Photo Safari
My art quilt buddies and I recently went on a “Photo Safari.” This is an outing in which we notice our surroundings, and photograph specific things. Things like something pretty, something ugly, contrasting items, the same item from three different positions, etc. It’s a fun and excellent exercise in observation and composition.
We went to a local botanical garden, where there were PLENTY of lovely things to photograph. The photo above was my favorite composition of the day. Although the one below was a very close second.
(If you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you’ve seen other photos – and quilts – inspired by this vibrant pink plant, a Japanese Ti Plant.)
When prompted to photograph the same item from three different distances, I ended up with this, my favorite shot of the day. I love the crossing angles and the variety of values!
There was also an assignment to photograph something from an unusual perspective. Gabriele really got into the spirit, below.
We had a good chuckle when we realized that many of us had photographed the “flowers” below. They were actually flags marking new plantings!
If you’d like to have your own photo safari, you can find the prompts we used on my website. Hint: Go somewhere less pretty, so it’s more challenging.
Ellen Lindner
P.S. There are lots of useful articles and tips on my website. Look for Learn with Ellen/Articles.
P.P.S. Another art group had their own safari and got really interesting results.
