I keep finding myself reflecting on the Seattle trip I took back in May with my lady. For this journal post, I want to reflect on a 3-minute experience in particular:
Saturday, May 7th.
At around 11:05 in the morning we were approaching the Montlake Bridge after spending some time exploring the University of Washington campus beforehand. We were slowly making our way towards the Washington Park Arboretum & eventually to the Japanese Gardens for a full day of sightseeing & much needed time in nature.
As we starting walking on the Collegiate Gothic-styled bridge we had noticed a loud roar from some sort of crowd both in front of us & below on both sides of the Montlake Cut. There was a lot of purple gear with the university logo being worn & I had quickly figured out it was some sort of college water sport. I couldn’t quite make out what it was since the crowd had thickened quickly, blocking our eastbound view. As we made our way to that eastern side of the bridge, the teams were moving right below us in what turned out to be a rowing race known as the Windermere Cup.
Right then, we were fully immersed in this nerve-racking, riveting experience. People were cheering, eyes glued to the water below..hoping their team would pull off a win.
I, on the other hand, was more interested in absorbing this unfamiliar, fast-moving scene from an outsider perspective. It was unreal to be simply thrown into such an event that took hold on all of my focus. My only choice was to document that sudden rush.
Looking back now, the experience I had behind the lens feels more important than the actual photos themselves. It was the energy around me that had caused me to repeatedly press down on the shutter without really having a whole lot of time to think about it. And at the same time, the act of taking those photos slowed down those few minutes, allowing me to hold onto that feeling for a little longer.
This is why I carry a camera around.
What could have been just a normal walk across a bridge was instead a few minutes of complete serendipity..a few minutes engaged in a world detached from my own by sheer happenstance. I am reminded that life is all about those little magical moments & that you have to remain receptive for all that can enter your world.
sources:
https://washingtonrowing.com/about/montlake-cut/
https://gohuskies.com/news/2022/5/7/mens-rowing-netherlands-edges-out-uw-men-at-windermere-cup.aspx