Sometimes great opportunities for creating a photo are easy to come by.  You are at an event.  You have an idea.  A beautiful place you wanted to represent in a photo.  A moment you wanted to document.  An interesting pattern, expression, coincidence on a street … whatever your genre.

Sometimes you struggle.  You are looking for something and it’s just not there. It’s at moments like this you have to let the chance create an opportunity for you.

It’s Saturday morning, and I’m struggling to find material for my project.  I’m driving at 7:30 in the morning, while the light is decent.  I have some ideas.  But mostly … I’m hoping it will come to me.What I see next changes my plans for the morning, and leads to something, that leads to something else.  I see a group of hot rods parked at a fast food joint.  I take a chance. Drive over.  Take some pictures.  Especially of an original Ford pickup truck.  Original, thick paint … pealing.  Character.  After a conversation with the owners I find out there is a car show.  Something called “Cars and Caffeine” at the Club Auto Sport in North San Jose.

I love car shows.  I love classic cars.  There is so much energy at these events from people who have brought their prized and cared for possession to share with everybody else.   They are so proud.  The way it looks.  The way it drives.  How old it is.  How rare it is.  Photographing car shows is a blast!

On the way back home a bonus … also car related.  What a chance.  At a restaurant, whos sign I’ve wanted to photograph for many years, a classic custom chop top 50′s Mercury in brilliant condition is parked.  Owner is enjoying breakfast.  Meanwhile I am enjoying taking pictures of now perfectly framed restaurant sign.  I should print this and give to the restaurant.

Google+ has celebrated a one year anniversary at the end of June.  Since it has become a major hub for photographers all over the world to interact, the folks at Google decided to organized a world wide photowalk.  About 100 photowalks took place all over the world.

Two of these took place in the bay area.  One of them I was lucky enough to make.

5:30 … AM, San Francisco, Industrial side of the city formerly occupied by naval shipyards. Sounds exciting?  It was!!!  Not to mention how much fun it was meeting new friends.

Somewhere through the social grapevine I’ve learned about the Google+ Photographers conference.

Two days, reasonable price, a photowalk included. What’s a photowalk?  I’ve signed up.

The result was truly amazing.  I’ve met with many photographers, listened to opinions on how to do things, and spent hours on shop talk.  Turns out Google+ has a huge community of photographers, a community in which I now participate.  See “social” tab.

Now … here’s are the results from the photowalk in Castro:

Here are the results from this year.  At least the picture part.