Saturday, May 21, 2011

National Photography Month

IMG_5464


I recently learned that May is National Photography Month, and there was no way I was going to let this month go by without talking about it!  In the past two years, photography has become a big hobby of mine.  I am still incredibly amateur, and get really frustrated when I cannot capture things the way I like.  I know nothing about polarizing filters, cannot take an extreme macro shot unless it is pure luck, and lament the fact that a thousand dollar camera is way, way, WAY out of my price range.  I doubt I will ever try to be a professional photographer, for one thing, I am not a big portrait taker, and that is what most people want.  I am much better at outdoorsy, nature, or artsy photos.

I have taken one photography class, just an adult ed class, and would love to take some actual college classes, but if I never do, I am ok with that too.  Photography is something I get to spend a little "me" time on every day.  And I have made vast improvements.  For example, most of my photographs that I took 2 years ago were either this

130

or this

107

My skills were limited to turning the camera around to take pictures of myself (which I admit, I still do sometimes), or taking a boring center weighted picture that showed little to no detail.

These days, I still take self portraits, but I have learned to use a tripod and self timer, and to play with settings and editing, to come up with things like this

Titian


I have learned to frame things in interesting or unusual ways, like this
Filtering Through on 365 Project

I have learned to take tight shots full of detail, like this
IMG_6493

And I have learned to "see" things in whole new ways, like this
Stained Glass Windows on 365 Project

Am I ever going to achieve fame or wealth as a result of the pictures I take?  Probably not.  But I have achieved a new found appreciation for the world around me.  A newfound love of nature.  An ability to see all the little pictures that happen every single day.  An increased attention to the small things in life.  And a supreme thankfulness for God's glorious creations, and the blessings He has bestowed upon me.

So, I am glad that I have stumbled upon this little hobby, whether it ever becomes more than that or not.