Lessons Learned

“…and every now and then, remember to look behind you.”

That tid-bit of gold was given to me more than 25 years ago by a photographer I met while shooting an assignment. To this day I remember the conviction in his voice and sincerity in his eyes has he said it. I also remember thinking at the time, this was one of those unwritten pearls of wisdom that come after years of experience.

The picture here happened as a result of that advice. I was in Goderich Ontario on a booking for a corporate client. It was unseasonably warm and I, along with many others headed down to the lakeshore to enjoy another Lake Huron sunset.

I was shooting into the sun and after making a few pictures, turned around to take a look behind me. At first I saw this couple sitting on this natural pier. I made a couple of pictures with just them sitting in the frame. Then, a large flock of Canadian Geese who were floating in the bay began to squak and within a few seconds began to take flight.

I was a little further away than I would have liked, however using my 400mm lens I was able to fill the frame with this image just as this break away group of geese flew overhead.

Photography is a lot of putting yourself in the right place at the right time. It is also a little bit about luck, but most importantly it is about remembering lessons from the past.

Thanks Bill.

You can see more of our work here Wide Open Studios Archive

Vagabond Perspective

Hidden Symmetry Is All Around Us

When we examine this mathematical order in the plants closely, we encounter an impressive geometrical plan. How many branches will be on a tree, where will these branches stem from, how many leaves will be on a branch, and with what arrangement these leaves will be placed in are all predetermined. According to scientific research, every plant and every tree has a uniqe leaf arrangement ratio. Wherever you go in the world, this leaf arrangement ratio of the plants and trees, which share the same type, do not change. Since the leaves are arranged according to the Fibonacci numbers, no leaf casts its shadow on the other. All the leaves can make use of sunlight and air equally. Every leaf can catch water in the same amount, and because of that, the water which comes from the leaves flows down through the body and reaches the root of the plant.