(still) Learning from the best

In the "in-law" lottery, I was very lucky.  My MIL and FIL were both kind and loving, not critical or judgemental. I enjoyed spending time with them.  


When Dean and Maxine retired they moved a few times around New Mexico and Colorado.  We would take a road trip to see them every year.  Our visits would include tours of the local surroundings. Dean would chauffeur us and Maxine would be our tour guide.  She would tell us every fact, folklore, tip and trivia about where we were going.  She would even tell stories about relatives and ancestors who had traveled or lived there before.  So interesting.  I have forgotten probably more than I remember and wish I could have some how recorded her narratives.

Dean was not only the chauffeur, he was also the family photographer.  He always had a love of photography and made sure to keep his camera near by.  He was the one who photographed the family when we would gather.  I watched him do this and took mental notes to use when I got back home since I was the family photographer there.  

When he was photographing us inside, he would position us approprietly, take a good look, sometimes adjust something on his camera, then bring the camera to his eye, and look a little longer then "click"  done.  Everyone would then resume eating (we were always eating!) or minding kids or whatever they were doing. Dean would turn around after taking the picture and look around the room.  If something or someone caught his eye, he would move to capture that.

We were often outside in the beautiful mountains and when he would take our picture, the procedure would be the same except when he would turn around, sometimes he would walk toward something.  I watched him do this and saw that he was looking intently at the scenery that was around us.  He walked slowly, silently, gazing at the landscape.  Then stop, adjust the camera, maybe take a few steps back or sideways never looking away from the scene he was witnessing, then slowly the camera came up to his eye and "click"  

We have boxes and albums filled with his portraits.  All thoughtfully taken.  We discovered many beautiful landscapes that he had taken through the years in these boxes.  Some are now framed and hanging in my house.  He was a talented photographer.  


He always shot film.  He did occasionally talk about getting a digital camera.  I knew the reason why he wanted one was so he could take more landscapes.  I also knew the reason why he never got one was because he grew up during the depression and could not see spending hard earned money on a new camera when the one he had was just fine.

My picture above was taken the same day I took the sunset shot I blogged about here.  After I was satisfied with the shots I had, I turned around and broke my arm patting myself on the back walked back to the car.  On my way I saw a pasture of cows standing perfectly still, staring intently at me.  Probably saying to one another "there's that crazy woman who went speeding by here so she could take a picture of that old building!"  

Above the curious cows was a pastel sky.  I thought "WOW!" (I'm a deep thinker like that!)

I surveyed the scene before me now.  I wanted a picture of that sky because it was so very different from the one I had just shot in the west!  The one in the west was brilliant gold and orange, it was on fire! Now, this sky in the east was a calm and serene pastel palette. Just like those cows! I wanted a picture of those cows! 
(great! now the crazy woman wants a picture of us! was what the cows were now saying!  yes, I speak cow!)

I took a few steps back, adjusted my camera, brought it up to my eye, took a look through the viewfinder to be sure then "click"

This one's for you Dean.


Do you have someone who influenced you in some way?  Tell us about it!  Show us how you were influenced by posting a picture in the gallery!

Dont' forget to add your In Focus shots too!  The June theme-Attraction to Abstraction is coming to an end!  Be sure to tag your shots "ATA" for In Focus comsideration!




"Example is not the main thing in influencing others.  It is the only thing."  ~Albert Schweitzer



xo,