Friday, April 25, 2014

Ground Level

By Cathy 


The morning dew glistens in the sunlight and the grass beckons everyone to take notice of her new jewels. The ant looks up in amazement and wonders if he can scoot away fast enough before the drops slide effortlessly down the green blade, showering him with spring. Above it all she lays on her belly, in her PJ’s, in the privacy of her backyard and captures the moment with her camera. 


She notices the patches of daisies as she passes the park and on a whim she pulls into the parking lot and grabs her camera from her bag on the seat beside her. The ground is still wet with the morning dew, so she uses her foot to rest her camera upon and shoots away. It is not until she uploads the photo onto her computer later that night that she sees him, resting on wide, white umbrella of the daisy.


Later she wanders along the shore of the Puget Sound with the dog; trying to step gently among the shells which seem to canvas every space of the ground beneath her. She can hear the crunching at times of the shells under her shoes and it makes her feel bad. She wonders if the tiny shore crabs have found a safe place to hide and wait out the low tide.


She wants so badly to remember the day. Remember the morning dew, the daisies and the walk she and dog took. So she finds a few flat rocks and builds a small platform, noticing the tiny bugs who make their home beneath the rocks and takes note to replace them when she is done.  She gently sets her camera on top of the platform and tries a few shots, going back and forth a few times to get it just right. Someone offers to help her, but she kindly tells them no thank you, for she wants to do this herself; to help her remember the day.  It has been a day spent at ground level, one of her favorite points of view. One of the dogs too, for it seems his nose is always pointing downward.


Today I encourage you to get out there and view our world at ground level. It is one of my favorite ways to shoot our beautiful world. And hey, if an almost sixty year old woman with a bad hip can do it, I bet you can too. You will be amazed at what you find. Be sure to share your captures with us in our flickr group, there are still a few days left for this month’s theme.


14 comments:

Carol said...

So beautiful. And your writing is gorgeous too. And, of course, then there's Basil. I've been in love with him for a long time.
Just a great post to welcome in spring and to start my day!

Dotti said...

A beautiful way to start off our Friday as we wind up this week at FOL. I love taking ground level photos ... I just don't do enough of it! If I do it today, I might need to find a wet suit to wear, raining cats and dogs it is. But I think the rain is supposed to end later this afternoon ... now won't that be the perfect time to shoot at ground level? {The shot from behind is marvelous!!!!}

kelly said...

well i don't know what i love more...your expressive writing or beautiful photography. ground level is one of my favorite ways to shoot. like a whole new world exists down there. and yes my neighbors look at me funny when they see me laying on the ground. and no i don't care one bit. :) what a wonderful way to go into the weekend cathy. happy weekend to you. xo

CarolHart said...

Lovely images Cathy. I often shoot at ground level and it's my favorite perspective also, especially out in nature. The one thing I haven't done though is set the camera on the ground and use the self- timer to get a shot with me in it. That is brilliant! I shall have to give it a go! Thanks so much for the inspiration!

Anonymous said...

Beautiful POV, one I've been remembering recently to try more often. I LOVE the first picture, of the dew-covered grass. So simple and beautiful.

simply bev said...

Beautiful images. The first one is especially fabulous!

terriporter said...

I just adore all these ground-level shots and using the self-timer was genius! It really puts your viewer into the scene but sometimes I have to talk my self into it, as in "Hmmm, is it really worth it getting all the way down there when I have to get back up again?" Well, you just answered that question! Definitely worth whatever it takes to capture shots like this! I have always been a fan of your third-person writing style and this is no exception. Thank you for a wonderful post to start off my Friday.

Carol said...

Terri - that's what your tripod is for.....

Focusing on Life said...

Such gorgeous captures Cathy! Great work! I love this perspective, and your words are just perfect today!

heyjudephotography said...

That last comment was from me -:)

Cathy H. said...

Beautiful capture of the world near the ground! I understand being 60 myself, how hard it is to photograph from down low. The hard part to me is getting up!

Ida said...

Lovely post. You do get strange looks from people when you lie on the ground but photos like this are worth it. Love the Morel and also the shot of the bug on the flower. What kind of a bug was that?

Deanna said...

I love the perspective of getting down low, but as the age continues to creep (no leap) up on me, and the knees and hips keep getting creakier, it becomes harder and harder for me to get down low for those wonderful shots. Loved your thoughtful writing and it sure looked like a great day!!

susan said...

Beautiful post and love your perspective shooting from the ground! Wonderful!

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