Beyond the Ordinary

In driving between home and work, I see a lot of trees in addition to corn and soybean fields.  The last couple of weeks have been interesting as I drive around – I have really been paying attention to the daily changes that are occurring all around me.  From the slight color changes in the leaves on one day to the absence of all leaves the next.  From the corn stalks standing tall and strong one day to the combines magically stripping the kernels of corn with such ease and precision.  I’m so amazed.

One thing I really love about photography is that it is teaching me to take a look at the unordinary.  I have always been one who has a hard time slowing down.  In looking through a lot of my old photos, I notice that nothing is very special about them.  A few may turn out okay but most are not creative at all.  It’s almost as if I was speed walking through the scene, pushing the shutter release without giving the shot any real thought.

One of my goals this winter is to try to learn from others as much as I can.  How I would love to be take photos that are creative – not ordinary.  I’ll try to read some books, scour flickr for great examples, read blogs…and shoot, shoot, shoot.   One thing I’ll also be doing is trying my hand at post-processing with Photoshop Elements.  Some really cool things can be done with a computer to add some creativity to “normal” shots.  I’ll post some examples of my editing here…maybe!

Had to stop and get this photo on the way to the airport in SF back in June.