Do You Believe in SIGNS?

A true story about why you should never leave things to the last minute.

This is the kind of photo that I was hoping to capture

4:50pm.

Damn it!

I got caught up with work and completely lost track of time.

Now it’s the same bad news as it was 3 minutes ago, and even worse than 5 minutes before that.

Leaving right now means it will take me 75 minutes to get into the city via the tollway. Choosing to save a small fortune by taking the freeway will make the journey twice as long.

4:53pm.

I refresh Google Maps again.

Both options are now at least 11 minutes longer than before. There has now also been an accident near one of the tollway on-ramps which is causing additional delays.

4:57pm.

Google Maps has added another 9 minutes to my travel time. This isn’t good. Must be a serious accident. The dark red traffic snake is now almost black, and slowly creeping towards my current location.

5:00pm.

I need to decide right now.

Do I go into the city for some Friday night photography; or once again resign myself to staying at home, and regretting my decision later in the evening.

I chose to stay home last Friday and ended up kicking myself, as that evening’s sunset was spectacular. I don’t want to miss it two weeks in a row.

5:02pm.

Damn it, I’m going to risk it.

I rush into my office and get my camera bag, which had been leaning patiently against my desk all week.

I then proceed to shut down my computer, put on my new black walking shoes and a jacket, and grab the keys.

Bag over my shoulder, I leave the house, locking the front door behind me and beeping the trunk of my car with the remote.

I put the bag in the trunk, along with an extra pair of black gloves. There's already an umbrella in there.

It’s wet and windy, and the temperature has barely nudged above freezing all day. This is Melbourne after all.

I shut the trunk, get in the car, start the engine and drive off.

5:18pm.

So I've decided to take the tollway, and the drive is ... unexpectedly pleasant, with very little congestion and a clear run as far as the eye can see.

Has Google been playing tricks on me? How can this get worse? It’s so smooth and quiet right now. What’s more, there was absolutely no traffic at the on-ramp where the alleged accident was supposed to have happened.

5:35pm.

I am less than 15 kilometres away from the city. This is great!

At this rate, I should be there in about 10 minutes. Google Maps was wrong. There was no accident. There is no crazy Friday evening traffic. I’m making great time…

Crap.

6:00pm.

I am now 14 kilometres away from the city.

In the last 25 minutes the gridlock has crawled less than a kilometre.

I have now familiarised myself with every sticker on the back of the black car in front. The lady in the car behind me has reapplied her lipstick for the seventh time and is posing for another duckface selfie. Luckily the calming sounds of Metallica's Black album on the car stereo are keeping me sane.

6:30pm.

Duckface is now looking flustered. I don’t think she’s in the mood to take any more selfies. Maybe she just ran out of lipstick.

The black car in front has just changed lanes, leaving me stuck behind a truck with a precariously secured load of timber. I'm starting to get some serious Final Destination vibes.

6:48pm.

After what feels like an eternity, I finally reach my exit.

However, no sooner do I leave the tollway gridlock, that I find myself in the middle of a fresh kind of hell – Friday Night football traffic.

Melbourne is renowned for being Australia’s sporting capital; and while I love the awesome buzz whenever there’s a game on, the downside is that it doesn’t translate very well to actually getting into the city to experience said buzz.

7:08pm.

I have finally arrived at the Casino carpark. I don’t gamble, but their parking is still the cheapest option on a Friday night.

What would normally have been a forty-five minute drive has taken well over two hours.

Also, being the middle of June, it was already over an hour past sunset.

By now I have missed the best of the Golden Hour light. Hopefully I can still catch the last few minutes of Blue Hour before the sky loses all colour and definition.

I get out of the car, grab my backpack, and make my way out of the car park, and into Melbourne’s beautiful Southbank Promenade.

7:14pm.

Left, or right? I look around frantically, trying to decide which way to go.

I don’t really have a clear plan, as I don’t often venture into the city when it’s already this dark. Plus the drive has thrown me off a little.

I decide to go right. The city lights are beginning to come on, and it feels like there are more people milling around that side of the Promenade.

I walk past Evan Walker Bridge and Ponyfish Island. They’re both great photography spots, but I decide to keep walking and take my chances on Princes Bridge instead.

Yes, I have photographed from that location many times before, but something tells me that I may get lucky and see something a little different this evening.

7:18pm.

I rush up the long, stony staircase leading to the top of the bridge, and turn left.

The usual collection of tourists, football fans, and regular Melburnians are now making up the bulk of the pedestrian traffic on both sides of the bridge; while cars, taxis, trams, busses, and a horse-drawn carriage are filling up the middle. Another regular Friday Night in Melbourne, then.

I begin walking along the west side of the bridge, heading towards Flinders Street Station. When I reach the middle, I turn to my left to admire the awesome view down the Yarra River.

I’m in luck. There is still a faint glow of light on the horizon, and the cloudy sky has turned a very pretty shade of dark magenta and violet.

I stop for a moment to take in the scene.

Despite the cold, people are enjoying the nightlife offered by the countless restaurants, cafes, and nightclubs; while Melbourne’s river cruises are in full swing; with packed party boats creating an awesome dance atmosphere on the water.

A lone Gondola makes its way slowly down the Yarra, with a smartly dressed couple having drinks in the front, while the gondolier skilfully navigates his vessel between the traffic on the river.

Even though I have seen this dance many times, it doesn’t stop me from getting caught up in the moment again.

Then I remember why I’m here.

What am I waiting for?

I swing my bag around my left shoulder, unzip the side compartment and take out my camera.

Another stroke of luck! My favourite lens is already attached and ready to go.

I quickly remove the lens cap and stuff it into the bag.

I then flip the power switch and put my eye to the viewfinder to compose the shot.

Black.

I check the power switch again. Yup, it’s in the ON position.

I look at the front of the lens just in case, knowing full well that I have just removed the lens cap less than ten seconds ago.

The blackness continues to taunt me, just as the beautiful tones of the evening sky continue to rapidly fade into the dark night.

Cue gut-wrenching moment.

If I had only taken two minutes to check my camera bag before leaving the house instead of stressing about the traffic, I would have realised that all four of my camera's batteries were still sitting on their chargers in my office.

At least there’s always next Friday.

If you enjoyed this blog and feel that you got something out of it, please feel free to follow me on Twitter or Instagram; and also subscribe to my newsletter for more in-depth photography tips and tricks.

Happy shooting!