Taking a Good Photo

So I'm sick, and no I'm not pregnant, I've got a little cold/flu. And I don't know if it's the "meds" I'm takin' or the fact that I slept most of yesterday, but I am sitting wide awake on my couch at 2:30 am listing to it rain. Now chances are I will pass out on the couch before I finish this post, but this is how it started.  

While laying there in bed I got to thinking about everybodys sweet comments about all my corn photos. First I want to say thank you for all the wonderful comments. Then I started thinking about what makes a good picture and how do you take one.

Now I'm am by no means a professional photographer. But I do love taking photos and looking at photos. But one thing I have learned from all the pictures is that it's not always about having the biggest camera or the best lens, it's sometimes just about being in the right place at the right time. Take this photo for example...

...this photo was taken before I got my new lens and before I knew

 anything about aperture settings and shutter speed. (I still don't know all that much about those setting, but I'm now not afraid to mess with them.)

Photography is sometimes more about being in the right place at the right time rather than the equipment you have.

You see what makes this picture so special and unique is that you have the combine unloadin' on the grain cart 'on the go' and then you have our semi coming down the road right next to them. This was one of those times that I pushed the button and didn't even know what I had till I got home and put it on my computer.

To duplicate this photo would be next to impossible without the entire process revolve around taking the photo.

Ya see we don't have to many fields with an open edge right next to a road like that. They usually have a few trees around them, and luckily at that moment that Calvin was coming down the field AND unloading at the same time, Caleb just happened to be driving down the road in the semi AND I just happened to be there at the field standing on top of my truck pushin' the button down. (Last year I didn't really ever get to sit at the field cause usually as soon as I got there the grain cart was filling me up and I was on my way) 

So I guess what I'm tryin' to say is "don't give up on takin' pictures just because you take more you don't like than what you do like. Find those one's that you just think are awesome and use them to keep pushing you forward.

Here's a few that have done that for me.

This was from corn harvest '09 after readin' my manual to figure out a little how shutter speed works

This is another one from corn harvest '09. I still remember the evening taking this one. I had just got back to the field with an empty truck as the sun was goin' down creating this beautiful color. So I grabbed my camera and ran across the field till to the spot I wanted and waited till the combine drove past.

(FYI: none of these photos have been edited. What you see is what you got strait out of the camera.)

This one was taken with my Canon Rebel Film camera about two years ago, and it's one of my most favorite pictures.

This one was taken with my Kodak digital point and shoot.

Now I'm not putting down digital SLR cameras, cause they are awesome, and I love my camera. I'm just tellin' ya'll that you can still take some amazing pictures even if you don't have a big powerful camera.  Just keep taking pictures. Pay attention to what's in your view finder. If you look at the picture before you take the picture than you are more likely to like the picture later.

Also don't be afraid of getting up close and personal when taking a picture. Some of my favorite 'people' pictures are ones that I have gotten up there a little closer than normal and I loved how they turned out.

So I guess what I'm trying to say is don't just think you have to have a big fancy camera to take a great picture. So weather you have a digital point and shoot, a film camer or and SLR, just keep taking pictures and lots of them, and have fun with it. If you're not havin' fun, than it work and seriously who wants to do that?

Once again thank you for all your wonderful comments they are so sweet and they have been so encouraging to me.

*this last bit was written the next day after fallin' back to sleep...I'm still not 100% but I feel a lot better than I did yesterday.

Lots of Love,

Janet