We are flooded with imagery, both moving and still. But the just-so photograph is much more elusive. I read that performance equals motivation, ability, preparation and "other factors." I used to write this on the board for my writing students. Now I ponder how it applies to my photography.

This photograph of my kid and my old sled is meaningful perhaps only to me. Who would want to hang this photograph of my youngest son on his or her wall?

This shot is all about performance. The snow performed. I performed as the photographer. My fussy Diana toy camera performed. The film and the lab performed. And there's a sweet spot in the center of the image. My son performed, too. He has never enjoyed having his picture taken. At this moment, he was still young enough to pose for me without attitude.

An 8x10 sits on my bureau. I love this shot not because everything came together properly, but because I do not have more like it. I'm greedy. C.S. Lewis wrote, "The most intense joy in life is not in the having, but in the desire." I can't agree. I blame those damned other factors.