The pieces are falling into place
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Don’t you love it when you think about something, and everything starts to come together?
The Intent
On November 1, I received an email from someone I know who is studying to become a coach, asking if I would volunteer to be a “practice client.” One of the topics she suggested was what you want more of in your life. Since I’ve been struggling for a while to find a leisure activity that could hold my interest and fit into my lifestyle, I was happy to take advantage of the opportunity.
The Camera
I was toying with the idea of getting a new camera some time, and found one online that I liked. Not wanting to order it online without having felt it in my hands, when my sister and I were at the mall, I suggested we pop into a store to check it out. Unfortunately, they didn’t have any in stock, but the clerk informed me that it was on sale. I know that sales on electronics are often driven by the manufacturer rather than the retailer, so when I got home I checked the website for a store near me, and sure enough, it was on sale there too. I went up to see it, fell in love immediately, and bought what turned out to be the only one they had in stock.
The Course
I knew that in order to make the most of my new camera, I’d probably need to take a course, or at least do some focused reading. Someone associated with the New York Institute of Photography happened to read my post where I mentioned how much things have changed since I took their course 20+ years ago, and generously offered to let me take one of their current courses! So in less time than it would otherwise have taken me to explore my options, I signed up for The Intensive Course in Travel Photography. Even though I’m not much of a traveller, the fundamentals are the same no matter what your subject matter, and I’m sure I’ll be able to apply the lessons about photographing people, the city, and the outdoors to my everyday life.
Where I’m At
I’ve come a long way in only three weeks!
I had my first coaching session the other day, and discovered that structure and purpose are important to me, even when it comes to leisure activities, so I’m excited to have a formal course of study to help me integrate photography back into my life.
I’m taking my camera with me on my morning dog walks and keeping my eyes open for moments like this.
I’m currently working on the first unit of my course, The Fundamentals of Photographic Composition and am already loving it.
What are your favourite pastimes, and how do you fit them into your life?
Janet Barclay
I eliminate stress for my clients by hosting, monitoring, and maintaining their WordPress sites so they don’t have to worry about security, downtime or performance issues. When I’m away from my desk, I enjoy reading, photography, cooking, watching movies, drinking tea, and spending time with my family.
I love the picture Janet, I used to be big into photography and still have my SLR. My ambition is to update to a digital SLR in the next few years.
There are certainly some nice ones out there! What are you using these days?
Love your blog and photo, Janet. Sounds like a very interesting course. I look forward to hearing and seeing more.
Thank you, Janice! This is a taste of what’s in the introductory material: http://www.popphoto.com/sponsored/NYIP/21habits
How mindful!
Allowing dedicated time to work with a coach to investigate what is meaningful for you and enjoying the results!
I too love taking pictures. I had to, however, find a balance between using my camera so much, and just absorbing beautiful images with my eyes. I was also spending too much time in tech to manage them (I enjoy editing) Sometimes I walk without bringing my gadget to force me to just look and breathe. I have now turned my camera work into an art exercise – purposefully making a date to do it, rather than whipping it out every time I see something pretty – haha!
I love Instagram – I call it ‘visual twitter’ 🙂
Jo
Right now I’m working on remembering to watch for and capture great images, but I’ll be careful to sometimes just enjoy my surroundings in the moment.
Great post, Janet. I’ve always enjoyed taking snapshots, but my real interest in photography came about when I started my gardening blog a few years ago. I keep meaning to take a course, but never quite carve out the time. Thanks for inspiring me.
I bet you can find a course that’s specific to photographing flowers or gardens. Have fun, and let me know!
[…] a bit disappointed with the NYIP Travel Photography course, finding it more geared to those who want to pursue a career as a travel photographer than someone […]
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