The ones that got away....

Working on a 2011 retrospective post, going through A LOT of images shot around Southeast Asia this year. Aside from the great memories and good times that come back while reviewing some of these images, its also an important process of self-criticism, to see, with a little hindsight, what worked, what didn’t, and what could have worked better with a bit more creativity, thoughtfulness, preparation and most importantly, luck.

This is an outtake from location scouting around Hoi An, Vietnam for a mid-summer wedding. Hoi An (and Vietnam in general) is great if you like shooting against a backdrop of yellow/blue/green walls. And when the sun is out…. BAM! Those colours really pop. They are bold and have that great “I was painted 100 years ago (though really just 6 months ago)” decaying texture, and there’s often some nice graphic elements like bicycles you can get in the frame. Like this little snap below. Nice little image, and you envision the couple standing in the lit doorways as a shadowed cyclist like this man passes by (and with an umbrella – score!). Even at about midday (check those shadows), it would have made a pretty good image. So you pre-visualize, walk on to the next location, grab a coffee or a beer, and congratulate yourself on being so organized and clever and awesome in general.

Of course, by the time your scheduled shoot time comes around, the sun is gone, in roll the clouds, and it becomes almost impossible to work with those great walls and colors. Everything just turns…. flat. Blah.

So, you turn to something else in your bag of tricks, cursing the fickle sunshine, and hoping that there’ll be something else that’s magical and fun and maybe a little weird around the corner.