The Harder I work the Lucker I get

Often in capturing images luck is partially involved. Being at the right place at the right time, having your camera set-up and ready to go and having yourself ready to work is all part of capturing that moment in time. One of my favorite quotes of Benjamin Franklin is "The Harder I work the Luckier I Get". That is definitely the case in photography.

My wife Sherryl and I had tried on a number of occasions to go whale watching on our trips to Hawaii and each time our trips were canceled due to poor weather and high winds. Finally we managed to pick a calm day and were able get out on the ocean. As it turned out it was so quiet that even the whales were enjoying the calm and all seemed to be napping. We saw a number of whales on the surface with just their backs showing out of the water, an occasional fluke slapping and water spouts as they exhaled, readying for their next dive into the deep expanse of the Pacific Ocean. After a number of beautiful but uneventful hours of cruising up and down the coast of Maui it was time to return to the harbor. Most of the tourists, lulled by that calmness of the day and the fact that we were returning to the harbor had put their cameras in their bags and were quietly sitting back and enjoying the warm Hawaiian afternoon. Less that a mile from the harbor this Humpback whale decided to put an exclamation to the end of our adventure. Not more than fifty yards form the boat and without warning he, or she, decided to reach for the sky! Luckily I still had my camera in hand, I was paying attention and ready to work (The Harder I Work), I pressed the shutter of my camera and captured these moments in time (The Luckier I Get).