365 Project - Day 194

IMHO, there is a lot right with this photo and a lot wrong with it. I love the light and lightness, the vibrant colors, the textures and the lines. But it is a failed execution.

I am forcing myself to exert control in making photographs in a ridiculously small space, When the environment works well, it works exceptionally well. On the other hand, the small space forces me frame the photo in camera, carefully ensuring that all distractions are removed, with nothing close enough to alter white balance and with all elements properly exposed.

I believed I had taken photos where I adapted for the errors in this photograph. My adjusted photos, however, created a new set of problems, leaving this flawed one as the best. I clipped the right side of the flower; I overexposed the leaf on the right; I missed the wall outlet. It is a failure. However, I love the central part of the flower. The part that is good, exceeds the part that is not. So, I choose to learn from this exercise, rather than trash it.

"Every adversity brings with it the seed of an equivalent advantage." Napoleon Hill. We each ultimately make the choice to see our failures in a positive or negative light. We choose to learn, grow, shift and change with the opportunities created by the failure or shrink and quit.

This flower is from one of my Mother's Day bouquets. My eldest son used to fret and cry over each mistake he made. Not because I chastised him, but because of some misguided sense that at the age of 10 he should inherently know how to succeed. I remember telling him several times, "if you never make a mistake, how will you understand how to do something correctly. This is how you learn the right way." As I release him into the world, one wish I have for him is that he pushes himself to try harder, fail more, learning from each failure. For the seeds of greatness lie within those failures.

If you knew that your failures were a blessing and key to your success, how would that change your perspective?

psst - "God is not as concerned about our comfort as he is about our purpose." Joel Osteen

Best wishes!

Today's Photo: Imperfect Lily Photograph

"Success usually is but one short step beyond the point where one quits fighting." Napoleon Hill







EXIF: Nikon D7100
ISO 400
70mm
f19
1/8s