Sometimes, things don’t go as planned. Equipment fails, the weather changes, or isn’t what you hoped for. The waves crash higher than expected and drown your battery bank. It seems nothing is going right. Every attempt to create an image feels like a struggle. We have all been there and had that day where nothing is going to plan. You hit that wall, and all you can think of is packing it up and returning home. This was me not long ago. I was all set up on a beautiful rocky shoreline in Southern California. I had my heart set on capturing some time-lapse images. The conditions were perfect: clouds in the sky and big waves (but not too big) crashing over the colorful and impressive rocks. I had my fancy slider, with pan tilt head all set up and running. I was excited to see what I would capture. I turned my attention to the following composition I could set up, and while my back was turned, a rather large wave crashed over the rocks and shorted my power supply. This was the first setback of the morning.

I felt dejected. My whole reason for getting out this day was to shoot time-lapse photography. Now, I couldn’t. (This is not entirely true, but I could no longer use the slider.) I could not see any reason to continue. That was it; everything was ruined. That’s how I felt; all I could see was the failure. I was not going to accomplish what I had set out to do. I was about to admit defeat.

As I was packing up my gear and drying my tears, it occurred to me that I was sitting in a beautiful spot, surrounded by a magnificent landscape. My camera still worked; I still had the day for myself. I was going to make something of this day. I was not going to admit defeat! With a newfound determination, I switched gears, grabbed my tripod, some filters, and my still perfectly functional camera, and scrambled up some nearby rocks. The cool blues of the water complemented the warm tones in the rocks. The swirling waves mimicked the crumpled surface of the rock. The scene I had found was perfect. I took my time and tried several different shutter speeds and focal lengths. I experimented with exposures while the waves were coming onto shore and while they retreated into the ocean. I took my time to enjoy my victory over what could have been an otherwise unproductive day. In this moment of triumph, I captured what may be my favorite image so far this year.