A lot of times when people think of photography they envision intricately designed sets, perfectly posed models, and detailed plans. That certainly does describe some types of photography. More commonly though, photography is a small bit of planning mixed with a lot of unpredictable chances and a willingness to keep looking through the lens moment after moment.

This process can be frustrating. There is no guarantee that any day or even an entire trip dedicated to photos is going to produce a standout image. Oftentimes you are forced to let go of the need to control the results as you keep searching for an angle, and that’s when the magic happens.

This photo was taken on a sailboat on Nantucket Sound. When we started the journey there wasn’t a single cloud in the sky. Then with the beautiful unpredictability of nature the clouds dropped in over the churning water. We made it safely to shore before the storm broke, but there was something in the spontaneous adventure around this picture that made everything in life more interesting.

Sometimes our lives can end up a lot like photography. We get into our predictable routines where things are steady and safe, but nothing of any real brilliance happens. Each day we wake up and find ourselves searching for that little spark of unexpected wonder to push us through. We make little changes to our routines, the places we visit, or our daily habits and we don’t know when it’s really going to bring about anything worthwhile. Yet we keep on showing up and when we least expect it, find ourselves living out the things we only once dreamed about.