A photograph is above all an image hunter looking for subjects to feed his art. A good intuition and a sense of observation, completed with curiosity, are the strengths that a good image hunter should have.
Sometimes you visit a city, but the most interesting is not the monuments and landmarks you will easily find by following a touristic map. The most interesting is what you will find unexpectedly at the corner of the street, inside a building or out of nowhere. An event, a situation, a scene, a person or a group of people, a special light…. This is what makes worth the long walks in the streets.
Recently, I was in France in Loire-Atlantique. I had my camera with me and the weather was beautiful.
I just drove, aiming for the village of Guérande.
I was driving slowly following the road by intuition and, on the way, many scenes caught my eye.
Fishing cabins seen between two houses.
A polo training session as I was driving in the country side, 
and the salt marsches that Guérande is so famous for.
My trophies of the day in the box, I went back fulfilled with satisfaction.
Another time not so far away, I was visiting the city of San Sebastian. But I decided not to take my camera with me thinking that I knew the place.
My host knew the streets inside out and brought me to places I have never been before. I saw this city under a different light and many unusual situations were asking to be immortalized (a water polo game in the sea, a basque pelota competition in the middle of the old town, children trying to fish,…).
Although I really enjoy my stay there, I was feeling the frustration created by all these missed opportunities that you will not meet twice.
Places always have more to offer that what you have already witnesses in the past. They are complex with many facets; a different season, a different atmosphere, a different time of the day, a different angle or simply a different mood. You could take the picture of the same place at ten different occasions and they will all look different.
Daily, some of us commute by car, using the same route. One day, make the experience and try to cycle or walk on that same route and observe. You will discover many features that you had never noticed before. Surprises can also sit around the corner of where we live.
Often, the best opportunities come when they are the least expected. So a photograph should always be prepared to catch these moments.
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