1/400sec 50mm f/2.2 ISO 400

I woke up this morning to rain. I expected as much from the photo yesterday. On Fridays I have a bit more time in the morning before I have to head to work so I decided to use some of this time to go outside and take some pictures. The rain died down by the time I got outside so I started off snapping shots of the lake and the ducks huddling together. I was trying to work with some slower shutter speeds to get a cool effect on the water, but that wasn’t working too well. I felt very professional, though, on the small patch of deck I was on. I brought out my tripod and all my lenses to make sure I was able to adjust to any changes in the weather. One thing I forgot was my umbrella. The rain started up again, but I didn’t want to go inside. It was time to get some action shots of the wind and the rain whisking across the lake’s surface. Succumbing to the misty wind, I quickly went inside and got one of the three umbrellas lying on my bedroom floor. I have no idea why I have so many, but I do.

Back outside, with umbrella drawn to protect my equipment, I got back to my position, crouched behind the camera and continued to take shots. I was also doing a better job of taking lots of pictures. I took about 230 shots while outside, which is about 300% more than I usually do, which definitely gives me more options during post production. I was so involved in this lake and the wind and the rain. I was trying so hard to find that perfect camera setting and the perfect instance to capture so I could have an awesome picture for today. Failure. My photos were overexposed, and then underexposed. I had a flat lake, I had a blurry lake. I had boring subjects. I was losing hope when I decided to make a change. I went back into my camera bag, detached my zoom lens and connected my 50mm. It was time to leave the security of my deck and head out into the great unknown…down the steps about 5 feet away.

We have a really nice Japanese maple in the back yard and though it’s naked from the falling of the leaves, the bark of the tree seems to pop against the pale colors of the “winter” season. I took a few shots from the front, trying to grab a hold of the entirety of the tree, but it looked lame and disengaging.  Being a bit more comfortable with the 50mm I have learned, so far, that if you want a good picture you have to get in close. You have to move your body around until you get a good focal point, a good distance and a nice composition of in focus/out of focus. I was still obsessed with the rainy weather, but I was in luck. The tree was still drenched from the down pour that occurred moments before. I found this area of the tree and noticed a large amount of condensation and began snapping pictures. I was patient and waited. I took a few shots and then checked my settings to get the correct exposure level. The condensation was building, more and more; adhesion [thank you, Joe], the only force allowing this droplet to resist the forces of gravity. All of that energy building up inside this water glutton was nearing its brink, and this is when my camera got to work.

Continuous shooting mode allowed me to hold down the shutter release and take pictures over and over. Unfortunately, I missed the journey through the air this droplet took, but I managed to capture it at the peak of its resistance. This little guy, again with my power over time, will remain locked in this moment; its pinnacle of power. We can all bear witness to this sight and remember the time this proud combination of molecules massed a front against gravity, and we will never have to think about his demise. You should all take time today to reflect on the sacrifices these compounds make for each and every day, just so we can have something to take pictures of and talk about.

Until tomorrow.