Keep Moving

There are moments I encounter that remind me who I am and what I love doing. Tuesday, October 27th 2020 was a foggy, cold day. The weather in Austin was 39 degrees which was abnormal due to Austin being in Texas and it also being October. Had I still been living up north near Chicago, yeah, I’d understand it. For Texas though, the weather that day was crazy. I had one objective before I went into my nine to five job: get my car’s emissions test done. I was running late on getting that done and I happened to pass a lake that was shrouded in a thick fog. This fog was only over the lake, nowhere else. After the test was done I returned to the lake and it was still covered in that dense fog. I took some photos with my phone but it didn’t quite cut it for me. This rush of excitement came over me and I knew I had to stop everything I was doing and go back home to get my camera. I was chasing that moment. I saw it in my head. I knew if I could get back quick enough I’d be able to capture this incredible sight. 

I drove all the way back home, grabbed all my gear, shoved it into my camera bag, and double checked to make sure I had an SD card at the ready and that there was at least one battery charged. I dashed back out to my car and sped off back to the lake (driving safely, of course). By the time I got there, the fog was still thick, hovering over the lake. I took photos of a couple different docks/piers and as the wind picked up, I realized that gloves would be a good investment for myself in the future. I mean, I live in Texas, so the cold isn’t really a big deal here, so normally I wouldn’t need gloves. Though, with it being 39 degrees and the wind chill on top of that, I definitely struggled. I feel like it was that adrenaline rush that kept me going. That feeling of ‘if I don’t stick it out and photograph this, I don’t know when I’ll be able to again’. Does that make any sense? I found a pier heading out to the lake, and decided to photograph that. I took several shots, when I spotted something in the left hand side of my frame.

Despite how cold it was, despite my minor complaints of not being prepared in this kind of weather, there was someone out on the lake kayaking. I waited maybe two or three seconds for the kayaker to line up directly in the middle of my frame and then I hit the shutter. This kayaker was dead center of my frame, in the middle of the pier. I found my shot. No matter how crazy the conditions were around me, it was nothing in comparison to this individual who was out on the lake literally going against the tide. The first thing that came to mind was the word ‘movement’. 

Life has been pretty rough for just about everyone lately. No matter what your views are right now, there is a lot of chaos and negativity surrounding everyone right now. Yet, in this one moment, all of that disappeared. Nothing else mattered. I was observing this individual battle the odds, going against the tide, in 39 degree (probably lower with windchill) weather, in a kayak, trudging through the fog. I was able to photograph that. This moment reminded me why I love doing what I do. No matter where this journey takes me. I was called to photograph this lake, at this moment. I could have been a few seconds behind, or early, and I may not have taken that shot. It may not have lined up perfectly. Who knows? All I know is that everything happened the way it was supposed to that day. It reminded me to keep moving, no matter how murky the situation might be. I want to be like that individual, braving the tide and fog (also the cold, did I mention how freezing it was??). No matter what you see in this photo, or take away from it, this is the story behind it and I wanted to share that with you all. It will go on to be one of my favorites, just as a reminder what it means to me to be a photographer. Time to print this one and hang it up as soon as possible.