1. Retweeting because I want to talk a little bit about photography, and how pix like these happen (cause I’m kind of amazed they exist.) And I know some of you are learning photographers ( which is all photographers, lol).

2. I had a plan to shoot, started around 7 am, letting my mind wander and looking for birds. For the first half hour, no luck. The birds were around but I wasn’t getting them.

3. A split second too slow, over and over. That’s frustrating in a way that little else is, for me. A voice says gd you missed it! A moment that will never happen again and you were too slow.

4. You have to bargain w that voice. No, it’s ok! I’ll get it, cmon, work with me. It’ll be great, we just need more patience, to open up more.

5. So an hour goes by and I have some ok pix. Me a month ago would have been thrilled. I walk home, brew second cup, and edit four for the morning.

6. And I’m just about to publish, when I hear the other photo voice. This one is always very faint. So faint it’s barely there. This one goes, hey, are you sure you’re done? Sure, sure?

7. And I don’t want to hear this one, because the last hour was hard! I got enough, I want to be finished. I don’t want to let the universe down again by not being good enough. Can’t I just stop?

8. And the voice goes, yeah, of course buddy. You’re the boss. You can stop, you know, as long as you’re sure... and you’re sure your done. Right?

9. And I ask myself, ok, am I sure? And of course, the answer is instantly no. No doubt, no. Get back to it.

10. So I begrudgingly pick up the camera again, and stand out in the street, and just open up. I grab a few robins, nothing great, and notice these two cardinals are chasing each other up and down the block. Like, 4 house lengths, back and forth.

11. I watch them do 5 laps, unbelievingly. Theyare just too fast, there is no way. I try manual focusing on one spot I know they’ll cross, but I’m still just an ape w a rangefinder, tech (camera and flesh) isn’t fast enough.

12. I start walking away. And then it happens. They clash and crash into a neighbors lawn. I’ve already set camera to manual focus. I dial in, this’ll never work, and make first frame. Then they pop straight up.

13. I make three exposure without thinking. Not sure what I even saw. It was the moment, everything aligned. They’re in two of them.

14. And I swear the little voice whispers, see? Now you’re done.

15. This is a long way to illustrate that making good art is an impossible thing. It shouldn’t happen. And the universe doesn’t pay back effort and investment with blessings of success. Art is not a transaction with the infinite.

16. Art, for me, is a conversation with the infinite. A talk. One where communication is possible, where communication is wonderful, if only I listen.