knew it was good

I try not to lug my X100F camera around (I call it my “nice camera”) too often. Over the last month, I’ve mostly opted for a disposable camera or to resist the urge to constantly capture. I had an exception this week driving out to West Seattle with my partner for a walk along Alki beach on a sunny winter day, a lovely Italian meal in a converted log house, and a very random light art walk at Seattle’s Chinese Garden.

There’s a hellish section before getting on the highway to cross the West Seattle bridge that I loathe. There’s always loads of traffic and more chaos than necessary as cars try to get as close as possible to each other to squeeze through. The only redeeming part is the subtle view of the space needle perfectly positioned between two buildings. Everything aligned, including the space needle, this week when I snapped the photo below as I was stopped in traffic and my partner could quickly chuck my camera to me. I decided not to crop it — I appreciate the “in the middle of things” nature of the photo and how the surrounding distraction almost brings the space needle even more into focus.

I have a few photos like this that are shot through the crowd or the noise. It’s become an approach to photography that I find more compelling than a clear shot. I find I now seek out these moments, trying to see what I can make of it. Here are a few in a similar vein:

At the light show, Astra Lumina, I had to resist the urge to take a billion photos and instead sink into the experience soon after taking the following photo. The second I snapped it, I knew it was a good shot kind of like when you know a shot is going in the goal the second you strike it.

It has an other worldly nature to it and there’s something particularly enjoyable about getting a really good shot in just a few chances. Some days it feels like the opposite–sifting through lots of meh photos to find one that dazzles.