Painter Bob Ross once said “there are no mistakes, just happy accidents.” Many times in photography, that’s the case. We may have an ideal shot lined up, lighting and shadows are what we’re looking for, the moment is perfect, you take the photo, yet something doesn’t go as planned. We’ve all been there; here is my happy accident.
I’d gone out to shoot on a cold February morning in lower Manhattan; the night before, I’d been trying to photograph the stars and had forgotten to cancel the 2 second shutter delay, meaning that if I pressed the shutter to take a photo, it wouldn’t be taken until 2 seconds later. Being the first photo of my day, I went to take the shot I had in mind and instantly remembered the delay. I could have put the camera down and taken a photo of the floor, but I left my hands in place. I’d wanted to get a shot of the cab coming out of the shadows which is why the focus is set a bit further back; but just as the 2 seconds was up, this woman walked into the frame.
Before the shot, I didn’t even see her in her bright red coat, she appeared out of nowhere; instantly changing the shot from an out of focus and delayed mistake, into a happy accident.