Sunday, August 11, 2019

Garden Recommendations


Asking for help does not come easy for me. I think that is largely due to my German/Italian heritage. If you are physically and mentally capable, you figure it out and do it yourself. This is why I will probably never have a cleaning lady. When I do ask for help it is because I need something hung on the wall, that usually doesn't go all that well.


But, last week I reached out and asked for recommendations on FB for local flower farms where I could go photograph. I know this seems such a low hurdle in the help-asking arena, but for me it was still hard. I have Google at my fingertips, and with my many years of wandering, I should be able to figure it out. What I have learned though is that people want to help.  Within 24 hours, I had three awesome recommendations.


The flower farm was for Exercise 36 in the book Shooting with Soul. You are probably tired of reading about this book every time I post, but I need this book and these exercises to get out of my daily rut. Without the book, my wanderings are limited to walks with the puppy at the beach, in the woods, at the park, and downtown. Wash, rinse, and repeat. I need my brain and my eyes to be challenged to look for something new, to think new thoughts, and to get out with my big camera by myself.


Now if you have the book and look at Exercise 36, you might wonder what am I talking about - going to a flower farm? The lesson instructs you to buy fresh flowers, arrange them and photograph them in your home. I will get to that this winter when there is nothing to do outside. I am choosing to follow just the last couple sentences: "Then, with input from all of your senses, take photos that infuse your images with your thoughts and feelings. Repeat as needed throughout the year."



As I said I received three recommendations, and I plan to explore them all, but I started with the one closest to my house. Sunrise is at 6:43 and I wanted early morning light, but I didn't want to leave the house at five o'clock. Plus my recommendation came from the wife of the owner of the wholesale garden I was going to.


The funny thing is, more than a decade ago, I actually worked in these display gardens for a few summers. I worked for a friend who was contracted to maintain the large gardens. I haven't been back in many years. Some of it felt familiar, but a lot of it felt so different. It was the perfect combination of comfort and exciting new discoveries.


This week, I also started a new art class from Laly Mille - Soulful Abstracts. One of the first exercises we had to do was find images on Pinterest based on questions about ourselves.  My finds were the color palette I expected, although I feel my green color is more clearly defined now, what did surprise me was how dark and moody a lot of the images were. That dark moody feeling definitely influenced my photography at the garden. I might be in love. I looked at everything with a completely new perspective.


This is going to be a really good class for my art and my photography.


7 comments:

Peggy said...

I have mentioned before that your blog is such an inspiration to me. I ordered the book you recommended hoping that it would help me to get out my camera. Life has been busy lately and I make time for watercolor painting but hesitate to actually work on my photography. Having exercises to do may just be the thing I need to get me going. I love your shots and hope someday to take some that please me.

Maggid said...

Thank you for your story . . . straight from the heart . . which helps me more than you can imagine . . .
AND - Thank you for these Gorgeous - soul touching - views - from your quest.
Awesome.
-g-

chasing the sun said...

Beautiful photos and story!

Cathy H. said...

Your morning in the garden turned out some wonderful photos! I love the light and the viewpoints you chose! My favorite is the one with the purple flowers and the lattice work. Simple gorgeous!

Karen Lakis said...

I am definitely NOT tired of hearing about your exercises from Shooting with Soul. I bought the book a few weeks ago and it is now coming off my shelf and I hope to put it into action. I love seeing what you are doing with it!
That’s awesome that you were able to get recommendations for gardens to take photos. Your garden path photo is stunning - such beautiful light! A good lesson to learn about asking for help. You’re always the first person to offer it - I’ve gotten so many great ideas and feedback from you.

Lynne said...

Liking the garden path photos . . .
And the leaf like umbrellas . . . with veins, lines, etchings . . .
I find SOUL in your photos . . .
One thing I like about your photography Sarah.
You invite me in . . . giving me pause to reflect, remember.
A vibrancy all its own . . .

Walking the Bean said...

It was no accident that you found that place again. There is so many different lights going on in all these pieces. This place will give you inspiration for a long time. Thanks for sharing.

~Christopher