd never considered - before - how much of our lives we spend 'waiting'. And - what stunning work. Simply WOW!

[Chantal]

what a great photo this is

[Valerie]

I realize now it wasn't that long. But I was crouched down in front of my toddler waiting, waiting, waiting while he was absorbed with an exhibit in an aquarium. The light was perfect and he took my breath away. I knew if I called his name and tried to get him to look back at me that I'd just annoy him and get an off expression. Finally he turned and looked me in the eye. Up went the camera. Click. One of those photos I'll forever treasure.
http://journeyleaf.typepad.com/journeyleaf/2011/04/in-his-eyes.html

[Sue]

Very thought provoking post and AWESOME image! Thank you.

[Jenni in KS]

Tom Petty said, "The waiting is the hardest part," but he also said, "Each day you get one more yard." I take it on faith and I take it to the heart, that's how I get through the hardest part.

[Kathryn Dyche Dechairo]

I know exactly what you mean about waiting and have spent many hours trying to capture wildlife. It feels like I waited a lifetime for this shot.

http://dychedesigns.blogspot.com/2011/04/texture-tuesday-barred-owl.html

[Misty]

Stunning! The words, the picture!

[Katy]

Fantastic post! And what an amazing picture. Thank you!!

[I.]

Excellent writing!! and it is so true.

[C Blore]

Such a great post...I don't know that I've ever read one that resonates more with me.

"and the second I break my stare, it is when it happens"...I don't know that I've ever heard it summed up better. Patience is a must...if you wait long enough, without moving you _will_ get the shot...you hope.

It took over an hour for this guy to come close enough for me to get the shot and eventually left me feeling like Snow White (he fed from my lap).

http://winnipegweddingphotographybycoral.blogspot.com/2011/03/pine-grosbeak.html

[Susan]

Awesome image! took my breath away and this was a truly inspiring post ... thanks so much.

[mary]

that shot was worth the wait. fabulous.
love this post. it even has this sleepy head thinking this morning. :)

[Corinna]

Amazing photo. Absolutely worth the wait.

[Laine]

Beautiful post and so very true. Thank you. Lovely photograph.

[Harry Hilders]

Great read. Beautiful shot!

[Jill]

It's the waiting with camera that I enjoy the most. To be completely and totally present in the moment, observing, being inconspicuous, figuring out how to work with an ever changing light.

For the 'first day' pic, I sat alongside Steamboat Creek for 3 hours, listening to the water, waiting for the slight sub-pop sound that signaled a fish becoming airborne. But throughout the afternoon, a story unfolded with the arrival of osprey in the tree, mink working it's way along the opposite shore, warm breeze moving through the valley and butterflies and dragonflies asserting territory over the airspace.

http://humbirdhum.wordpress.com/2010/08/11/first-day-of-vacation/
http://humbirdhum.wordpress.com/2010/10/05/in-pursuit/

The other was watching this glorious creature completely oblivious to the sea of telephoto lenses capturing her hunt.

[Carrie]

stunning writing, took my breath away

[Libertad Leal]

What a powerful and beautifully written post. Brilliant. I loved every single word and the gorgeous image.

[Daniel Fox]

Thank you very much everyone for all those great comments!!
;-)
You can find more of those stories on http://www.behance.net/gallery/Stories/936928

[meredith winn]

thank you for sharing this daniel. in all that waiting is the lingering sense of hope. it's what keeps us there, right? and that is a beautiful thing. so much of what you said resonated with me... and then this quote too “The tragedy of life is not that it ends so soon, but that we wait so long to begin it.”

[theaxx]

beautiful post.... well worth its 'weight' in words.

thea
xx

spoonfulzine