On the Road Again Posted by ~~Debbi Robertson~~ , Wednesday, January 27 at 4:06 PM, in Labels: cemetery, gross, Journals, landscape, Photo Frenzies, Texas

Yesterday I had one of those doctor's appointments that you don't wanna go to but you know you should (or as in my case, you have a friend that practically drags you there.) You know the one, the only checkup that men can't get? Well, afterwards, I decided to spread my wings and fly south. And I did! Through the countrysides and backroads of as much country as you can get in my area of Texas.

I drove and drove. Turned here and turned there. Did not look at a map – just drove. After a while of not finding anything that I felt was worthy of pulling over on the side of the road to capture, I did what I should have done to begin with...pray. It went like this:

"Father, I want to find something interesting to shoot and I thank you for leading me to it, in Jesus' name, amen!"

A little further down the road, I saw something interesting.

It was an old, falling down shack of a building in the middle of an old grave yard.

What made it so interesting is that it

was there in the midst of tombstones and had flowers, floral holders and more piled inside the door.

Is it a memorial or a storage building? I do not know!

As I was pulling out of the gravel and sand drive, I noticed something out of the corner of my eye just on the ground in front of me. I am not sure what it was (emphasis on "was") but it still had a little fur on it's carcus. (This photo is the mild one of the bunch.) I guess this was the appropriate place to discover something dead!

I drove back onto the road and immediately rephrased my prayer! "Uh, Lord, could you make it not quite so interesting, please?" So with a few more turns and a few more miles, I came across a pond on the side of the road. And trust me, when I say "side of the road", I mean it. One look down and veer off slightly and you'd find yourself IN the pond!

As I was walking back towards my car, satisfied that I had at least a few photos to process when I returned home, I saw a clump of mistletoe on the tree next to me. Why not take a few more? And so I did!

It felt so good to be on the road again and I look forward to being on it again soon. Next time I'll be a little more specific in my prayer!

Bit by the Shutter Bug,

Debbi

Time to Pick Up Steam Posted by ~~Debbi Robertson~~ , Tuesday, January 5 at 10:20 AM, in Labels: cold, Journals, links, Photo Frenzies, Texas

For the last few weeks, my camera has felt neglected. Oh, don't get me wrong, it's by my side always. It's just that I've had a hard time finding things that I feel are worthy of shooting. Perhaps it is the fact that I live in Texas and the scenery is a little hum-drum during the winter months. Maybe I've already worn out the welcome of my backyard. It could even have to do with the fact that Lisa and I took a trip to Amish Country late last fall and since then, things seem boring. No beautiful country hills, Amish farms, horse and buggies. And yes, it could have something to do with the fact that I'm a wimp when it comes to blistery cold temperatures. It's been much cooler the last month compared to what we normally have in Texas winters.

Whatever the excuse is, it's time for things to change! I just finished reading someone else's blog on how to exercise your sights by looking at every thing in front of you as if you are taking a photo. Look at lighting, check composition, what different angles can you take, etc. With this exercise, I'm beginning to see that many of the hum-drums can actually be beautiful works of art.

So now what? It's time to pick up the camera and pick up steam in my shots. It's time to put practice to the exercises I've been working. As a result, I hope to have some fun new shots to share with you soon. I'm going to pick up steam in my photography and hopefully warm up some of the goosebumps as well!

Bit by the Shutter Bug,

Debbi