Learn

To learn, one must observe, immerse themselves in new situations or experiences, be aware and be open, and the true trick is to remember.

While taking photographs of a local holiday event I was aware of a photographer from the well-read, well-known, area daily newspaper. The square footage of the occasion was relatively small and so we were frequently next to, in front or across from each other at displays or activities. I felt such a wide range of emotions; jealousy, fear, intimidation, curiousity, surprise and happy. Happy that I was able to be in this situation and know I could compare my work to that of a seasoned professional and sort of see where I landed - gauge my eye and skill.

While a few of our published shots were those the public expects to see; child with Santa, holiday parade, elves, a few were of course, quite unique. I tend to want to close in on the action and was struggling to capture ballerinas posing behind glass. Ugh. I didn't want my reflection, I didn't want crowd reflection, I wanted to zoom in on the dancer. Mistake.

The professional pulled way back. His image captured not only the actual girls in the studio window, but the crowd watching, the festive mood and atmosphere, the decorations. My shot could not tell a story. His was a thousand stories. Jealous. But, a fabulous lesson and one I am learning to apply to other areas as well.

I had to learn how to let the observer decide what they want to concentrate on in the shot more so than what I was struggling to force them to see.

I am a true lover of the close-up, the details, in everything in life from menu planning, to parties, agendas, meetings, and writing. I may concentrate on one single aspect and struggle to find the right words to describe the varying shades of gray in a cloudy sky rather than the bucking horses that whiny in fear of the impending storm, the trees bending in the wind and the shutter banging against the house. Two very different points of view to the same story.

The fabulous bits are recognizing the opportunity to learn and applying it to life.