Be Our Guest - Cathy Hubmann

Our guest blogger today is Cathy Hubmann who hails from Arkansas. I feel like I've known Cathy for a very long time when in reality it's been maybe 4 or 5 years. Cathy and I met in Tracey Clark's 'Picture' classes, then Cathy continued with us as a follower on our private Flickr group, Prompt Addicts, where she is now a facilitator. She's been a faithful reader and commentor here at FOL since our first day so she is really a member of our family. I've watched Cathy grow by leaps and bounds as a photographer and I feel like she is truly a friend. Let's turn it over to Cathy, I think you'll enjoy her visit today.

The Gift of Curiosity

There are a variety of reasons why we as photographers feel the need to pick up our cameras and take pictures.  It might be a need to document daily life or to capture images of family. It might be the desire to create beautiful works of art or the challenge of learning the technical side of photography. Maybe we like the way it makes us look at the world, people, or architecture in a different way. Maybe we use photography to help us heal or provide therapy.  Maybe it's how we show gratitude. The reasons are many and varied.

At first I thought it was a love of nature that motivated me. I do love nature, but my photography includes other things as well. After studying some of my favorite images I discovered that I am fascinated by shapes and details, but that still wasn't quite right. It wasn't until recently that I realized what is probably my strongest motivator. It is CURIOSITY. Plain and simple curiosity and not the kind that killed the cat or got into other people's business. Genuine curiosity is quite different. It drives me to know more and to explore more. That's where my camera comes into play. I use it to explore an object from different points of view or get up close with a macro lens. My curiosity doesn't usually stop there. After I've taken the picture I have to know more. What is it called? Why is it there? What is it good for? That's where books and Google come in handy!

Almost every day without fail, my camera and I are outside. The only thing that keeps me in is a thunderstorm. I don't mess with lightening. At least once every couple of weeks I try to go on a photo excursion, but most days you'll find me in my own yard. We have about three acres of cleared land that I wander around. What keeps me covering the same ground over and over? What could possibly be new today? Let me tell you, many things! Each day I look through different eyes and see new things. New things aren't always easy to spot either. Well, some are, like fallen limbs covered in lichen or colorful fall leaves, but most aren't. I have to turn things over or get down on the ground and look underneath. Otherwise my eyes just scan over the whole scene not seeing the details. Only when I slow down and look closely, do I discover the amazing, fascinating beauty of nature.

One of the most common ways that curiosity is crushed is through fear. I deal with the fear of going to new or crowded places. When I give in to fear I seek the familiar, stay in my comfort zone, and I'm unwilling to explore. My photography begins to become stagnant and honestly, gets a little boring! I have to push myself to overcome fear, so I can keep learning and exploring. Sometimes I do this on my own. Sometimes by taking classes. Either way it is not easy overcoming fear, but it can be amazingly rewarding.

My motivators are nature, shapes, and details, but mostly the gift of curiosity. Have you thought about what motivates you? Whatever it is, I hope you'll throw in a little curiosity, too!

"I think, at a child's birth, if a mother could ask a fairy godmother to endow it with the most useful gift, that gift would be curiosity.”

                                                               ~ Eleanor Roosevelt

Thank you so much for letting me share some thoughts and photos with you today. I am honored!