The Perfect Photo
I was trying to get the perfect picture of a great white shark breaching off the coast of Southern Africa. It took longer than expected to acquire a boat to suit my needs and set out into the sea. I thought I would be able to simply travel to South Africa, buy the boat I needed and quickly find a crew, however time doesn't always seem to work the way you want it to.
Once I was finally out on the ocean, I set up the camera first. I then went to set out the foam and rubber seal as bait. We threw out the fish blood, and then waited. We waited for what seemed like an eternity, yet an eternity was not enough time, because the sun still slipped farther and farther down the sky.
The ocean water seemed far too still without a beast breaking through the surface. The air was too salty, it reminded me of what creatures were lurking below my boat, refusing to be photographed. I couldn't eat because of the anxiety stirring in my stomach, thinking about the possibility of failure.
¨We'll have to go back to shore soon, it's getting late, there won't be any sun soon," one of my crewmates warned me.
¨Yes, I know." I said simply, considering my options.
I knew that if we kept waiting and a shark never came, then time would be wasted that I could have spent planning a second attempt at getting a photo, if that was even possible. But giving up would have been a failure in my eyes. I gave the sharks a little more time to get the chance to be the star of my photo.
¨Let's just wait a little while longer." I told my crew, hoping they would understand how desperate I was. Hoping that they too wanted to see one of the mightiest creatures in action.
Some nodded, others looked bored.
Anxiety continued to build in my chest, however, I tried my best to be patient.
My patience soon rewarded, because soon a great white did impress me, and I got the picture I was looking for.
It was so monstrous it was hard to believe that it was a normal creature. The sound of it crashing out of the ocean was astounding, and suddenly it was flying through the air. I felt my heart beat harshly against my chest, ecstatic over my luck. Its jaws were open wide, thinking it was reaching for a fatty seal, instead, a fraud. I's grey body glistened in the afternoon sunlight. It looked terribly vicious, yet graceful. I quickly clicked my camera, taking as many pictures as I could. The head of our fake seal hung out of the side if its mouth. The shark's fin flapped around for a moment, and then it went back home, under the waves, carrying the fake seal with it.
