Last night there was a full lunar eclipse and I was keen to photograph it. I spent quite a bit of time scouring the internet for information on the best camera settings to use and working out what time I should be up to capture the full process. The night before, I did a dry run trying practice shots on various settings.
The evening came and I was well prepared. I had a chart of camera settings for each phase of the eclipse; my camera was on the tripod; and my alarm was set, allowing plenty of time to get up, grab a torch and a jacket and drive to the top of a nearby hill away from the distraction of streetlights.
Everything was ready, except for the weather! All day it had been cloudy, but I convinced myself that the clouds would blow away or that the moon would rise above them. I was wrong. I got a single shot of a moon-looking shape with a slight ring around it vaguely showing through the cloud and then the moon moved behind even thicker cloud and all I got was blackness.
What a let-down. Naturally enough I was disappointed, but putting it into the context of a lifetime, how important was it really? Yes, it was a missed opportunity. Yes, I was a bit tired and grumpy this morning. Yes, it would have been great to experiment further with my photography. On the other hand, I’ll get another chance in 2014 and I’ll have more time to learn the intricacies of how my new camera works and how the settings interact with each other by then, and I may achieve a better result with the extra practice.
This was a good lesson in resilience for me. Sometimes, no matter how well-intentioned, well-informed and well-prepared we are, things still go wrong. We face unexpected setbacks or what we try just doesn’t work out. It’s natural to feel bad about this, but if we look at the bigger picture we are able to put it into perspective and deal with those feelings.
What are the best ways you know to overcome disappointment?
How do you build your resilience?
