Being there is what matters

One phase a photographer doesn’t want to hear is, “Hey, you should have been here earlier!” This is just what I was greeted to from the front desk clerk as we checked into the Grand Canyon Lodge.  

We planned to arrive a few hours or so before sunset at the South Rim so that I would have ample time to setup and take pictures of one of the Worlds Seven Wonders basked in what photographers call, “magic light.”

It was so cloudy I didn’t think there wouldn’t be any picture taking possibilities, but the clerk mentioned that weather conditions constantly change around the canyon and he’ll ring the room if there’s a break in the weather.

Settling in for the evening, I attached the camera on a tripod and waited. Sometimes, we’re blessed with a little luck and a few minutes later I received the call, only to run outside to see the canyon surrounded by clouds and being lit by a ray of sunshine. However, I was able to capture a dozen shots before the canyon was once again socked in.

There’s another saying photographers’ use, “It’s 95 percent being there and five percent dumb luck.” In this case that phase was all too true.