Spectator

Last night I went to a festival with two photographers. I didn’t have a camera, so I spent my night watching them taking pictures.
“Oh, this is going to be dreadfully dull,” I thought. I knew I’d be frustrated as I saw things to photograph but didn’t have an instrument to do it.
As it turned out, it was an engaging evening and I had plenty to occupy me. I studied their techniques and choice of subjects. I started to guess how each would approach the lanterns, the dancers, the food stalls, the lights. They rarely took the same shots. I compared theirs to what I would do with camera in hand.
I was an active spectator. I paid attention to what was going on around me and my assiduity paid back new perspectives on seeing the world through a lens.