Yesterday I was poking around on YouTube trying to ignore the torrential rains, thunder and lightning outside my living room window. As I scrolled through my “subscriptions” I stopped at #KimGrant’s feed. She’s a photographer in Scotland whose narration and philosophy of photography are aligned with many of my thoughts. I watched this video.
The idea inspired me so I decided to give it a go! The sun shone brightly this morning so I grabbed my gear and headed outside. I am shooting with a #FujiX-T5 and their 80mm f/2.8 Macro lens – hand held this time.
I sat down and proceeded to look around. Sure enough, there was lots to see!
The lawn is peppered with buttercups, but with a macro lens it was fun to focus on just one, surrounded by dew-laden blades of grass.
It wasn’t long before this wee winged creature landed too get a sip of nectar or pollen or something.
Then, I popped the screen on the camera so I could set it down close to the ground and pay attention to the way blades of grass, clover and one buttercup bud (in the background) played in the light breeze and sunlight.
I decided to try the same angle on the buttercup, peering at it through the blades of grass. It was quite fascinating and, as you can see by the lopped-off tops of some of the blades, the lawn has been recently mowed!
I glanced down at my feet and noticed an ant creeping across the patio stone toward the corpse of a daddy longlegs sprawled under the encroaching greenery.
All of that was discovered in a mere fifteen minutes of sitting still and just looking. I know there was more, but I moved up onto the deck to get more shots of things grown in my planters.
In the garden along the side of our garage my hostess are in heaven – and HUGE!
The scent from my blossoming lilac bush is amazing!
I have three double-white rose bushes that I thought might have given up the ghost last winter, but no! The flowers are now unfolding and the smell of roses fills the air.
We have a wall of bushes between us and the main road that runs beside our yard. This year it’s home to several varieties of birds (and their nests and families) including robins, hummingbirds and this guy!
I can NEVER say there’s nothing to photograph. It’s a matter of slowing down and truly looking at what’s out there in your own backyard. Thanks, @KimGrant (https://www.youtube.com/@VisualisingScotland), for the great suggestion!
Capturing Cherished Memories 