Having the Eye and Some Rules I Use

 Sometimes when I am 

not looking or thinking

about my next post I

read something on someone

else's post.

Ann over at 

Ann's Snap Edit Scrap (annssnapeditscrap.blogspot.com)

gave me this idea

from her post of her

showing her granddaughter

a few pointers with the camera.

Thanks Ann.

Years ago (YEARS)

my grandson Caleb and his

mom came to live with me.

Caleb was like a week from

turning one.

This was to be temporary.

Longest temporary of 

six years I ever been through!

lol

Anyway, Caleb and I had

a lot of nana and grandson

time together. 

He was my shadow.

I taught him how to clean

a john (lol), strip wallpaper,

use a hammer and screwdriver,

make his bed, cook etc.

As he got older, moved out 

with his mom, he would go out

with me when I took the 

camera and ran away.

I would let him use my

big camera but when I 

got my 2nd back up camera

I allowed him to use one

while I used the other.

He was about nine when I started

letting him use the cameras and 

I was impressed.

We stopped one day at 

Dairy Queen and he 

went up in the crawling kid

thingy.

This pic was taking while

he was playing on the 

crawling thingy.

Pretty neat shot.

This one also.

I thought it was

cool that as we were

driving around he saw the 

clouds in the window.

This is a shot like his

nana shot, only I prob

would only have shot this

if it was rusted.

Speaking of rust,

my old mailbox. I sent

Caleb to get the mail

I loved the way his mind

worked.

Like looking up under the branch

of a tree to shoot this bug.

He used the zoom lens on this

shot but even still, he had to 

get close enough to get

a great pic.

These next shots he

was 19 when we to the 

park for family pics.

He climbed up on 

a branch that was hanging

low and took a shot looking

down the branch.

Like I said, I love the 

way his mind works.

Or getting down low for these

next two shots.

Looking through fallen trees.

I like to say that nana

taught him well but

a lot of being a photographer is 

how you look at things. 

Had a friend tell me once

when looking at a pic I 

took of a brick in the creek,

she told me, "that she could

take the same pic and it would

not look that good. It would look

like a brick in the creek, where

mine looks like art."

Another friend told me that

he thought that my being an 

artist with my painting helped

to open my eyes to 

seeing the world differently. 

It is funny, at times I will look

at a pic and call out the colors

in oils that it took to paint that.

Recently a friend posted a pic

on fb of the ocean in Fla.

I commented that I could see the 

cobalt blue, ultramarine 

blue, white and purple in that

pic and he came back with,

"there's that artist"!

What I tell younger folks wanting

to work on photography skills~

1. Look for that different angle. 

With the brick I was

telling you about earlier,

I walked around the creek,

looked at the angle of the 

brick, what side looked the 

best. Was the sun shining on it

or the shade covering it 

to make it pop?

 I could have shot the above

building straight on, but I loved

this angle.

Another angle, under a flower.

2.  Don't always shoot straight on.

See how I shot this with 

the bottom of the Queen Anne's

Lace, but it is also hanging out

of the frame. Shooting like this

draws your eye to more than

one thing. The beautiful sky!

Also, in this pic below.

Most folks would shoot for the 

sun setting and have it 

smack dab in the center.

Nothing wrong with that, but

off center brings in more

of the water and trees in 

for viewing also.

More to bring your eye

to the pic.

There again, the rocks are

not just the focal point, you

have water also.

3. Use your surroundings.

This is why I dislike

shooting inside. I rather do 

it all outside. You

have the natural element to

bring into your pics.

Like this shot of Holly

(niece). 

I could have gotten Holly

standing straight up in

front of the lake but I 

wanted to add to the pic so

I had her lean up on the tree.

Same in the pic below

of my niece, Jessica.

Rather than have her stand

or sit in the leaves, play with 

them. 

Using the tree and the 

BIG root along with 

the bamboo in this shot

of my son and DIL 

added a great back drop.

4. Use props 

Here I used the natural

element of the trees, and 

the rocks (even though

they were built to look

natural), the water and 

a pop of color in the 

prop of a chair. 

Another natural element 

shot with a prop.

Here I used natural, and 

man made with props.

5. Use what is around you, 

even if man made.

But most important...

HAVE FUN!

Thanks for the idea on 

this post Ann.

Pam