The Dear Margie Column

Yesterday I received a question in an email that I thought really deserved an educated response so I forwarded the question to a flickr friend of mine that that found me ( in the virtual sense ) through elsita's blog. She lives in Australia and takes some of the most amazing nature photographs that I have seen. I loved her answer so much that I asked if I could copy it here so that others might benefit from her wisdom. The words will be hers but I am going to use some of my photographs to illustrate the points she makes. Patricia wrote Dear Margie
I’m working on finishing up a memory quilt for my mother-in-law’s 70th birthday on Saturday (yikes!). This is my first quilt, so it’s quite scary. But I’ve had a great time putting it together. So I only managed a quick break outside before the rain started up again. I photographed a few more leaves and mushrooms for inspiration, though my photos are far inferior to yours. Any tips on improving my photography would be much appreciated—perhaps a topic for a future post or tutorial? Dear Patricia, That was a great question but I am no expert having only picked up a camera myself less than a year ago. I forwarded your question to a flickr friend of mine and she was very kind to send me an amazing response with five tips. These are all things I believe as well although I am sure I would not have articulated them quite as beautifully. So the words that follow are Mary's and the pictures to illustrate her points are mine
Here would be my tips (which I know you do as well).

1. Get out every day with your camera and take photos , even if it is only in your own back yard. You may have a great camera but if you do not develop an "eye" , you will miss all sorts of opportunities!

2. Gaze closely at your world, looking for insects, the shapes and colours of leaves, the buds and promise of flowers. If it has rained get out with your camera - there are then opportunities for photos of drops and reflections.

3. Look up and out! Nature is not just in the detail but in the big picture - the sky, the clouds, the avenue of trees, a pounding wave.

4. Observe and learn from photos and books - Flickr is inspirational. If a photo has the words "more properties" on it I will always look to see how the photo was composed - aperture, shutter speed etc.


5. Finally - and this may be strange - LISTEN. Many of my photos have been taken as a result of hearing birds cracking seeds in the trees above, the beating of wings overhead, the hum of the bee. Let all your senses be alive to the possibility of the photo.

Thanks Patricia for asking the question and a standing ovation to Mary for her fantastic answer. If you have any suggestions for future DEAR MARGIE posts leave a comment below and you never know your question may turn up in a future post. Have a wonderful sunday . I am going on a walk through the trilliums with the curator of Botany for the Royal Ontario Museum. I hope he has some answers for my questions.