Category Archives: environment

Apples, Autumn, and Angles

art, Challenges, environment, inspiration, nature, photography, writing, , , , , , ,

My photography group assignment for September was “Composition.” We were told to photograph a small object in at least 10 different ways, experimenting with angle, distance, etc., and then to choose the 2 to 4 we liked best, which would be presented to the group and critiqued at our next meeting.

We could define “small” in any way we wished. We had to keep the object in a consistent environment, but we could alter its appearance by doing things like spraying it with water, immersing it in water, or cutting it in half. I’m sure that last suggestion applied only to inanimate objects!

Aside from trying to decide how I’d alter the poor object, the hard part for me (and for many of the rest of us, I’ve heard) was settling on a subject to photograph. I wanted to choose something interesting or unique. But then it dawned on me that I was in the group to learn, not to try and impress anyone. And the best way for me to learn composition, I figured, was to keep it simple. I chose an apple as my model.

After selecting the prettiest apple in my fruit bin, I hauled out my camera, two lenses, a tripod, a shiny background, a scarf, a lamp, and a flashlight. I piled everything on my bed and proceeded to set up various scenes using the apple as the star of my production.

I set the apple on a white board. I placed a black box behind it. I nestled it in a colorful scarf. I experimented with various shutter speeds and apertures. I waved the scarf behind it. I sprayed the apple with water and coated it in olive oil. I spent at least 4 hours taking photos of the damned apple.

Then I spent another hour or so editing my photos. But after all of that, I was unsatisfied. I felt like I hadn’t done a very good job on the assignment, and I was embarrassed to show my photos to the group. Even worse, I hadn’t learned anything about composition.

Then yesterday I went for a walk, and what did I see? Hundreds of small, rain-splashed autumn leaves glittering in the sun. Some had landed on top of a sewer cover. There was a strange beauty in all of that. Unfortunately, all I had with me was my iPhone, and there was someone walking behind me. Nervous about stopping, squatting down, and taking pictures with someone watching, I kept walking.

But after they passed me, I turned around. Sure, traffic was zooming by, and I’d be noticed by everyone in their cars as I crouched down, held that position for far too long, and then struggled to get up again (that did happen!), but so what? If a good picture is worth 1,000 words, it’s also worth a little embarrassment and creaky knees. I got to work.

After about 5 minutes, I had 30 pictures of leaves! And my knees survived! I couldn’t wait to get home and edit the pictures. I hadn’t used any fancy equipment. I didn’t have special lighting or backgrounds to play with. But instead, I decided to do what our mentor had said … notice something, stop, walk around it, and take pictures from different angles.

What do you think of the results? Which photos do you like best?

Did I learn something? Yes. I learned that beautiful objects can be found anywhere, even at the most unexpected times and in the most unexpected places … and that it pays to consider all the “angles.”

Capturing Summer

environment, inspiration, nature, photography, writing, , ,

It’s the last day of August – but even without looking at the calendar I already know that summer’s end is fast approaching. The days are shorter, the nights cooler, and hundreds of sad, brown leaves have suddenly appeared on lawns and sidewalks in my neighborhood. I try not to notice them, but they lay there, taunting me. Some even have the audacity to crunch.

My sandals must be feeling neglected. Cool, damp mornings have sent me scrambling for my socks and sneakers – which is probably a good thing, since my summer pedicure (raspberry red polish this year) has seen better days.

My grandsons have gotten their back-to-school haircuts, too: another sure sign that the lazy, hazy, long-haired days of summer are over. You can see the boys’ smiling end-of-summer faces and new haircuts on my Photos page.

I used to dread this time of year, partly because I worked for a school district and had summers off, but mainly because I love summer and hate to see it come to an end. As someone with a June birthday, I like to imagine that my first impression of the world was a sunny and glorious one, filled with birds singing, kids splashing, and tons of ice cream. Yes, my love affair with June, July, and August goes way back.

But this year, rather than getting downhearted about the changing seasons, I’m trying to focus on the positive. I DID have a good summer. A pretty great one, in fact. The weather was good, especially for cloudy Rochester. I gardened. I walked. I mowed my lawn. I wrote and sang and played and took pictures. I visited family and friends. Family and friends visited me. And if all of that isn’t great, I don’t know what is.

Yes, the world is a mess right now. Some days I wonder how I can find joy in my surroundings when there are so many terrible things happening, but then I somehow manage to separate out the good from the bad. Getting outside in summer helps me with that. I go out and drink in the sunshine, and breathe in the warm air. I look around at all the living, thriving things, like trees, flowers, animals. I try and capture light and hold on to it for as long as I can.

Here is some light that I captured this summer, little moments that I enjoyed while being out and about with my camera. I’ll probably look at them again through the winter. I think that will be a little bit like sitting outside with the sun on my shoulders.

For more pictures of my summer (with captions so you’ll know what you’re looking at), visit my Photos page.

How was YOUR summer?

Brant Lake, Adirondacks, New York. I’ve always wanted to own a cabin there. I think I’ll have to settle for just driving around the lake and taking pictures.

Hopkins Sunflower Farm, Pittsford, New York.

Cardinal (male), Wild Wings walking trail, Honeoye Falls, New York. Wild Wings is a not-for-profit educational group that cares for permanently injured birds and has walking trails surrounding its facilities.

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