I love taking photos of little-noticed, ordinary-but-beautiful subjects, like these daisies working their way up through the asphalt on the side of the road.

It was a rainy evening, and I was out with the Atlanta Urban Photo Walkers (AUPW). We were doing a zombie shoot - yep - zombies. We are in Atlanta, after all.

Despite the gray and drizzly weather, there were smiles all around as we stood on the bridge overlooking the railroad tracks in Castleberry Hill. In fact, the weather was a nice touch. It was just after Halloween. Lauren, the intrepid organizer of the AUPW, had scoped out the perfect location. A few of us spent a couple of hours making up the models.

The models were great sports that day, getting down and dirty on the sidewalk, in the street, and even in the gutter. Ick - would you want to put your hair in there? About 50 people showed up to shoot, which can make it challenging to get the shot you want, but also makes for a lot of fun as cards, names, IG handles, and handshakes are exchanged.

It's also great to get that many creatives together, because inevitably someone has an idea that adds a little spark, sometimes quite literally.

One of the guys brought steel wool and some matches, so we had a mini fireworks show around the zombies toward the end of the shoot. I'd been so caught up in the makeup, driving and getting the models to the shoot on time that I left my tripod in the trunk of my car, which wasn't close to where we were shooting.

Alas, I had to make due with handheld and high ISO, but I was pleased with the group shot that showcased some sparkle. Disclosure - the guy holding the flaming steel wool was quite visible, so I Photoshopped him out.

While the majority had their tripods out and were gathered round the zombies, I wandered off to one side and spotted the little daisies growing out of the gutter. It fit my vision of beauty-in-the-ordinary perfectly, so even though the situation was not ideal, I had to capture it.

If I see something and it grabs my attention, even remotely, I have to shoot it; otherwise, I get this terrible feeling that I missed something important. I hate not taking the shot and being sorry later. Always take the shot.

Anyway - I saw these little daisies and all I could think about was how defiantly they had grown there, on the side of the road by the curb, pushing their way through the asphalt.

The persistence of life is strong.

A little plant will come up against all odds in the most difficult of places. The life force is such a wonderful juxtaposition of fragile, yet sturdy. The daisies reminded me to keep pushing toward my goals and dreams no matter how fragile or tired or discouraged I may sometimes feel. When I came across the picture today, it was a good reminder. Never give up.