Stopping to take a Photograph

Question

Ok I used to live near this old junkyard and I always drove by it on my way home. Almost everyday I would say the same thing to myself.

bring your camera tomorrow and take a picture!

Well wouldn't you know, the city came by and cleaned up the yard and in doing so it lost all it's appeal. Since that day I swore that I would never procrastinate if I saw a location that needed shooting.

Until the other day when I drove by this tree during the Sunset, and I said to myself.

bring your camera tomorrow and take a picture!

Well I still haven't done that so I am wondering how many people actually stop, get out of their vehicles, and take a photograph spontaneously? How many do what I have done but actually return? Same day? Next Day?

I keep kicking myself over the Junkyard and I have only seen a similar sunset behind the tree twice now, so I might just have to keep my camera with me from now on.

This could be interesting discussion, but I don't think there's really an answerable question here. (Other than "me too!") — mattdm, Jan 28 '11 at 20:39
This isn't really an appropriate question as worded. There's not answer, its a survey. — rfusca, Jan 28 '11 at 20:55
Yeah, should probably be CW, or at least reworded to be "How do you overcome..." — Craig Walker, Jan 28 '11 at 22:34
It would be better posed as a discussion on the site's chat room — Rowland Shaw, Jan 29 '11 at 08:02

score 4 · Answer 1 · answered Jan 28 '11 at 20:32

I try to keep my camera in the car when I can (when temps inside a parked car allow), but I still find myself failing to stop because:

I don't want to cause a traffic hazard
There's no good place to park
I don't want someone getting upset that I'm taking a photo of their property
I'm late
It's too cold outside
It's too hot outside
It'll probably be there tomorrow (whatever it is)

Thanks for the reminder that the camera's not going to operate itself!

score 3 · Answer 2 · answered Jan 28 '11 at 20:35

I do this in "vacation mode" on road trips, but that's only because:

I already have my gear with me
It's a place that I'll "never go to again" (even if I know I will)
I'm already in "stop and smell the roses" mode instead of day-to-day life mode.

And this assumes I have time to do so / not on a tight schedule.

Beyond that though, I'm very guilty of this. Sometimes I consider picking up a point-and-shoot specifically for this purpose.

Stopping to take a Photograph

2 Answers2