Happy Accidents

It's been a strange day so far, and I'm feeling a little down in the dumps.  Don't like this feeling, so I thought I'd share some of my photos that surprised the heck out of me.

Eastwood Metro Park
I was just snappin' away, and didn't realize
I'd gotten the curvature quite so nicely.

Charleston Falls
I thought the shadow was interesting as I started down the steps;
I hadn't recognized how geometric it all was until after viewing
hours later!

Loved the texture of this tree bark, but wasn't sure it would
photograph well.  It's odd, but I like it!

I think this is a dogwood blossom at a friend's house.  I was
experimenting when I took it, and got as close as I could.
When I looked at it on the LCD screen, I wasn't crazy about
it, but when I saw it on the computer screen, seemed as if I
could almost feel the texture of the petals.

I'm not a fan of bees, but on a whim, decided to see what I
got when clicking away at a butterfly bush.   I was amazed at
the detail, including the body segments of the bee.

I'd never seen a woodpecker in the yard before, but this one
had visited the suet feeder.  I was fortunate enough to be
outside at the time AND have my camera w/ me.  Although I
wish this was closer, I was very pleased that I was able
to catch the woodpecker at all.

This was taken on my cell phone just the other day as I
started through the car wash.  Loved the colors, and decided
to see how a picture might turn out.  VERY glad I did!

Another car wash shot w/ the cell phone.  I like the soap
bubbles added texture w/ the swirl of blue.

I must say, I do feel better now.  I sometimes need a reminder of the happy accidents or unexpected outcomes.  In every instance when I shot the above photos, I was experimenting with either a new camera, a new viewpoint, a new setting, or a new location.  I had no real idea of potential results, but tried anyway (yeah, I gave it a shot to cite the obvious pun).  I wish ALL of my attempts resulted in pictures I was happy with, but of course, failure is part of how we get to success.  


I'm learning to be a part time caretaker for my mother, who is in an assisted living facility.  She has mild dementia, and can do much for herself, but ended up in assisted living because she would forget to take her medication, eat, or drink.  There is absolutely no way we could live together, but it was obvious Mom needed to be where someone would make sure she got her meds and ate.  Many days, everything is fine, and we laugh a lot.  Other days, like today, it's not, and I feel like a failure as a daughter and human being.


That's why I like to look at some of my happy accident pictures.  Not just because I like them, but also because I remember the pics before and after them that didn't turn out so well.  Not all of them turned out the way I wanted; some turned out far better than I could have dreamed.  Point is, I tried until I got something I liked, or was fortunate enough to catch on the first try.  I'm still learning on the caretaker part, and I'm bound to mess up.  I just need to suck it up and keep trying until I get something I like, in addition to those beautiful moments that I get right the first time.