I recently drove by a school with a historic preservation sign out front. What photographer can resist an ivy-covered brick building in the fall (or something that you know is going to change)? I had a few minutes so I pulled in and snapped a few shots. Unfortunately I only had my zoom lens with me.
Vine-Covered School
Red Leaves
I shot the bright red leaves, and the vines trailing over windows and the front steps, but it felt like it deserved so much more. I was determined to come back with my normal lens to get different shots.
But I only have time for these photo trips on weekends. The weather turned during the week; a mild fall suddenly became winter.
I went back a week later and the beauty was gone. The red leaves had all dropped. The weather was gray and the place looked dreary. I tried to jazz it up by taking a picture beneath a nearby colorful banner.
Old School
It is the nature of photography that conditions are never the same, though the place may be. The light is different and small changes have occurred: someone could have left a glove or trash. In this case, the bright red leaves had turned brown and littered the ground.
Photography is a moment-to-moment depiction of the world, and every moment is different, like snowflakes. What we capture is a temporary moment and nothing more.
Last Train to QVille 