Point of view: The fruits of patience

As a photojournalist, I spend countless hours waiting. Waiting for a presidential candidate to show. Waiting for a flicker of intensity to cross the eyes of a portrait subject. Waiting for a flag atop a building to flutter. Waiting for a shard of light to strike just so.

Sometimes while waiting I must keep my camera glued to my face, so as not to miss an elusive subject. Other times, I am tied to a location, but can move about before the action begins.

This was the case the other day. My assignment was to photograph a passenger ferry. I shot as one left the pier, and then had a half hour before the next one. Making the most of the brilliant morning, I took pictures of sun sparkles on the sea, a plane overhead, and wharf pilings reflecting in the waves. But it was these strands of seaweed growing off the dock that made that morning's wait a fruitful pleasure.