The art of seeing, words and images, part 1

Pansies fill with light as the sun crosses to the west deck.

When my friend, Suzette, called to invite me to participate in her upcoming workshop I hesitated before answering.

It sounded like a perfectly great workshop focusing on writing and photography taught by two professionals in the field--Suzette McIntyre, with over 20 years as a wedding and portrait photographer, and Kerrie Flanagan, a freelance writer, author, publisher, writing instructor and director of Northern Colorado Writers.

But, it never occurred to me to enroll before Suzette called.  After all, I write A LOT--I've got a B.A. in journalism and a M.A. in creative writing and I currently write two blogs!  I also take A LOT of photographs.  I've been writing and shooting photos for a kazillion years, so a workshop entitled "Images and Words" wasn't at the top of my list. 

I mean, really, what could I learn?  Well, it turns out, a whole heck of a lot!! 

Quiet water reflects in Jodie Reservoir.

But, once I agreed to participate I got off to a rough start.

Wouldn't you know that I caught a viral infection that morphed into a bacterial infection the week before the first workshop and had to cancel because I had completely lost my voice!

When I saw Suzette the next week, now on antibiotics and much improved, she was not dismayed that I had missed one half of the entire class.  I figured it was a nice try and maybe I would sign up for the next one.

But, Suzette was prepared to keep me as a student. Not only did she go through her power point presentation with me, she made sure I had all the hand-out materials AND--the homework assignments!!

This is a two-part workshop with both classes held on Sunday afternoons.  The culmination of the writing and photography assignments is a gala exhibit of work produced--scheduled for this Saturday, May 16, in the Boardwalk Gallery, 115 5th Street, in Windsor, CO, with the opening reception from 5-8 p.m.

So, yes, by virtue of still being a member of the class I most definitely had homework!  I had an exhibit coming up in TWO WEEKS that hadn't been written or photographed yet!!  I had wall space that would be BLANK if I didn't get moving!!

When I first began working on my B.F.A. degree many years ago I was dazzled by what I was suddenly able to SEE--once I actually LOOKED.  I was reminded of a quote that is attributed to both Thomas Berger and Saul Bellow--    

"What is art but a way of seeing?"

And, as you have likely guessed, observing and being aware are also fundamentals to writing.  Both are creative endeavors and both rely on the art of seeing.

As I looked over the assignments I decided to approach my photography as Claude Monet did in his paintings of the same hay stacks.  He was fascinated by light and how the same hay stacks looked so vastly different at various times during the day.  I decided I would shoot images as familiar to me as Monet's haystacks--the pond behind our house, the Poudre River and flowers in my garden.  Although I have taken a zillion photos of them all in the almost four years we've lived here, this time I wanted to surprise myself!!

"The real art of discovery is not in finding new land, but in seeing with new eyes." --Marcel Post

 So, off I went, armed with my trusty Canon Power Shot SD4500 IS Digital Elph, determined to see my world in new and revealing ways.

I am seldom without my camera attached to my hand on any given day, but as I stood at the pond's edge and began shooting I suddenly IGNITED with the thrill of new discoveries!!  

It was if I couldn't shoot fast enough as the most amazing things fell into my viewfinder!

A Mourning Dove lands on a bent reed to sip water.

And, then the weather changed, as it so often does in Colorado, and from bluebird skies we were immersed in an unusual string of rainy days!  

I was delighted beyond words!

Now I could shoot the SAME things in different light and with raindrops falling!!

By the time Sunday and the second class rolled around, I was armed with probably 800 new images.  

Now we added the writing.

(See part 2.)