This morning I noticed a group of northern shoveler ducks in the pond behind our house. They circle round and round with their big bills half submerged in the water eating small creatures that live in the water. I know that they are just
Passing Through
this area on their migration south so I took the time today to watch them for quite awhile simply because they were here. Unfortunately I waited to go out with my camera until mid-afternoon and the sunlight on the pond was challenging. But for those of you who haven’t seen this duck before, here it is.
The lovely string of days with warm (for the season) November weather this fall has been such a gift. It stands in sharp contrast to last year when it felt like the cold and snow began early and lasted into April.
There is no moment too small in the world. Nothing should be lost. Everything has a purpose, and everything is in need of care. This is my creed. Let us embrace it. We can watch it rise. Just like that, at any time—all the time—wealth and grace will soar.”
― Finding the Mother Tree: Discovering the Wisdom of the Forest
Challenging Myself to Learn Something New
I set my camera on manual to make these photographs because I wanted to control the shutter speed to be able to photograph these fast moving ducks. And also because I’m working on learning how my new camera differs from my old one. It’s so easy to select a mode that you like (for me it’s aperture priority) and not become skilled at using other modes and features of your camera.
This week in the Making Photographs class that I’m teaching I gave the class participants an assignment to use a camera mode that they don’t usually use. I figured that if I expected them to do the assignment I’d better do it too. Ha! It turns out that I have been working within my comfort zone in my photography and not venturing out to learn new things. I found out that I need to read my camera manual and spend more time playing around with the controls. There is a lot that I can learn about this new camera and not everything is the same as it was with my previous camera.
Mother Tree
A member of the art group I belong to told us about a magnificent old oak tree along Lyndale Avenue in Minneapolis. I managed to take some time this morning to photograph it in all its glory. Because I wasn’t feeling 100%, my husband drove me to and from the location of the tree so that I could use my energy on making photographs without becoming overtired. I am so grateful that he is willing to chauffeur me so often when I’m not feeling well.
This Mother Tree was the central hub that the saplings and seedlings nested around, with threads of different fungal species, of different colors and weights, linking them, layer upon layer, in a strong, complex web.
― Finding the Mother Tree: Discovering the Wisdom of the Forest
Have a beautiful weekend friends.
May you walk in beauty.
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