It's been awhile since I walked around my block with a camera, just seeing what I could see. But this morning it was very pretty out -- no rain, just a heavy mist that made everything gleam. I didn't take a tripod, I didn't take my Canon gear, but instead grabbed the (red!) Panasonic Lumix G2 and a 45mm-200mm lens. Let me show you what I found and why I shot what I did . . .
My favorite photo is the first one. The woods were dark behind the chair, which made it really stand out. I liked the little horizontal lines on the left that contrasted nicely with the vertical elements on the back of the chair. Clean, simple, graphic.
The next two shots are of a weathered mailbox. I liked the aged texture and will probably use these photos in upcoming photomontages. Or not. We shall see.
There was a huge pile of tree trimmings along the street and I liked the silvery grey-green colors of the spruce branches, so moved in as closely as I could. Just up the street from the pile of branches I spotted moss growing on the bark of a tree. Again, the woods behind the tree were dark, enabling me to show the moss more clearly than if the background had been light and bright.
A couple of trucks featured colorful tail lights, so I filled my frame with color and abstract lines. And that's it! I won't show you the photo of the enormous slug I encountered, nor the pine trees with the telephone wires behind them, nor the out-of-focus metal number on a telephone pole, nor the giant black stink bug that moved way too fast for the shutter speed to stop his travels, but you get an idea of what I saw.
I did bring home a cluster of alder catkins and a pretty leaf to photograph with a macro lens for a project I'm working on, which will result in more sharply focused, more professional-looking images, but for now I'm happy with what I did get.
Next time? I'll bring a tripod, a close-focusing lens, clippers, and a bag to bring home extra treasures to shoot in a more controlled environment.
There's nothing better to help you notice little things than to take a walk around your block and see what you can find. I know, I know . . . your block is a boring block and there's nothing to shoot there. But if you meander about, looking with new eyes, a new attitude, I'm sure you'll find something that will surprise you.
©Carol Leigh, who specializes in seeing and who has a new online class coming up to encourage you to do just that -- to SEE.
