or maybe it is just me!
Often, when I am rushing out the door with no time to be careful about makeup or hair, I look great. But when I have ages to prepare and take my time, I don’t. Same with projects, tests, food, anything really. Sometimes preparing yourself and taking your time does not guarantee a good result. Sometimes you can overdo it, overthink it, lose your spontaneity. Sometimes putting yourself under pressure takes the enjoyment and adventure out of something. You have time to add a bit here, do a little there, tweak things, do them again, and that is often my downfall. I have read that the best songs and scenes in films are often ones that were done in one take. I guess the spontaneity is still there.
For example, the scene in the movie Pretty Woman where Richard Gere’s character closes the jewellery box on Julia Robert’s hand, was not part of the movie at all – he just did it on the spur of the moment. But her reaction was so priceless that it ended up in the film. If that had been rehearsed and then filmed it would not have been nearly as good.
Often, when something happens, the best photographs are taken by the general public with their phones, rather than a professional photographer with hugely expensive equipment.
I was thinking of that when I saw this fantastic photo of Usain Bolt, taken by Cameron Spencer, and read the story behind it.
This is the most amazing photograph isn’t it? It really encapsulates everything about Usain Bolt that has captured the world’s attention and endeared him to millions.
Cameron Spencer, a Getty photographer was not assigned to the track events that day, having been assigned to field events instead. He just happened to run over to the track events when he had a few minutes. Because he was not under pressure to deliver any photographs from the track events, he was free to experiment and take risks, such as the blurry effect, a result of following Bolt with his lens. And the outcome was the most amazing photograph – probably one that will define both these Olympics and Bolt’s career, given that he has now retired.
While sunning on a beach in Palma, I felt what I thought was a glob of wet sand hit the side of my face; it wasn’t wet sand, it was a batch of hurling seagull guano. Right down my cheek. At just that instant my niece snapped a picture, and when it was developed (this was long ago) a seagull was seen flying away. The culprit? We all laughed when we saw it. A few day after I went to the photo shop with some pix of my own and as soon as I walked in the clerk said “You’re the lady with the seagull”.
Back home I had the photo enlarged and hung on my office wall. The funniest comment on it was “Nice bikini but your makeup is running”.
I love that! Perfect pic!