Somehow without fail, as the sun sets, it summons me to a nearby beach to say my goodbyes. This particular evening I was at Jaws Beach to get a long-exposure, seascape shot of the (nonexistent) pier. As soon as I arrived at the beach, disappointment greeted me. I had anticipated a beautiful shot of nothing but the pier, ocean, and sunset, but directly behind the pier were a handful of sailboats. I knew I could still take the shot and use Photoshop to remove the boat, but one, I suck at Photoshop and two, I do not like to manipulate my photos outside of color and light. Regardless, I chose to compare the shot to practice for when the right opportunity arose.
Not bad right? The test shots turned out decent (I mean, it’s a sunset on the beach in The Bahamas!), but I was still a bit annoyed that I drove for 15 minutes just to find a ruined shot. So there I was, moping on the beach, considering whether or not to pack up my camera, when I noticed the seagulls sitting on top of the wood pilings. They had flown in after my shots, but I was so focused on capturing the pier that I ignored them.
Realizing my error, I pointed my lens at one of the seagulls and fired off a few shots. What I saw blew me away.
My lesson that day was simple: if a shoot (or anything for that matter) doesn’t go according to plan, look around and see what else is possible. Don’t get so focused on one thing that you miss the beauty in other things. Look for the birds. This is true, especially as a nature photographer in The Bahamas. There’s always more beauty to be found. And, of course, the irony in all of this is: Seymour.
