When Magic Happens

On a day a few weeks ago when I gave up on trying to get a shot of something... anything... magic happened.

I woke up to intermittent rain and fog. I thought, "Well... I'll just enjoy the weather and rest my bones for a day."

But, being the way that I am, I got in my rental car and drove all over the island to places I'd never been to before seeking something to shoot.

High in the mountains, the fog was so thick on narrow winding roads sometimes with cliffs on both sides, my hands went numb gripping the steering wheel tight and only going about 15mph.

By the end of the day... nothing. I gave up on my last full day on Flores Island. Yet, I wasn't bummed...I was grateful to be in such a magical place in our world.

So, I drove "home," dropped my camera gear off, changed into some dry clothes, and treated myself to a good meal in a restaurant I'd never been to before.

As I was eating, the Swiss photographer I met the day before walked in. I thought the day before that I'd never see her again which is the norm while traveling. She smiled, sat down at my table, and spoke about her day which progressed the same as mine. We had both given up.

As we finished our meals while sharing stories about our lives, a beam of sunlight poured in through the window almost level with the horizon.

Our eyes lit up. "Let's go get our cameras, Greg! Meet me at the waterfall!

She ran to her house and I drove up the hill to mine. Ten minutes later, we set up our cameras on tripods, a rainbow appeared on the waterfall during Golden Hour, and what began as grey turned into gold.

Yeah... it's also a profound metaphor for life. Think about it. 🕊️

~ Photography by me with my Canon R5 of the lower section of Cascata do Poço do Bacalhau... A waterfall on Flores Island in the Azores. This was my second session at this waterfall in two days. This session was the most spectacular for several reasons.