My second mountaineering trip was Unicorn Peak in the Tatoosh range, known for it's fantastic views of Rainier just to the north. The forecast was depressing and we were wrapped in fog all morning, and on the summit. The clouds thinned out in the afternoon, and the other peaks in the range were visible. For only a few moments, the clouds parted revealing Rainier's summit just beyond.

One could argue this was simply a case of being at the right place at the right time. I took this photo after owning an SLR for all of two weeks and barely 1000 shutter actuations. The camera was in full auto mode. Couldn't just anyone have taken this photo?

I would argue no.

If 'just anyone' were to get out of bed on a weekend for anything other than an afternoon of drinking, and decided to climb a mountain, albeit minor, and chose to stay the course with an inclement weather outlook, and carry 5 pounds of camera equipment, and risk hundreds of dollars of camera equipment out in the elements, then there's a possiblity that 'just anyone' could have been at the right place at the right time. On top of that, not just anyone can keep a positive attitude, trudging through wet snow with their head up, eyes open, and senses on to catch the momentary shot. Finally, there's the element of skill in framing the shot, cropping the image, perfecting the conversion to black and white, and touching up sensor dust.

With a year and a half of shooting behind me, i would have taken this shot differently. I'd've probably had a different lens on my body, and be in full manual mode. I'd probably have shot at a larger aperture with hyperfocal focusing. I would have underexposed half a stop, or used a 2-stop ND grad filter to hold back the highlights reflecting off Rainier, and darken the clouds to make them more ominous. I'd also have had a cleaner sensor and lens now that i know what i'm doing.

If i had the ideal version of this shot next to the real one, it would clealry be better- but until i end up in the right place at the right time again, the shot i took will easily stand for itself just fine.