The boy scout motto is always be prepared. For photographers, I would modify it to read, “Always be Aware”
I was helping a friend do some photography recently. After the shoot, she started to make lunch when I noticed some lilies in a vase. Sunlight was coming from a nearby window through some blinds, giving some really interesting shadows and reflections. (With her permission) I cut one of the lilies to balance the foreground and started exploring with my macro lens. I couldn’t put my tripod on her dining room table (If I wanted to keep her as a friend) so I had to hand hold the camera. This forced me to use the lens wide open with a shallow depth of field. In this case it helped subdue the lily in the background. I also had to shoot a low angle so that I did not get her shoe rack in the background.
This is a pretty simple shot, but if I would not have been paying attention, I would never have seen it.
PS. The lunch was very good, and the wine even better….
