Learning from Photography

I have always loved the outdoors and observing nature, but my personality is one that goes full speed 24/7 so slowing down in nature is difficult for me.  It is hard to observe nature going 70 mph!  So recently I have discovered that photography is a good way to slow me down.  I am not the only one who feels this way.  A friend of mine recently blogged about the same topic.  See her blog at   http://www.semissourian.com/blogs/davis/entry/47230/
She talks about photographing wildflowers in wild places.  Certainly, flowers are more stationary and an easier subject, so I have tried a little of that--see the white trillium, one of my first photos.

I discovered photography because of blogging.  It seems that all the good blogs have photos, so each time I blog, I try to take a picture to go with it.  Of course, with animals, it is a little harder, so I picked this slow to move box turtle to photograph.  While turtles can move quite fast, this one was not interested in leaving the decomposing mouse it was eating.  That allowed me time to experiment with getting closer and closer.  I must have taken 20 pictures hoping to get a good one.  That's another perk in today's digital world--seemingly unlimited capacity and ability to review the photos instantly.  I tried photographing this turtle from both sides and the front and back just to see which would provide the best photo in my opinion.  I chose this one because you can distinctly see the back foot, lines on the scutes, and coloration.  It was a bright day and the picture would have turned out better with less harsh light of dawn or dusk, but I took advantage of the opportunity when it--and the turtle--appeared.

I am not an expert in nature photography by any stretch of the imagination.  But I like how holding a camera in my hand can slow down the day and consequently provide awesome nature experiences.   I am still learning about getting close ups, lighting, composition and other aspects.  I know there is much more for me to learn and that is exciting too!

The ability to slow down and focus doesn't come naturally to a lot of kids I know either, so putting a camera in a child's hand is an easy way to build that internal focus that is needed to appreciate nature.  The old saying "Stop and smell the roses" is right on.  It certainly can provide an enjoyable experience, one in which you can learn about yourself (like I have) and about nature.