All photos taken with a Canon Rebel xti, 18-55mm lens.I went on a photo walk last week. As I was leaving the house, James saw me and asked where I was going. When I told him he said, "What's a photo walk and can I come?"
I love that enthusiasm--essentially saying "I'm in!" before you even know what you're into. I explained to him that a photo walk is just a walk with camera in hand. I told him that I do it because it forces me to look at things differently and experiment with my camera. And that sometimes there's the added bonus that your 10 year old son will want to come with you and risk being seen in public with you. He grinned.
It was that lovely "golden hour" before sunset and the air was soft and warm. Everything looks good through the lens during this time.
We'd hardly made it three houses away when I was brought up short.
"Look at that!" I exclaimed. "I've never noticed those before!"
"The fire hydrants?" James asked. "You go by those a million times every day!"
"I know, but I've never really paid much attention. Look at the colors!" I said.
And then I started taking pictures. James wanted to know what was so interesting about a fire hydrant. When I explained to him that you need to look at different parts, see it from different angles and watch the way the colors work together and see how the light plays over it, he started really looking. Then he started noticing things.
"Mom, did you ever notice that the tops of hydrants look like the Capitol dome? And the colors on here look like they belong at a beach."
He was right. There were lots of things to notice. We stood there looking at that hydrant and taking pictures for a few minutes, then we walked on and noticed other things. Sometimes I would stop and look at something, sometimes it was James who found something to shoot. We weren't gone long, maybe a half hour, but in that time we were able to see things differently, notice things we hadn't before and appreciate each other's unique vision.
It was an eye-opening experience for both of us.
***Yes, comments are still broken. But I would love for you to comment or contact me via email. Thanks!
