Photography 101

I had a hard time wrapping my head around the collegiate process this summer and decided to feed my inner creative genius instead (hah!). When a friend asked me to take a photography class with her at a local art studio I thought, yes, this is my way in! I'll get back in the mode of attending a class regularly while I learn more about something I truly enjoy.

During my newspaper reporter days many many moons ago, we were frequently responsible for taking our own photos to accompany our stories. This was back before the advent of digital photography and even before color photos were de rigueur in most newspapers. We would shoot whole rolls of film of people and events and then, upon developing, discover that we had maybe one or two pictures that would actually help tell the story and print well. I never considered myself to be a "good" photographer; perhaps, "adequate for the task at hand" is more appropriate. Occasionally I would luck upon a Really! Amazing! Photo! and this would excite me enough to believe I was a good photographer... until the next roll of film was developed and found to contain the usual not-so-great.

My husband actually studied photography and has an awesome, hidden portfolio of beautiful work. He would occasionally offer tidbits of knowledge to attempt to help me improve but it was usually easier to simply drag him along with me and point out the things I needed him to photograph. This early habit has evolved over the years of photographing our kids and their lives along the way. This also leads to lots of irritation on my part when I can envision a certain shot but can't communicate to him exactly what I want.  "Honey, get a shot of Kennedy skating. No, not there, over there... no, I want her mid-spin, not mid-jump... no, I want to see her skates, not just a blur..." and on and on and on.

So for the past six weeks I've made my way to Crealde Art Studio in Winter Park to learn how to use the expensive digital camera we bought two years ago and to remind myself of the joy in doing it myself. And to experiment with photography for art's sake.

The first thing I've learned is that I still excel in finding ways to be late to class. Fortunately, this is the kind of arena where you don't get marked off for being tardy. I'll have to rein that in when I go back to school "for reals."

Another wake-up call was made when I tried to carve out the time to do my "homework." I can tell that when I take more challenging coursework that I'll have to find a better system to be more organized about this process. We have an entire week between classes and yet I still find myself running out the day before class to find something to photograph and complete my assignment. It makes it hard to yell at my kids about procrastination when I'm downloading my shots at midnight the night before class.

On the more exciting side, I think I'm discovering a tiny little creative niche for myself through photography. Ansel Adams I am not. But I've included a few of my favorite photos for you to see how I'm spending my time. Maybe one of them will spark a creative moment for you!

Hugs & God Bless,
Beverly