Just Marilynn

The End of Photo I

Today began my first day back in school during my last semester at Dallas Baptist University. I figured it was time to post my last few assignments from Photography I. Hopefully I am ready to master Photography II with Angela C. Pitts (formerly Patterson). She is a true artist and I can't wait to learn from her. Along with my photography class, I am taking Painting III. I am a little anxious. I will have just a few months to produce four 28 X 28 paintings. Wow! It's been a long time since I've been in front of a canvas but my mom assures me I'll be fine... like riding a bike. We will see. For now, my mind is brewing with visions of past, present, and future. I am so thankful for new beginnings!

 

 

 

 To see my progress check out Chasing Clouds...Finding Me and Learning to Shoot...Week One! To view bigger pictures find me on Flickr.

 

Chasing Clouds...Finding Me

Since becoming a gardner I'm appreciating the hardiness of delicate roots as they are ripped out of the ground and transplanted somewhere different. They either suffer through the shock and live or they suffer through the shock and die. Much the same, I've suffered through the shock of moving from California to Hawaii to California to Texas.

My first few days in Texas included a lovely trip to the gun show with my boyfriend and his dad. I didn't have a camera then but if I were to tag along today I'd capture the same images of "German War" paraphernalia tucked away in an endless sea of deadly metal. Five years ago I was shocked enough to call my former roommate in San Francisco to ask "What have I done?" Today, the shock of my transplant has worn off (minus the disgust of swastika's). I miss the beaches but I've come to love the beautiful and brief-lived sea of bluebonnets growing alongside our freeways. Occasionally I am surprised by mountainous clouds aflame in golden pinks and creamy orange hues. I am surprised because clouds are a rare treat compared to the dramatic Hawaiian skies. How many times did I speed down the H1 freeway oblivious to the splendor surrounding me?

Ironically my assignment this weekend was to shoot a sunset (if we had clouds). The clouds have eluded me but I am learning to find beauty in other places. My garden is still under construction so yesterday I spent a few hours at the Fort Worth Botanical Gardens. I'm understanding what I appreciate through the eye of a lens. As it turns out, I like macro photography. I grow in seeking to see the fine details around me. While I'm often looking to the future, engrossed in a great vision, I quickly become overwhelmed at the largeness of it all. But peering through a lens at the intricacies of a petal somehow heal me and prepare my soul for what may be.

I'm finding revelation is present in the simple treasures that surround us right now. I absolutely love the first picture because it was quite an accident. I set up the shot to look a certain way but right when I clicked the shutter the wind blew my friend to the left...and I loved the results. Sometimes we set up our reality the way we think it ought to be and then the Spirit of God messes up our perfect worlds. But in my case, I like the undone reality better. As I walked away from my new friend I was undone again by the very miracle of a captured moment. Never again could I recapture that image the same. I could only savor the moment and continue chasing clouds and finding me.

   

  

Learning to Shoot...Week One!

Even though I am blurry-eyed tired and still crusty from being drenched in sweat accumulated during today's photo shoot...I just had to share my work. People that don't really know me think that I have loads of confidence. The truth is far from that perception. In reality I am so hard on myself...as my instructor pointed out to me today. Of course I know this but is there any other way to be?

The answer is a little bit of both yes and no. Three day into my photography class and I am learning to relax a little bit. Walking around the house reciting shutter speeds and aperture settings out loud has helped. I imagine a situation and talk out the solution while folding laundry or washing dishes much to the amusement of my husband. As you might tell, I am a serious student but thankfully I have an instructor, Professor Dawn Gold who is helping me focus on having fun and loosing up a bit so I'm not over-stressing my pictures to death...and there has been a lot of dead ones believe me. I have gained a new appreciation for anyone who knows how to manually operate a DSLR camera (Digital Single Lens Reflex).

The course is two weeks long and every night my homework consists of submitting three photo's from a photo shoot that lasts an hour and some change. Not long enough for beginners but in this triple digit heat an hour is an eternity. Class began on Monday and we have a five page research paper due on Wednesday and a final on Friday. Ouch! Thankfully our final project isn't due until mid-September.

I am looking forward to next week's outings. So far we have toured our college campus, hiked behind Mountain View College, and visited the Dallas Fort Worth National Cemetery. Tomorrow we get a break from class but our assignment is to shoot a sunset. Tough! We are all praying for clouds (a rare treat in Texas).

Now I must call it a night. I have a very sweet husband who has generously gone to bed alone so that I could satisfy my artist's heart with one last word and a picture worth a thousand more. One benefit to learning how to be a photographer is acquiring an acute sense of gratitude for capturing the details that make life beautiful...like having a wonderful friend to share it all with!