The wait

Recently NASA awarded as photo of the day an Italian shot which sees three figures lined up at the same time: the first is the Basilica of Superga a stone's throw from Turin, the second the Monviso which stands out among the Alps and the third the crescent moon rising shining a few km further back.
The shot is so magical that it immediately makes you think of a photomontage or a photo created by some artificial intelligence.
But that's not the case. I have been an aspiring photographer for a long time and I have always been fascinated by that concept that hides behind a photo: that is, not so much being in the right place at the right time, but the idea of being able to perceive that something will happen and, consequently, making sure you are there at that moment.
I truly believe that this is the best quality a photographer can have and that no technology can ever replace.
You can know all the secrets of photography and have stellar equipment, but without this quality you will have a hard time taking photos that don't need a caption.
This ingredient is called "wait", which is perhaps the most unfashionable word there is today.
I know it's deeply cheesy to say it, but I had to wait many years to see my children's faces, even though today it seems they can be bought on the market.
If the best things done in life have one thing in common, it is waiting.
And to be honest, how many stupid things you did without waiting even a moment.
How nice it would be if we could learn from Valerio Minato who had to wait 6 years for this shot.
The saving value of knowing how to wait!
Wait for the right time to say that thing.
Wait for the right time to do that thing.
As a child I once asked my grandfather: "I'm hungry, what time do we eat?" He replied: «No boy, you don't understand, you will be hungry when your grandmother says: “At the table!”».

NP January 2024
Andrea Gotico