Lucky Shot

June 6th, 2009

Whenever I see a golf pro get a hole in one, my first thought is, “lucky shot.” But really, they make their own luck. The years they put into practice gets their shots closer to the hole than ours. It’s much easier to get that “lucky” shot when you consistently get it on the green.

I’m a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have of it.
– Thomas Jefferson

There is a whole lot of luck involved in photography, too. Being in the right place at the right time: Photographing a fire fighter catching a falling infant. The calving of an iceberg. Or being in the wrong place at the wrong time: A tsunami. Civil war. But again, often this is a case of the photographer making their own luck. Putting themselves into these situations or even simply developing their eye.

Sometimes “luck” in photography is not apparent at the time the photo is taken. Say a young photographer hears about Barry, a freshman at her college. Charismatic, good looking, smart, willing to be photographed. She puts herself into the situation by following up, making the call, meeting and photographing him. The photos are well crafted, her subject at ease. They stand on their own. A quarter century later the subject of these photos becomes the first African American President of the United States of America. Hole in one.

“Barack Obama: The Freshman,” photos by Lisa Jack, runs at M+B in Los Angeles through July 18.

Barack Obama, Occidental College, No. 23

Barack Obama, Occidental College, No. 23

Michael Singman-Aste
Postdiluvian Photo

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One response to “Lucky Shot”

  1. Jamie Watson says:

    Fantastic! Hole in one indeed.

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