Time to Grow Again ~ Floral Friday!

"And Then She Bloomed"

(1/1000 sec.@ F/4, 50mm prime, ISO 100, Center Weighted Metering, overcast light)

Flowers. If they don't grow, we can't photograph them. Obviously. Someone took the time to plant the baby rose bush in a bed, they watered it, fed it, and nurtured it. They pruned it, they trained it, and they supported it. And carefully it begins to emerge. It begins to bloom.

"So where are you going with the rather obvious rose garden metaphor Christine?" you may ask. Well I'll tell you. It dawned on me the other day that I haven't learned anything new in a while. I mean pertaining to photography. Of course I read up on things, sit in on webinars (I can see them, but they can't see me... LOVE webinars.) and read all the pros blogs. But I haven't stretched myself or tried to actually utilize the new things I'm learning with my camera. It's like my motivation and my brain have been stuck on auto for the last while. So all my shots look the same, all my topics are the same, all my results are.... you get the drift.

As a photographer, I have to think about my craft more. Like that rose bush. I need to plant it somewhere productive. I have to plant new ideas and techniques, and then nurture them. New ideas need to be fed... I have to get all the right info I can and then use it. I need to delve into more intense skill sets, so better and more interesting results begin to bloom. When you don't take the time to do any of that, your skills and your motivation shrivel up, fall limp, and wither.

But the similarities will stop there. Because there's one big difference I need honing my craft to accomplish. I don't want to just be known for images that are pretty. I want to be known for images that had a purpose. Whether the purpose is to inspire, to teach, or to change someones ideas about art, or about the world. Just to make an impact. A tall order. I know. Guess I better get learning.

Have you taken your photography, or any passion/vocation to the next level?

Thanks for the ramble gang!

And have a great Mother's Day Weekend as well all you Mom's out there!