Lucky Shots
I got some lucky shots on my bike ride today, but before I show them I want to talk a bit about luck. I am a firm believer in luck, but that belief is flavored by the thoughts expressed by the poets I grew up listening to, Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen.
Bob, in his brilliant and bitter song IDIOT WIND, writes:
“They say I shot a man named Gray
and took his wife Italy.
She inherited a million bucks
and when she died it came to me.
I can’t help it if I’m lucky.”
That line always cracks me up.
Bruce, in his song LUCKY TOWN, writes:
“When it comes to luck
you make your own.
Tonight I got dirt on my hands
but I’m building me a new home.”
I think both songs imply that luck is more than a random thing, we have a degree of agency that comes into play. Which brings me to my lucky shots.
I try to go out with my bike and camera damn near every day. I have taken thousands of shots that are lousy and a few that are pretty good. My percentage of good shots has increased a bit, but it’s still tiny. I have gotten better at waiting and more reckless at pointing the camera and hoping. I got some lucky shots today, but it’s luck I had a hand in making. Unlike Bob’s idiot narrator, I’ll take my share of blame and credit for the luck I have.
Loved these, Kent. Share the best.
I grew up with various adages that have stayed with me. Whether they actually guided me remains to be seen. One is "Faith without works is dead." The other was a remark as Deseret News photographer said to me: "You may take a roll or two on shots but only end up with one that worth printing." One implies the work ethic that you can reach the goals you dream. The other demands surrender to the luck of catching that money shot. That robin with the berries is the money shot today.
"Luck is when preparation meets opportunity"
-- popularly attributed to Seneca (I first heard it from an old interview with Raymond Berry, an NFL receiver known for making more than his share of "lucky" catches)