The (not so) Perfect Shot

I love photographs, pictures of older faces that I like to call “character shots,” interesting buildings and architecture. Breathtaking images of landscapes, animals, and situations in black and white, or color. So many bloggers take pictures on a daily base, and I wanted to be one them.

I bought me a digital camera but didn’t take pictures right away. I wasn’t prepared. I didn’t have any photo software. Everything is photoshopped these days, I learned that the hard way when I asked a blogger to work on some of my pictures. I had waited patiently to get the “perfect” shot, of a baby bird’s first fly;  I wanted to show them on my blog.

Back then I thought it was necessary to put a name on the picture, and so I asked a blogging friend if she could add my name to it.

She sent me the pictures back, told me that she also had FIXED the photos for me. Turns out my perfect shot, was not so perfect in her eyes. The picture was more “edgy” when I got it back, the colors were crisper. They appeared cold to me, not warm -if that makes any sense.

Photoshopped

I chose warm colors to paint the gourd.

When it came back it wasn’t my gourd anymore.

Clearly, she was right. I am not a photographer, I don’t know what I am doing. I thanked her politely, never told her that I didn’t like the “fixed” pictures. If nature looks perfect, why fix it? But almost everybody seems to do it, so I decided I had to learn it as well.

I played around with some of the free photo software, and I have to admit, it’s a fun toy to have. Still, most of the time I liked the originals better.

I started to follow more photography blogs and some bloggers who gave photo challenges on a daily base. “Take a picture of your left foot,” and now, “Please take a photo of your shoe.” Pictures of flowers on a daily base, even color challenges, that I liked to call, “I spy with the camera.”

I wanted to participate, but just couldn’t. I never really felt that it was “my thing.” I obviously don’t have an eye for photography.

Some bloggers take amazing pictures. Come to find out, the pictures I like most, are embedded in a story, or they are connected with each other. There is my friend Cindy who lets me travel the world with her and my friend Lisa, who I like to call the bird specialist. My friend Joanne who shows me her city and parts of her life, and I go for walks with Jo and Derick.

Interesting enough, none of my blogging friends overuse Photoshop. They all tell a story with their pictures, they all make me wish for more. The only exceptions are Julz, who creates digital art and Emilio whose pictures are stunningly surreal.

“I am just too old fashioned,” I thought and gave up my photography plans until I saw a meetup group of photographers. A group of people who wanted to talk about photography and cameras. “Perhaps, if I just join them for one or two meetings, I would learn something,” I thought to myself and signed up.

Last week they had a meeting, and I was curious. I sat there quietly, didn’t say a word just listened to the masters. Then they noticed me and wanted to know more about me. I told them that I was just being curious, confessed that I had no talent. Told them the story of my “perfect” bird picture and finally admitted my dislike for overly photoshopped pictures.

I expected them to laugh at me, but they didn’t.

“Do you think you have an eye,” one asked and I laughed out loud. “I do have an eye, two to be exact. I can see colors and designs in my mind, but I don’t think I have an eye for photography.”

They gave me homework. At the next meeting they want to see some of the pictures I took and loved -like my perfect shot, and then they asked me to take 30 shots of my surroundings that I think could be worth a shot. “Make something ugly beautiful and make something beautiful shine.” “DO NOT alter the pictures with any kind of software,” the added and I almost felt relief.

The next meeting is in four weeks, and I am bit nervous but up for the challenge. Perhaps this will help me to find my own, unique way with the camera and if not, then it was fun trying.