Sometimes You Only Get One Shot

Texas Senate Chamber (Click to view on flickr)

Sometimes I don’t get quite the shot I wanted.  It may be due to the camera not being ready (see here), the equipment not being able to do what I had in mind for the location or situation (see here) or maybe because I noticed a fleeting moment too late to react.  [Reminds me of parenting.  Am I ready in advance to raise my children as best I can?  Am I equipping myself with what I need to the job right?  Am I attentive enough to react to those fleeting, teachable moments that I can’t plan for at all?]

Anyway…during my trip to the Capitol last week I entered the Senate chamber just as an officer was closing up.  I had permission for one shot (I didn’t mention that I was capturing 3 exposures).  This is what I chose based what lens I had on the camera and having no time to scout a shot.  I see all sorts of better placement and composition possibilities now, but I didn’t have the luxury of thoughtful pondering then.  I just took what I could get at the moment and ended up with this shot.  Someday I want to go back and get a composition where one of those beautiful, gleaming desktops fills the bottom third of frame.

Notice the funky shadows on the white walls around the room (especially noticeable on the crown just below the balcony).  They are part of the “real” scene but I don’t like them.  I spent some time trying to even them out with some masking but made more of mess with it.  Anyone have any tips for doing that easily?