There’s a truth I’ve learned in life and in photography: sometimes the shot you planned isn’t the shot you get. But sometimes, it’s better.
Last night, I went out to capture a sunset by the water at Scioto Audubon in south Columbus, OH. It wasn’t just about photography—it was about proving something to myself. Since my car accident a few years back, standing for long periods of time has been a battle. Ten, maybe fifteen minutes, and the pain starts gnawing at me. But I was determined, and besides, it had been too long since I clicked my shutter at anything or anyone outside of my basement studio.
Tripod set, lens ready, I planted myself to capture the sunset on the lake and told myself: hold on.
Minutes stretched into nearly an hour. Every second standing was a reminder of the injury that still lingers, the pain that never fully leaves. But I didn’t quit. Because the sun was lowering, the sky was shifting, and I knew beauty was coming.
And some things, you don’t wanna miss, baby…
And then—just as the light began to break into gold—this interloper walked into my shot.
A man came to the railing, rod in hand, ready to fish, his silhouette cutting right through the frame I had carefully composed.
For a moment, I was angry. He’d ruined it.
After everything I’d endured to stand there, he had stolen my scene.
But then something shifted. I remembered the lesson life has whispered to me so many times:
…RUN WITH IT!
So I adjusted. I refocused. Instead of fighting his presence, I made him the star. His silhouette became the anchor. The sunset framed him like destiny itself had placed him there. The water, the light, the fisherman—suddenly it wasn’t about what I lost, but about what I gained.
The photo above isn’t my “serious” edit, that’s on the horizon (no pun intended). It’s playful, a quick attempt to bring out the shadows, to test the composition. But it’s already something more than what I had planned. It’s a story of pain, persistence, and perspective.
Sometimes life puts people, moments, or obstacles right into your carefully laid frame. You can either curse them for it… or you can choose to see them as part of the picture.
Last night, I chose the latter.
As a result, I captured the reminder that beauty often comes when you stop fighting interruptions and start embracing them.
The so-called intruder didn’t ruin my shot.
He gave me a better one.
(Besides, it ain’t like I can just run folks off when they’re blocking my view. Well, I can, but…)
Anyway, he stepped into my frame, yes — but he also stepped into my story.
Sometimes we don’t need the scene we imagined. Sometimes we need the scene we’re given.
And if we’re open enough, patient enough — maybe even humble enough — we’ll find that what we gained is far more valuable than what we lost.
“I went chasing a sunset… and caught a star instead.”
“This has been another stop on my Cameradventures — where the picture is never just in the frame, but in the story behind it.”
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