This morning I had my daily image selected. Or rather, I was wavering between two images. And right before I opted to save the files in my December Photo Project folder I hesitated. Something wasn’t… right. So I waited.

This afternoon I was standing in a boutique shop a few miles from home as the sun was setting. It was just before 5:00pm and as the cashier and I bantered back and forth I secretly wished that I could make it home before the sun had completely vanished from the horizon. The sun did disappear as I collected the mail, let the dog out, and turned on a few indoor lights. But with what little light was left, I felt the desire to shoot again, this time using the last remnants of reflected daylight. It was moody, quiet, and I had time to play.

It may seem strange to compare photography to a child with Playdoh, but truthfully, that’s what we photographers love to do with light. We want to mold it, shape it, spin it around and see what comes out. Perhaps that’s what this experiment has taught me most—to play. The same energy I use with my clients at the very end of our sessions–the energy that says, “Let’s do one more. Oh wait, now just one more!”—is the exact same impulse I’ve felt much of the past fourteen days. Keep playing. Keep twisting. Keep moving and shaping and experimenting. And even when I’m sure I’ve got the shot I’m going to use, I play a bit more in post-processing and then I surprise even myself. This shot was not at all what I was aiming for. But in the end, it’s exactly what I wanted.