Fairies and Photography

Last fall, I took a leaf photo that I loved. You know how good can be born from 

the very painful things in life? Well, that's exactly what happened.

My returning RA made it much too painful to get low enough to capture the light 

beaming through fall leaves scattered across our patio. So I fiddled with settings and 

took the photos 'blind' by placing the camera on the ground and pressing the shutter release.

 Every photo was a surprise, since I had nothing to do with the

 framing or focusing of the shot.

It occurred to me that photos taken from this vantage point  display what a fairy might see.

Guess I read a few too many books about woodland fairies in my childhood 

because it sure stuck with me!

 And now that spring is swelling into summer, I find myself  wondering what those

 fairies 

might see IF they wandered through my flowerbeds -

 Oriental poppies from below - quite an impressive sight!

 Painted ferns would make a colorful overhead display.

Lily of the valley blooms could replace church bells on any clear morning!

***

This would be a fun photo project for children this summer.  Any point and shoot camera, 

a DSLR with an 'auto' setting, or an iphone camera will do the job. Be ready 

to delete many photos that focus incorrectly, come out blurred or poorly lit. 

But wait for it ...

... they will be thrilled when they get a photo that perfectly portrays the everyday 

viewpoint of  the common garden fairy. And you have a chance to talk with them 

about seeing things from another person's perspective,

 and the effort and payoffs that are involved in that sometimes difficult  task.

Just a thought.

Link to more kid photography ideas here.