Taking a walk in the woods

Hiking is one of my favorite past times. Besides walking the dog, I try to take a weekly hike of a couple of miles. Sometimes, it is clearly for exercise - I move as fast as a I can. Other times, I need a break from work and family and I go out to quiet my brain. During those times, I really try to pay attention to what is around me and be thankful to live where I live. The mountains of northwestern North Carolina is one of the prettiest places on the planet and I try to represent their beauty the best I can. I stop and change angles and really observe the world around me. And sometimes the dog allows me to, where other times, he keeps me going. So, I challenge you, on your next walk, to really pay attention. What is something you have seen on your last walk that you have never seen before?

How can that be beautiful?

At my house, we have lots of animals.... 1 dog, 1 goldfish, 10 ducks, and 12 chickens to be exact. So, in taking this photography class, when I needed a subject, I often used them. They didn't complain (well, Red, my dog did a lot - he hates when I take his picture.) The chickens often were very curious what was going on, and the ducks, well, were the ducks, and continued on with their life of quacking and complaining about everything. It's amazing what happens when you changed the ISO, shutterspeed, apperature, or the white balance of a picture. Things change dramatically. You can see details in these animals that aren't normally visual to the human eye. You can see their eyes wide open, or the simmer of light bouncing off of their feathers. After I started looking at these pictures, I couldn't believe. So, the next time you are hanging out with your favorite animal, don't be afraid to pull out your camera and start taking some pictures. Change some things up and you never know what you will find.

Why photography?

Growing up, I always have had an interest in taking pictures. But, being a teenager in the 1990's, photography was expensive. It was not just buying the film, but them developing the film to realize that you had no good pictures. I had a basic 110 film camera, but my mother had a Canon. Every so often, she would hand to me, and I would enjoy the control I had with it. As I got older, the love of photography grew. I enjoyed the opportunity to tell a story - either my story or someone else's story. I started taking pictures for various organizations that I was involved in. I was happy with my pictures - most of the time. But, I knew I could do better and I was holding my camera back. So, I took a class. Now, at the end of the semester, I have a time to reflect on that semester and how I have grown. I still have a long way to go, but I believe I gotten a little more control of that piece of technology that can help me tell my story and the story of those who have asked me to tell theirs.