Ordinary to Fascinating

By Cathy

It was just a stick I’d picked up as I walked across the yard. Just an ordinary stick, well maybe not completely ordinary. It  was covered with lichen that created golden ruffles and fan shapes, but it was still just a stick. As I headed to the pasture to throw it on the burn pile, I looked a little closer at the stick and decided it needed to be photographed before tossing it on the pile.

I turned it over and over trying to decide which part I wanted to focus on; the textures, the patterns, the shapes, or the colors. I couldn’t decide, so I thought this would be a good time to try a photography challenge. I challenged myself to take 50 pictures and see which one I liked best. I actually took more than that and can’t pick just one favorite.

I placed the stick in different locations.

I took pictures from different perspectives.

I took pictures in different light.

I even had had a couple of visitors during the photo shoot.

The more pictures I took, the more details I saw. This little stick fascinated me. It became beautiful, even magical. I kind of fell in love with it, so instead of tossing on it the burn pile I added it to my nature collection.

It’s easy for us in our rushed life to overlook beauty in the ordinary. On most days I probably would have just walked past this stick, but today it caught my eye and I paused long enough to celebrate its beauty. Maybe you would like to take time for a simple photography exercise like I did. Find an ordinary object and take 50 pictures of it. You just might be surprised at what fascinating things you discover. When you finish your exercise share a photo on the Focusing On Life Flicker page. We’d love to see what captured you attention.

“When our eyes are graced with wonder,

the world reveals its wonders to us.”

~ Christine Valters Paintner