Catching Air by ErinBabnik

So did you view this on black? You did?! You’re awesome. :) Yes, I deleted this shot and then uploaded it again today; there was a display problem with the size I chose, so here it is again at my usual size. My apologies to those of you whose comments got wiped out when I deleted it! ANYWAY…I have two pieces of great news to share with you today! 1) PHOTO CASCADIA: If you haven’t been following my Facebook page, you may not have heard that I have become the first-ever addition to the Photo Cascadia contributor line-up. I will be sharing my photos and thoughts about photography on the Photo Cascadia blog as part of the regular rotation, so be sure to subscribe to the blog at photocascadia.com if you haven’t already. My first feature article and an interview with me are already published, so check them out! 2) DOLOMITES WORKSHOP: Official announcement! The details are now out! Would you like to join me on an adventure this summer to catch some of the sweet action you see in this photo? Well here’s the good news…I will be conducting a workshop in the Italian Dolomites with co-leader Enrico Fossati. Full details are now available in a beautiful PDF brochure about the workshop. More info here: Dolomites Workshop ———————————— About the photo: There is an old saying, “Never look back,” but on this occasion, I’m glad I did. I was hiking with this view at my back while heading out to a location a few miles away to shoot sunset. I was very excited about an alignment that I had worked out for a composition that would frame the famous Tre Cime di Lavaredo in the distance, so I was hiking at top speed to make sure that I could get into position in time for sunset. With a storm clearing and fair weather to the west, I knew I stood a great chance of catching some special conditions in the shot that I had imagined. I started out in the rain, which soon stopped, as the clouds parted and beams of glorious light began to break through…in the ‘wrong’ direction. I turned around to see this drama unfolding behind me and suddenly felt like a little kid having to choose between two favorite flavors of ice cream…oh the agony! If I scrambled off to a good position to shoot this scene, it might mean missing the one dancing as a vision in my head, the one that I had come to shoot. I wasn’t at all sure that I would have time to do both. Momentary paralysis ensued…should I stay or should I go? Well, as you can see, I decided to seize the moment. I ran as fast as I could in the ‘wrong’ direction to reach a point where I had a clear view of this amazing atmospheric drama and spent a good twenty minutes there chasing the fast-moving clouds with my telephoto lens. I then packed up and bolted off to the sunset location that had been my original destination, arriving with just enough to time to frame up my composition and watch with great anticipation as…absolutely nothing interesting happened. The light was flat, the scene was dull, and the wonderful sunset failed to materialize. So I caught the bird in the hand and not the two in the bush that I had envisioned, but I suspect that this shot would have been my favorite flavor either way. Hey, guess what…I now have a Facebook page (only three months old now)! Stop by and click “Like” to stay in touch: Erin Babnik Photography For prints and licensing of this image, please visit my website. via 500px http://ift.tt/1ykKVxb