Inspiration

15 Aug Inspiration

I was sitting at my desk going through my inbox when the offer to inspire myself came through. It came in the form of an email offering a photography class at the Raptor Trust, a facility in New Jersey dedicated to rescuing and rehabilitating birds of prey. Inspiration came in an instant and ultimately, like the experience of Transformation, it was also a cumulative experience.

First, I recognized “I want to do this.” Next came “Am I worth it?” The answer, of course, was “yes,” but that didn’t mean that it didn’t take courage to register online, paying $225 for a two and half hour opportunity to see some birds up close and personal and to learn how to take better pictures.

If you are familiar with me at all, you know I have a passion for taking wildlife pictures and I have taken many gorgeous shots of birds. Part of how I inspired myself was by being honest that my experience of myself as a photographer had gone a little flat. This was not a failing on my part – simply a fact. I also need to tell the truth that there is nothing wrong with me or wrong with my images and yet I could still be passionate about discovering what else was possible. So I started from the position of being content yet curious. I was willing to be a student. I was also prepared to ask questions, even ones I thought were silly, and listen to the answers.

During the seminar the instructor gave me some great tips on how to operate settings in my camera that I was unfamiliar with. And I became inspired with the results. That being said, I am fairly certain that I won’t be able to hold and replicate all those settings each time I use my camera. I am learning a new skill-set, a new language and I expect to get better at it over time, especially if I play with my camera on my own and look out for opportunities to be “inspired” by instructors who have mastered my art.