The shot above is of Michelangelo's Statua del Redentore at Rome's Basilica Santa Maria sopra Minerva ("right place"). The mid-afternoon time in September placed the sun perfectly in the Southwest ("right time") and I set up to appear as if the light was shining on the Christ statue (another "right place"). I took a half-dozen shots and this one was cropped the best in the camera, using the "rule of thirds". As an aside, the shots I took in a vertical orientation didn't seem to look right, even though it showed the whole statue...sometimes less is more, which this horizontal orientation demonstrates. This shot could have been a little sharper (0.6s exposure) if I had been using a monopod or tripod (but some public places don't allow tripods, due to trip hazards), and I was traveling light at the time. If I don't have a tripod, I'll try to steady on a wall, column or table which helps immensely to reduce motion blur.
Another example of "right place, right time" photograph was taken on my way to an early morning Pacific deep-sea fishing trip back in 2002. Walking to the pier at dawn revealed some fantastic colors and reflections in the still waters of the San Diego's Shelter Island harbor. I took multiple shots, and only one turned out "great", the others were below average in composition and clarity. Lesson there: take LOTS of shots, remember digital "film" is free...
Have fun, and schedule yourself to be somewhere at the right place and the right time and make your own "good luck"...
Matt
