Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Projects and possibilities

As many of you who have followed this blog for awhile might realize, I love to take pictures. I am an enthusiastic picture-taker who knows little about photography, aware that point-and-shoot cameras and iPhoto's ability to enhance pictures where I've made little mistakes can allow me to elicit some ooohs and aaahs with pictures like the one above.

But the time is coming when I want to know how to take REAL pictures. I've been inspired by many of the bloggers I follow, but none quite so much as Hilary on The Smitten Image. Sometimes I will fall into one of her pictures in appreciation of an emotion her pictures elicit in me. So I sent her an email and asked for advice, what kind of camera does she use, etc., etc. She sent me a very detailed and explicit response, with the admonition to explore the possibilities of the camera I own at the moment. Fortunately for me, Hilary believes that Canon PowerShot cameras are the way to go (unless I want to get really fancy and go to a digital SLR), which just happens to be the camera I own right now!

I bought a camera with a 10X optical zoom so I could take some bird pictures, which I have done. It's a Canon PowerShot SX110IS and I have occasionally taken it off the "auto" feature to explore some of the things it can do, but I almost always drift back to the auto button because I really don't know what the difference is between the aperture and shutter speed. Why should I bother if I can fix the little mistakes after the fact? Well, the reason I'd like to take on this project is to be able to create a mood and evoke an emotional response in the viewer, much like Hilary's pictures do for me. It's my latest project and I suspect I can become a passionate photographer without spending a dime!

Yesterday, Memorial Day, Smart Guy and I took a nice walk around Lake Padden, one of the excellent local parks in the area. In fact, just last week that is where the Senior Trailblazers went, and I snapped pictures with enthusiasm, as usual. Check them out here. The picture above was taken yesterday, brought home and cropped to show the lovely whorl of the unfurling fern. There is a 2.6-mile gentle trail around the lake, with benches placed in strategic spots for R&R. I saw this bench and noticed something had been placed on the platform.
Upon closer inspection, I realized that someone had brought a bouquet on this day to remember a young man who died in 2003, in his early thirties. It made me think of my son Chris, who died just a year earlier at the age of forty, and it seemed very fitting that I would see it on Memorial Day. The family of this young man has placed a bench at Lake Padden with a plaque for those, like me, to ponder his life.

The day was cloudy in the morning with a little rain, but by the time we were getting in the car to return home, the sun was beginning to break through and lift my spirits. And then I saw a mother and her brood out having breakfast, pointing me toward realizing the perfection of life's continuing bounty.
:-)

25 comments:

  1. Ah ha, I'm the first for once. Usually I'm the last (LOL).
    Good luck with your new project D-Jan. I always enjoy seeing your photos.
    I was told by someone I respect that photography is all about light. I think it is also about composition.

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  2. Linda Reeder takes beautiful photos. You should ask her about the camera she uses.

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  3. hilary is a fav photo artist of mine as well...nice framing on the bench memorial shot...best wishes djan!

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  4. No wonder you enjoy taking pictures, you do it very well. They are lovely. My son passed at age 26, still miss him very much..Hugs

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  5. Your photos always put a smile on my face, such beauty !
    Best of luck with your new project, it's all so exciting.
    I love this unfurling fern shot....a new beginning, right before my very eyes.
    Hugs,
    ~Jo

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  6. It helps to have ones gaze directed by nature.

    I too simply point and shoot, I wish I could do better but that'll probably come with practice. I am already better at composing a picture and discard a lot of rubbish right away.

    Digital aids are a great boon to novices like me.

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  7. "Life's continuing bounty." It's quite wonderful, isn't it/ I just have a little Canon Power Shot A590. Just a little point and shoot, but I do occasionally put it on manual and dink around with it to try to get better pictures. I hope to someday get something fancier, but I can't stand to read instructions. I owned this one for two years before I actually got out the booklet and tried to learn something. I get lucky sometimes and it all works well, but often I feel like it's just a matter of liking what I see and shooting. Composing is the most fun for me.

    I think it's really cool that you came across that bench on Memorial Day.

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  8. Oh DJan...you do it for me with your photographs...you and Mari...I will have to go back to Smitten Image...have not visited her in awhile...

    Since you have an Apple, did you know for $99 you can take a years worth of weekly one on one hour with a Specialist? You can spend the entire hour on Aperature and how your camera works and how to take the best pics with the best settings...

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  9. I've missed you. Your photos are beautiful. I've got a Canon...and I think it's not the camera but the person taking the photo...composition I suppose. You've got that!

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  10. You say you are not a photographer? You had me fooled. Love your shots, today as always. The new growth on that fern was spectacular. Thanks.

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  11. I love the shot with the bench and the memorial. You've got a good eye!

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  12. I see what you mean about Hilary's photography!
    When things settle down I hope to get back to studying my Nikon SLR more, but for now, most of what you see on my blog is taken by my Canon Powershot, the same one you have. And good cropping is often the secret to a good photo. Have fun. I have to force myself to turn off my "camera eye' now and then and just look at things.

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  13. Having passions in life is what it's all about! I have so many interests and not nearly enough time in which to pursue them all. Photography is another one I enjoy and intend to learn more about as well. Since I got my new camera I've been refreshing my memory on all the knowledge I once possessed. Keep us posted on how this is going for you; I'd really love to be taken along on this particular journey.

    I agree that it was appropriate to find that particular bench yesterday. When we're receptive the universe has plenty of messages to send our way.

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  14. Oh DJan, you are such a gem! Thank you for such kind words.

    I'm glad you're exploring your camera's features. It's a beauty of a machine and will teach you what you want to know about how to acheive the best photos.

    You already have such a wonderful eye, and do beautifully on auto. You'll be phenominal in manual mode.

    I love the fern (did you use the super macro feature?). and the memorial scenes are just so touching.

    Thanks for the kind mention, my friend.. and thank you also to Linda Reeder for letting me know. :)

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  15. I'm a point and shooter too and I just bought the Canon SX30IS. I still don't know how exactly to really make use of it. I'll have to do some fast learning when I take it to Yellowstone. Wish me luck!

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  16. Enjoy your new project DJan. I think Hilary gave you good advise about exploring your current camera's possibilities first. Remember the camera is just a tool, the creativity comes from the person holding it.

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  17. I really like the idea of learning to shoot pictures with a camera that might already have. We have two - and I am just learning to use all the features. I like the ones you took for this post. I also love Hilary's site - she is an amazing photographer.

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  18. My wife is ready for a good camera, she inherited a digital from her daughter. Nancy is proficient with a SLR, she used to develop her own film way back when.

    This last trip she decided to stop using her film camera and is looking for a good digital SLR. The film she had developed cost a bunch of money and didn't come out all that well. Film is going the route of the Buggy Whip, I guess.

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  19. Very nice post. I also enjoyed your comment on my blog.

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  20. LOVE your new project. It seems to me that you've got the photographer's eye already!

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  21. I love the fern shot, and look forward to seeing the fruits of your new focus (good pun, huh?!).

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  22. Your perspective of things is one I always love to read about. I will really look forward to seeing the photos you will take.

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  23. You will improve with practice! I have almost that same camera..I rarely step out of my auto comfort zone..I just need to play around more with the camera! I am looking at the 12MP Cannon..I need to upgrade. I have had the same camera for over two years now. I am afraid one of these days it will go kaput and I would hate to be without one..that and I like that Cannon uses mainly the small batteries instead of a battery pack. I can switch them out pretty fast..and I use rechargables. Good luck with your project..many things can be learned on the net and in trial and error:)

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  24. Great advice, to explore the art and heart of photography using a familiar camera. Some of my most evocative photos came from using the manual settings on my old film camera. I'm studying the manuals of my two Canon PowerShots trying to figure out how those features work...and one day I'll get the hang of it. Meanwhile I keep using auto settings to capture birds (zoom lens camera) and grandkids (purse size camera). Photography is a great art form, and you already have a good eye, so you'll really have fun with your new venture.

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  25. The PowerShots ARE really good cameras! The first digital I bought was a PowerShot A90 (I think), a point and shoot to supplement my regular film camera. Why was I buying a basic point and shoot when I had this great Minolta reflex with an extra zoom lens? Because film (and processing) was starting to get expensive and I was off to the Antarctic for 2 months... The photos I took with my Minolta are much better quality than the Cannon (only 4 megapixels and 3x zoom), but those are still wonderful shots! I was in love with my little camera until it finally died on me a few years ago...

    HAVE FUN with the photography project DJan!!! And be careful, it can be addictive!!! ;o)

    and btw, gorgeous photo of the unferling fern!!!

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