We all want to have that picture-perfect photo every time we press the shutter release. We try and try while we continue to divulge ourselves in YouTube videos, participating in events, and shelling out hundreds of dollars to learn how to take that picture-perfect photo. It can be frustrating, expensive and very stressful.

A few months ago, I decided that I didn’t want to do that to myself anymore. I didn’t want to continue to search far and wide or to make sure all my settings were to a T just to capture that picture-perfect shot.  I was beginning to take the joy of being surrounded by nature and the true meaning of why I have a camera in my hand, and it wasn’t to take that picture-perfect photo; it was to learn about what I am taking a photo of.

I have been photographing for over ten years, and within those years, I have played around with many photography genres but never really found where I truly wanted to be as a photographer. I do enjoy photographing sports. I love that I can capture those non-scripted, natural emotions every student-athlete expresses. However, my heart will always lean towards exploring those super cool things that no one hardly sees, and that is where I do not want to be but feel where I need to be.  

Ahh, so many species that encompass nature. So many I have yet to discover and understand. It’s all so fascinating! It is like observing how a crab spider creates a canopy by using its silk to connect the petals of a Tickseed or how mesmerizing the green metallic colors shimmer when the sun hits the body of a Brown-winged Striped Sweat Bee.

So I am taking a step back to create forward by getting back to exploring, discovering, learning, researching, and doing my best to relay that information through this blog.

Photographing nature has taught me a couple of things about myself: I am a visual and kinesthetic learner; most creative people are.  

We thrive on creativity, and our brains are non-stop conjuring up ways to either learn or interpret what we see through the lens.  Some of us can close our eyes and do this within minutes, right after reviewing a couple of photos, and some of us can take less than a day to produce a variety of different visual compositions.

If we lose the ability to create or express our creativity, we lose ourselves. We tend to feel unproductive, and being creatively productive is like having a heartbeat. We need that process to keep our hearts beating and our minds functioning. It’s that sense of productivity. Nature and photography provide that lifeline for many of us.  

Using photography to interpret the knowledge of Florida’s ecosystems comes in many different formats. It can be utilized through a blog, signage, publication, flyers, and even creative posters, and this is where I am moving forward.  So trying to achieve the picture-perfect photo is not important, for me, that is, but learning more about Florida’s ecosystems definitely is. 

One of the ways of learning about Florida’s ecosystems is to create self-projects, and what is important is that it’s our creative project. It’s our idea, our project, and it’s our lifeline to nature. We can visualize the project, outline and set it in motion. It doesn’t matter if we are getting compensated for it, well, it would be nice, but it’s the process of creation. It’s the baseline of how kinesthetic learners learn in order to teach.

You got the software to create. You got the means to research and write, and you got the equipment for visual content. Don’t let it sit there and become stale along with your creativeness, use it and use it weekly. 

Be safe in your travels.

* Please note, I have closed my Smugmug account, which most all my videos were linked to that account. Please be patient as I reupload those videos from another source. Thank you.