Good things come to those who wait. That’s the mantra you used to hear from your parents, right? I hate to be the one who says this, but…. they were right.
At least in the photographic sense.
This is a photograph made at a Farm Museum in Littleton, Colorado. As I was walking around the museum, many different elements of this scene all caught my eye individually. The windmill, the barn, the fence, and (most importantly) the sky. Add to that, this scene is one that most don’t expect to see in an urban setting.
As a side note, for those who don’t know, Littleton is not exactly a rural part of Colorado as it is a major suburb to Denver. If I omitted to tell you where this image was made, I bet you’d never guessed it (some may not even believe it was in Colorado).
So all of these elements had caught my eye and I was looking for a perspective that could tie it all together. I found that angle (the one you see above), but there was one rather apparent problem… I visited the museum on a rather busy day. Busy day equals many people. People in this scene are not something I wanted. Therefore, I had to wait… And wait… And wait…
To add another layer of complexity to my diminishing patience was the clouds. The drama in the clouds is something that I really wanted as I think it adds a lot to the photograph.
So once again, I am all set up, with my camera on my tripod and waiting… Not only for people to be out of the scene, but also to wait for the clouds to be ‘just right’.
I will admit, I was beginning to question my sanity at points as I stood there waiting for two uncontrollable elements to play nicely with each other. Fortunate for me, after several hours, I got my chance... Everything was just right… The clouds? Perfect. People in the scene? Negative. And so, with the wind blowing through the scene, I got my chance. Windy Stillness is the result.
Alexandre Dumas Père once said, “All human wisdom is summed up in two words - wait and hope”. He couldn’t be more right. So yes, mom and dad, you win this one and thanks for the advice!
This image is available for purchase here.