Not All Adventures are Joyful.

 

My wife, Mary and I traveled with my parents to Washington DC in October of 2004. My folks had never been there and neither had we. I had watched Mike Leonard's story on the Today Show which was followed up by his book later, The Ride of Our Lives: Roadside Lessons of an American Family. My parents had an RV, a nice '97 Winnebago Adventurer. This 32ft "cheese box" (so named because it felt like driving a giant Velveeta box down the road) was the right size for the trip and it would be an adventure, evidently, as far as Mike Leonard was concerned, a must experience kind of adventure.



My Folks picked us up and got us loaded and with a few instructions about RV living, we set out on, what I was sure would be, the best vacation of our lives. Well, I need not beleaguer the point since I have foreshadowed the outcome of this trip in the heading. Yes, not all adventures are joyful. What Mr. Leonard had failed to mention in the story on The Today Show was we should have taken two RVs (in hind sight I must have missed that point as reviewing the series it clearly states they had two RVs).



The generation gap is a perception thing, what is important to a couple in their forties is not important to a couple in their seventies and vice versa. I will say though we saw many wonderful things and had many laughs and for the most part had that memorable vacation I was thinking of, just not in the same way I had envisioned it. The end of the trip I have now transmogrified into a cartoon in my head; without slowing the RV down we see Mary and my luggage fly from the window of the RV followed by us, rolling in the grass up to our house. We look at each other and in unison say, "Whew, that's over" shrug and go into our house. I do believe it was a month or more till I spoke to my folks and other then the high points we didn't discuss the trip. We do now though, and because time is the great editor, we all agree it was the trip of a lifetime (We just should have taken separate RVs)



Perfection Obscures the View



Anyone who has been there or lives there, understand that one week is not long enough to see everything DC has to offer. You just aren't going to see everything you want to in that time frame. You can however get a great overview of the area. We took advantage of the tourist mass transit made available and made every effort to visit the high points.



I have been taking pictures now for thirty-five plus years. I am mostly self taught and have been shooting professionally for twenty-four of those years. I love shooting pictures and have many images that have been kept hidden for years on film and in digital form. As a photog, I have a vision of what I want to shoot when I see a subject and in an instant I can compose, crop and set an image. I am not being overly confidant or conceited, I am just confidant in my artistry. There are certain instances though, that require multiple shots and, yes I even second guess myself especially if I think I am staring at a potential once in a life-time scene.



I found myself in one of these situations one evening. We had been racing to get the shots I needed all day. We lagged in some museums and in some areas till the sun was just right. This time of day in October is about four o'clock in the evening. The sun has to be the right color and position. The subjects are the premiere monument and memorial on the National Mall, The Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial. They oppose each other across the reflecting pool. We were exhausted, but made it with just minutes before the light was gone. You can see in the image below:

 



The reflecting pool was still and perfect, the color was ideal. Here it was the most ideal spot (top of the Lincoln Memorial steps). Here was the shot I had envisioned, right in front of me. My friend Steve Thelen had coined the phrase "Big Red X" to describe that perfect spot where you are intended to take the perfect shot. In my head though, it would be straight on. The reflection of it and the monument itself would make one continuous line, the shadows would narrow the viewers attention to the centered subject. I know of the rule of thirds and revised it to work with my perfect image. Just me, my "brush", and the perfect canvas. BAM went the shutter, Bam again, Bam, Bam the familiar "Schlock" sound of my focal plane giving way and the mirror slapping the camera interior. Something just wasn't right though. Bam, Smack, Schlock; image after image I captured but didn't feel as if I was capturing my vision properly.



I was frustrated and kept shooting, moving slightly left or right. Once, I braced myself against a column and continued. My frustration grew with every snap. I was loosing the light, I was missing my opportunity. This once in a life-time shot was slipping away, my blood pressure rose, my breathing became erratic as I held my breath before and after each shutter fire. "I can't get it", I thought to myself, "I know it's there but where, why can't I get this!" Suddenly, I realized my arm was being tugged on. I heard an annoying voice busting into my concentration. "Doesn't she know this is the shot I was wanting, right here! Can't she see I am in the zone?" I thought, annoyed.



Suddenly, she took my arm, looked into my eyes and said something to me that would become an epiphany to me. "Hey, do you know where you are? I know that shot is important but look at where you are!" She said it with such a soothing, calming and reasonable urgency. It made my mind stop reeling. I glanced at where she nodded to see an amazing scene. There, through the columns and the beautiful shimmering pink marble, was the giant and impressive seated Lincoln. I was amazed at it's impressive nature. The sun was narrowing on the statue but still good and strong enough to capture it. I took a breath, smiled at my beautiful wife and reverently approached the figure. I looked briefly into his eyes and marveled at the detail, took aim and BAM! One shot, not perfect, but well composed, interesting, good light.


Lincoln Memorial National Mall Washington DC 10/2004



I think that Mary's words are poignant and timely. I think they are further reaching then she intended. They are now kind of a mantra for me, when I find myself in similar situations. When my attention gets narrow and my anxiety gets the best of me I will stop, look up, hear those words and refocus. Mary is a strong wonderful woman. She has given me, myself, and continues to center me.



Forest and Trees Things



The point I make, if not by clubbing us over the head, is concentrating on the narrow goal helps us to lose sight of the moments in life that are equally important. Don't get me wrong setting goals and achieving them is important and essential to success. An important rule for photographers is similar to a line in Money Ball, "Once you get what you want, hang up", except it is more like, "You got the shot move on." Trying to engineer the situation so it fits into your ideal of perfection or most ideally for you, is futile. A friend of mine quoted, quite often, Robert Heinlein, "Never try to teach a pig to sing. It wastes your time and annoys the pig." I believe this line can mean a number of things under the futility category. Don't lose focus, but also don't allow your idea of self importance, make you miss the fact you are living life. Again, life happens between the peaks and valleys.