Saturday, July 08, 2006

there are always surprises

I am nearly always surprised when I first look at my pictures on the computer screen. I know what I was trying to get, in a gross, macro sort of way. But the details of what will be captured often are completely unexpected. The daylily pic I posted on the Fourth of July is one example. I took a whole bunch of pics of daylilies that day, but it was that one flower that had curled its petals around the blooms-to-be in what struck me as a fetching way. I hadn't see that, at all, when I took the pic.....

I took these pics of correopsis that same day. I didn't begin to see the teeny red bug, which obviously had places to go and things to do.......
























One of the things I love about digital is that I can take a dozen (or two dozen) shots of what is essentially the same thing. Lots of them are always blurry (probably my bad, who knows), but of the sharp clear ones, some are nearly always better than others. The more I take, the more likely I am to get something interesting -- and -- how perfectly lovely to be able to do that at no added expense and no more pollution of the environment, etc, etc.

I resisted digital for a long time, largely because of the speed at which my equipment will become obsolete. Having tried it, I am a total convert. I would never go back. I look forward to my next camera with delight rather than resignation -- I expect it will know a whole bunch of engaging and exciting new tricks.

2 comments:

Lucia said...

I love that about digital too. I once complimented my dad on his photography, complaining that mine never came out as well as his, and he said the trick was just to take about ten shots of everything and two might come out well if you were lucky. Your yellow flower is beautiful!

(I have a 3-Mpx camera, about 4 years old, and I am jonesing for a new one in the worst way.)

I need orange said...

I read something once about National Geographic photographers, that said they'd shoot 36 rolls of film for one article. !!!

I thought -- good grief, if I shot that many pics, I could get some good shots, too!

And now I can. :-)

Once upon a time I thought I might like to use words in collage. So I was looking through magazines for words. I found a quote: What I lack in talent, I make up in volume. That is my motto now. I figure the more pics, more collages, more hand-knit socks, etc, etc, etc, I make, the more likely I am to make some good ones...

Thanks for the compliment on the flowers. I mean to go to some gardens, and see what I can do.... :-)

I blogged my camera in early May. I bought it in the fall of '04, and it was the previous year's model. It doesn't stop motion well, but it can surely do a lot of other things that are (still, to me,) amazing....