Vox

Musings, rants, rambling, general nonsense

Open Your Eyes

Posted on | June 14, 2010 | No Comments

I started a project a while back, to take photos of the things I see while walking the dogs.

This has been a challenging, fulfilling, eye-opening task for a number of reasons:

  • I am not a photographer. A knowledge of shot composition would go a long way, and though I can sometimes visualize what I want to capture, it rarely ends up even close.
  • I am limiting myself to my camera phone. Granted, it is a decent camera in a sweet phone, but it is still very primitive compared to a decent digital camera.
  • I am posting the shots “as is”, with only one or two shots that I cropped in phone before posting. What I get is what you see. (there is one collage of images that I did for a previous set – the exception to prove the rule)
  • My walks only involve going 1/4 mile in any direction. I am limited to the same flora, fauna and folks every day. So far, I think the only repeat is a cactus that I captured for it’s size first, then again when it bloomed. (Other similar shots are from one session, for instance, there are many photos of the flowering pear trees, but I got them all in one stop, in one yard) (Oh, and there is one shot from inside the veterinarian’s office when Cash hurt his leg. Definitely not in walking distance)
  • I have the dogs with me. On leashes. Tied to my wrists. They are getting better about sitting and waiting, but they are still curious, adolescent dogs. Many times I found what may have been a fab shot turned into a blur when a leaf blew down the sidewalk.
  • I am working out at the time, especially now that I started the C25k program. So, I am usually breathing heavy, sweating and focused elsewhere. In fact, there were a couple of days I just didn’t want to stop so missed getting pictures – but I’ve got the logistics better sorted out now.
  • The sun is shining, and it is bright. Not only am I dealing with harsh shadows, I often can’t see how the pic(s) turned out until I get home. Sometimes I think I got a nice snap, only to be disappointed. Sometimes I am pleasantly surprised.
  • Other stuff that escapes me at 12:30 in the morning… 😛

For all that, I have managed a couple of nice images (and a lot of poor/fair/mediocre ones). I heartily recommend it as an exercise – for a week, a month, whatever, take at least one photo a day of something. Interesting, pretty, funny, whatever (more positive is more better 🙂 )….it will teach you to notice and appreciate the little things in your life.

If you have any interest in the story so far*, you can see them here.
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* That phrase always make me think of Marillion.



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Category: animals, AZ, fitness, General, Happy, Phoenix, pictures

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