"In the right light, at the right time, everything is extraordinary."
--Aaron Rose

Photographic opportunities surround us if we learn not just to look, but to see. Notice things. Keep an open mind. At the same time you'll develop your ability to find the picture in the scenes to which you're attracted. The latest and greatest gear isn't nearly as important as freeing your imagination.

Sometimes the most interesting things are waiting to be noticed - and photographed - when we least expect it. Case in point: while on a shoot at Acadia National Park, approaching heavy rain forced me to shelve the location at which I'd planned to work that evening.

Already it had been a tough day; the morning hadn't been particularly productive due to less-than-desirable conditions. Early afternoon wasn't much better. I decided to pack it in and was on my way back from Southwest Harbor to Bar Harbor.

Driving through the little town of Somesville on the way, though, something caught my eye which compelled me to stop.

Set back from the main drag was a hedge created by the most spectacular burning bush I've ever seen. Instead of the usual deep red color (always lovely), this foliage was a dazzling fuchsia. And the hedge seemed to go on forever. The fact that it was a heavily overcast day with rain beginning to fall only accentuated the eye-popping color. Next to the hedge on the street side was a white wooden fence.

Was there a photo here? Possibly. Maybe I wasn't finished working after all! I found a place to leave the car and grabbed my camera.

I'm always looking for interesting ways to convey what I consider to be one of the greatest shows on earth: foliage season (particularly when it comes to autumn in New England). Getting up close and walking alongside, it was obvious the fence had a lot to say. Clearly, it had seen better days. The whole thing was leaning, some portions precariously so, with stakes having been added in one section to help shore it up.

As lovely as the foliage was (the reason I stopped in the first place), it was the combination of fence and burning bush which made this scene interesting. They appeared to be locked in a struggle. Which would prevail?

I call the image "Tug of War."

Just passing through. Just a fence. Just some shrubs. But at that time and in that light, the scene was extraordinary.

I went into Acadia that day with a plan, but the conditions didn't accommodate it. The landscapes I'd hoped to make would have to wait. Yet I ended up having a great shoot.

We are surrounded by opportunities. Sometimes they're unexpected. They might be very close to home. Even when the conditions don't allow you to make the image you had in mind, there may be another photograph waiting to be made. Keep your eyes - and your mind - open.