Birthdays and snow

Life is so good!  I had a fabulous birthday and a wonderful surprise of beautiful flowers from Charisse's mom!   AND, our first good snow of the winter!    James and I did venture out to Chalco lake to take some pictures but the park ranger ran us out!  Oh well, we snapped a few and are now hunkered down inside to stay snuggly and cozy the rest of the weekend.  Who thought turning 46 would be so good!

Blackberries and bird nests

"It is in close-up photography that we can, if only for a moment, be a part of something that most people have otherwise not noticed.  We see so much potential, so many intimate encounters, in a world that most people are too busy to notice or simply never thought was worth the look".  ~ Bryan Peterson, photographer

More Creativity

Trying to be artsy

Trying to be creative . . . 

 

A lazy Sunday

Few things in life are as comfortable as a lazy Sunday.  Having woke up to a grey January day and no agenda, I spent the day playing with my new lens and napping on the couch.  Life is good!

(Be sure to check out Photos 5)

More life lessons from photography

We went to Lake Red Rock over the weekend to see and photograph the bald eagles that congregate there this time of year.  It's an amazing site. They aren't exceptionally beautiful birds, but they are majestic in their own way.  To see one soaring overhead, or dipping down to the water to scoop up a fish with their great talons holds me in awe. Their wing span is so broad and beautifully obvious when seen flying amongst other birds.  If you've never seen one of these birds in person, I suggest you put it on your bucket list.

I took roughly 100 eagle pictures in a 2-3 hour time span.  Of those, maybe a dozen are decent (thank goodness for digital photography!). When I first downloaded the pictures though, I was incredibly disappointed.  So disappointed that I got really cranky because they didn't turn out the way I thought they should have.  After an hour or so of griping, raising my voice, slamming things around, etc, James looked at me and said, "but you had a good time didn't you?"  Of course I had a good time, it was awesome! So then why was I letting the less-than-desired quality of the photos steal that from me?  I was too consumed by the outcome.

Why? This time, I wanted to be a photographer.   I had fun physically taking the pictures, and thinking about the mechanics of the camera, but I now realize that I didn't take time to watch and experience the birds with my own eyes.  I wasn't there - I was behind the lens trying to capture the perfect picture. When all along, the perfect picture was right in front of me. I wonder what I missed while I was searching for the bird in the sky through the viewfinder.  What did I miss when my eyes and my brain were concentrating on camera settings? They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but that picture is a material item that can be taken away from you.  A memory, an experience, is yours forever.  I find this ironic as two of my previous blog entries have been entitled "Photography as a Life Coach" and "On Being Present".  Perhaps I should heed my own advice.

So the next time I'm out practicing my new hobby, I'm going to remind myself that it is just a hobby.  What is my photography goal? To find beauty in everyday things. Sometimes, that may mean getting a great picture.  Other times it may mean finding the beauty and just experiencing it, without taking a picture.  I still found it right? Other photography goals include nurturing creativity and using my brain to learn something new.  Sure, I hope to get some great photos in the process but not at the expense of missing the moment and being grumpy afterward.  Sometimes, the picture itself may not be what's really important.

As you will see in the Photos 4 tab, I did see lots of beauty this weekend and even captured some of it to share!

Reflections of Christmas