Being Smart With What We Have

“I learned that we can do anything, but we can’t do everything… at least not at the same time. So think of your priorities, not in terms of what activities you do, but when you do them. Timing is everything.” – Dan Millman

The last part of the quote above might be one of the most important rules in photography. Timing the position of your subject can determine whether or not you get that photo they are looking forward to seeing when you finish. Timing with the light when it comes to landscape photography will either allow your scene to be fully exposed or covered in darkness. Showing up late to sunrise will make getting up early a waste of time while leaving a sunset too early will cause you to miss an amazing close to the day. Timing is important in photography and life as well. As people, we like to have people think we are great at everything. We are most often like this when it comes to our jobs. We want to be that person that everyone relies on for everything. We craze positive attention when we get the job done, but sometimes we don’t need to be the ones being the expert in everything. While we are capable of doing a lot, we still need to make sure we do not stretch ourselves too thin. We have to focus on our strengths, and take advantage of the support that is around us for everything else. This is something I have learned as an educator over the last few years. While there is a lot a need to know in order to be successful at the job, I still can’t remember everything. That’s why we have support staff to make sure students have all the support they need.

I took these photos while I was walking up to Toccoa Falls. Sometimes the walk to the destination can have some of the best scenes. I’m sure this drives my family crazy because they just want to get there, and then there is me stopping every few seconds in order to take a photo along the way.