What do you photograph

They say that what you take pictures of is what you see as important. I remember the first camera I had. It was a cheap one that took 35mm film. That excitement of taking pictures…then I paid for development. The disappointment of the pictures were so blurry and disjointed.

It was enough to be a reason why I didn’t take pictures for years. That camera was a painful thing from my teen years. If digital ones had been available I would have figured out how to do more with them, but it was just not a thing. I could have used a Polaroid but they were expensive and I was poor.

So when my youngest child was born my friend bought me a new digital one. I took thousands of pictures of my daughter and her cousin. Babies are so good at looking adorable even if the one holding the camera is not good at the setting up the shot.

That camera was stolen when we had “friends” over for a Christmas dinner. But by that point I had a smart phone. So I kept learning about taking pictures.

Now I still have the random awful picture, but I have learned to accept that I don’t have to be a professional quality photographer. I take pictures of what I want to remember and when I look at the picture I have a memory. Sometimes I even have a good picture.

So, I ask you… what do you photograph? And are you any good at it? Or like me do you just have memories and the occasional good shot?

Wild Wednesday

I enjoy photography. I am not a professional by any means.

I decided to take pictures of some urban decay. These turned out wonderful.

Smile…

For the ones that follow me on Facebook, I just changed my profile picture back to this one. It is a good picture, in my opinion. But I had a good friend tell me I should smile more… I am far prettier when I smile…. well I am smiling in this picture. But it doesn’t reach my eyes. Because I was nervous when I took the picture, the smile is a plastic thing. Forced for the picture. My grandma Ethel used to tell me that she hated my pictures because the smile never reached my eyes. This picture fits that discription.

I don’t want to be pretty. I don’t care if anyone sees me as such. However it was bugging me that she said that I should smile, as I was smiling. That is when I remembered what Grandma said. I still think it’s a good picture. I feel like I am androgynous in it. Which I love. I don’t really understand a lot about gender and the binary of it. But I don’t have to. I can be comfortable with myself and not really understand what I am.

Artsy Fartsy Thursday

Artsy Fartsy Let’s Discuss art

I have always been envious of the Talent for art my brother has. I got a talent for words, he got the talent for art. I have to work hard to learn how to do things that come naturally to him. I have been building skills in art.

However, that being said…for me it all started with a dog. my mom showed me how to do a simple dog. I used that to start learning how to draw other things.

Artsy Fartsy Thursday

Artsy Fartsy Let’s Discuss art

I consider photography to be an art. I am an amateur. I asked a man once who I knew to be a good photographer why he did not pursue his art. He had such an eye for color and beauty.

He told me that if he considered it to be art he couldn’t do it.
Surprised, I asked him why?

He told me that if it were art it would have to be perfect. It would anger him to create Imperfect art. But as a picture it would be okay if it was natural. Nature has flaws.

That has always baffled me. For me, it would frustrate me to see the differences between nature and my pictures. Still, I can take a picture and make it look better on the computer. I can adjust the brightness, the colors, and the contrast. Somehow that makes me feel better about the shots I take.

Fun new pets

Not poetry related, I know. Still my brain is a little bit fried. So instead of trying to fight against the brain fog… I decided to share what we got yesterday. I will return to poetry related posts on Sunday.

Week two of the 52 week photo challenge

#52weekchallenge #52weekphotochallenge #dogwood52 #dogwoodphotographychallenge2019 #sorryforrunninglate

Saturday surprise

I think that this challenge is so interesting. I am by no means pro at taking pictures. I think that I can have fun with the prompts in this challenge. Check back every Saturday for my weekly response.

Week one: Storytelling – Self-portrait – Take a picture that tells us who you are without actually showing your face.

#amateurphotographer
#dogwood52 #dogwoodphotographychallenge