"Adopt the pace of nature: her secret is patience."
-Ralph Waldo Emerson
Golden Gate Park has an amazing Dahlia garden. It is tucked back from the road, and sits next to the Conservatory of Flowers. It comes magically alive in the summer, and it is one of my favorite places on earth. I find it especially inviting on days after I go to therapy. Therapy has healed me, but like with any discipline one learns, it can be very painful as time takes care of what ails you. I usually come out of those appointments exhausted, so sometimes going out with the camera can be difficult, but I know that using the camera to look at the beauty in the world, to focus on something other then how torn up I feel, is the way to process those secret inner feelings we all carry around. I decided a couple years ago, to have a subject, something specific to search for, when I am needing to do that kind of mental processing. This summer, I have chosen the bumble bee.
I think I am getting better with my bee photos. I am learning about light and shadows. I am really learning about timing. LOL. These are happy little critters. The can also be quite a tease. LOL. It was hard to not take this bee's personality quirks personally. LOL. Just as I found a comfortable way to stand, just as I got the setting right and the wind would stop blowing, just as I was about to snap the photo, this bee would happily buzz away to a new blossom. I swear I could almost hear her giggle as she flew by me. LOL. Almost.
I stuck with it, and here you see what I got, but not without a good deal of patience. I still haven't gotten the perfect shot of a bumble in flight. It will come. I am going to visit the Dahlia garden at least once a week this summer, at least until my garden begins to blossom. It will be another four weeks or so, before it's ready, but it should be very colorful when it does. I am putting some dahlia's in the pots this week for a mid-autumn bloom. Purples and oranges. It should be ready, just as my therapy comes to a close. Nice timing I think. :) Yep, I'm a happy camper.
So tell me, when you are out with your camera, do you ever give yourself "assignments?" Do you ever use your photography as a way to process what ails you?
-OndineMonet
"My July Bumble Bee"
Dahlia Garden
Golden Gate Park
San Francisco, California
July 11th, 2007
Afternoon
2 comments:
Hanging in there can make all the difference. You combine that with experience and the photos start happening more often :-)
She's a lovely bumble!
It's amazing what you learn about a creature's behavior as you work to photograph them. I've been completely engrossed in the habits of insects and birds. But like you say, as you recognize behavior patterns, you can start to predict the critical moment to press the shutter.
Good luck with your bee in flight. I know you'll get it! I've gotten a couple but not without many, many, many tries (thank GOD for digital!)
I don't usually give myself assignments these days. But often, a "mission" presents itself.
:)
Post a Comment