Sometimes the Journey Is the Reward

We were between locations, hours into yet another drive across the volcanic desert of southwestern Bolivia. The kind of place where the road is barely a suggestion, and the landscape shifts is just vast expanse without roads.

We weren’t chasing a shot.  It was supposed to be just the in-between to a shoot-worthy location.

But then, this happened.

A sudden break in the storm. A sliver of light, soft as a sigh, touching the ochre hills just long enough to reveal a hidden rainbow, like a secret meant only for those who take the long way.

I had already preset my camera (I do this whenever I get into a car, so that it’s ready at a moment’s notice).  GFX 50S II, GF 35-70mm, handheld at f/5.6, 1/250 sec, ISO 800. No filters, no tripod.

Moments like this remind me why I travel with a camera, even when the light seems hopeless or the day feels like a write-off. Because not every reward is planned.  Sometimes, the quiet, in-between moments are the ones that stay with you.

This frame is a reminder that beauty doesn’t just wait at the destination. Sometimes, it’s found on the side of the road, in a flash of color that vanishes just as quickly as it arrived.