I remember talking with a photographer for National Geographic once and they pointed out that having great photos of a subject meant having gone there twenty or more times in order to be there when the right conditions occurred. This taking of the opportunity when it presents itself is true for all of us. I often walk across Waterloo Bridge in the morning and evening. It provides a view both upriver towards the Palace of Westminster and downriver towards the City. As a commuter, I am not going to embarrass myself by stopping to take photos all of the time. So uncool!
However, sometimes the lighting or the weather is making a wonderful image. There is no way that this will happen again when I happen to have time to plan to be there and bring my better camera. Maybe I should just take a photo with the phone and accept I look like a tourist. Being on the wrong side of the bridge and being in a hurry to get my train means I am not finding a way across – no easy feat in the middle of the bridge – so the foreground might mess things up. However, get the shot and worry about that another day. For one of these, the light looked great. For the other, the buildings were disappearing into the cloud, but St Paul’s was still clear. This view is something I must not get blasé about.