You Had to Be There
This photo works with one phrase: “You had to be there.”
Why?
One word: atmosphere.
I look for it in a lot of my photos. Because it builds tension. And tension matters.
In writing, tension is what makes a story move. It’s the engine room.
In photography, it’s the same. Tension makes people stop.
Makes them say: “Hang on… what’s going on here?”
This shot? Grass. Water. Big sky.
But look again — at the layers.
Short grass. Long grass.
Water. Trees. Cloud.
Stacked like theatre flats.
I moved around to get the shape right. Waited for the light to shift.
So when you look at it, you’re not just seeing the scene.
You’re seeing what I saw. But one thing I can’t show you?
The rest of it.
The smell of wetland.
The hiss of wind through the reeds.
And the ducks shouting at each other.
That part?
You had to be there.