I had the good fortune to attend a Jay Maisel seminar last year.  One of the burrs that attached itself to my brain was that if you want to improve your photography you’ve got to walk slower.  Also, that you have to free your mind and go out shooting without preconceived notions.  You have to instead react to what you see.

It was sort of an interesting experience for me today in that all of those Maisel-isms came into play.  First, my son wanted to go on the LRT ride today.  Fine enough.  Do I take my camera or not.  I’m not really in the mood for it but of course Maisel would say “take your camera with you everywhere you go”.  So I took my camera.

My son is 4 years old.  I like to hold his hand while we’re walking and listen as he reacts to everything he sees about him.  So, it really slowed down my walking speed. 

We rounded a corner down in the corridors and “bam” this hit me in the side of the head like a brick.  My initial reaction was excitement.  I could feel this photograph.  The light was exceptional, the composition revealed itself right in front of me.

An interesting application of a lesson from Jay Maisel.