THE PROMPT

Re-springing Your Step

Tell us about the last experience you had that left you feeling fresh, energized, and rejuvenated. What was it that had such a positive effect on you?

Photography

Photography is one of the things that energizes me.  I can be having a bad, sad or difficult day; but when I start looking through my camera lens things just look different.  I can lose myself for hours taking photos of what many consider the mundane.  When I finish a photo session I tend to feel more positive and upbeat.

Photography has always been one of my greatest joys. I’ve enjoyed taking photos since I was a child. I spent much of my childhood with my grandparents. They began their life together during the last years of the depression; so, handing a camera over to a chid wasn’t something my grandmother could understand. I begged everyone to let me use their camera — “please just let me take one or two shots”. I was 10 or 11 before I got my own camera and I’ve been taking photos ever since.

For years I would tell everyone: I often get some good shots; but to be truthful — I’m a lucky photographer. I’m lucky to be able to travel to some beautiful locations. I’m lucky to have gorgeous grandsons. I’m lucky to have a somewhat creative eye. I’m lucky to have a patient husband who will drive out of his way to let me get a good photo or two. In order to take advantage of that luck; I literally take thousands of pictures. Once in a two-hour period with my grandsons; I took over 400 photos. That included travel time since we went to four different locations.

I decided several years ago that I needed to step it up and learn how to actually take pictures correctly without depending on “luck”.   I took several online photography classes and it slowly started to make sense. Those that know me know that classes usually come to me easily. I study a little and I learn. I found that photography wasn’t exactly that way. For months after I started learning how to use the manual mode on my Canon Rebel; I was still second guessing everything I did. It took a lot of practice to get to the point where I felt comfortable using manual mode.  I think part of the problem was that I was striving for that perfect shot.  I’ve since learned that it takes lots of shots to get that perfect photo and lots of practice to feel comfortable behind the lens.  Even so, photography continues as one of my favorite adventures.  

Last year I took an iPhone photography class.  It was an enjoyable experience and now I can take good photos even if I don’t have my camera with me.

You can check out some of my recent photos here.