Yesterday I took a walk in the park that’s right next door and found
So much beauty!
I didn’t bring my camera with me on that walk, only my phone. And it was enough — no, more than enough.
I’ve begun making more photos with my phone than ever before (I got a newer model of iPhone this year). I’m amazed at the quality of the images. Though I love using my Canon R6 Mark II camera, I’m using my phone more and more to make photographs on short walks in the neighborhood and sometimes when I go out in the woods.
One thing I noticed about yesterday’s images was that more of them were vertical than horizontal. It’s a little easier for me holding the phone vertically than horizontally to make photos. And because I wasn’t really paying attention to how many vertical and how many horizontal images I was making, I defaulted to the easiest.
I made all of the photos in this post (except the pond reflections image and the B&W turkey feather image) with my phone. The camera-made images were the only horizontal images I made yesterday. Noticing this reminds me to vary the way the hold my camera or my phone camera to fit the subject and not just what might be the easiest.
Making, not Taking
Even after years of making photographs and paying attention to photo composition I find myself sometimes mindlessly forgetting what I know. When I get really excited about something I’m seeing I can forget everything and get in a hurry to “capture” the moment. I often need to remind myself to slow down, think about what I’m doing, check my camera settings, and make my photographs, not take them. For me, the distinction between making and taking images is a state of mind. When I am making a photograph I am focusing on expressing a feeling or an idea. And when I’m taking photos I am trying to capture what I see. It may seem like semantics but I find that my purpose in creating a photograph affects the final image. I’m not interested in showing viewers what I saw so much as interested in showing viewers what I felt.
The landscape right now fills me with wonder and joy. And as a result I want my photographs to express that wonder and joy.
Wherever Wonder Leads
Poised on the edge of wonder,
I let myself slide into clear
blue sky. The slant of light
this morning points toward
autumn and a hawk flies near
the mountain with a single,
piercing cry. For me, this is
the season of possibility.
Cooler air brings energy
and hope. What seemed out
of reach in summer’s heat
is now just a matter of resolve.
Wherever wonder leads today,
I make the choice to follow.— Danna Faulds
I find myself gazing and gazing at the colorful landscape trying to commit it to memory even when I’m not making photographs. The leaves are falling, colors are changing every single day. I want to bask in the joy of this beauty all around. It is so fleeting and is a wonderful reminder to be present in the moment and appreciate the moment.
May you walk in beauty.
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