I’m not a photographer

but I play one during dog walks!

One of the things that I maintain to this day is that good artists and photographers see things that the rest of us don’t and they use that ability to capture the moment. I can tell you that with at least three dog walks daily, I’m starting to pick up on details that I would normally just go past without giving them a second thought. I really appreciate those that have that ability and I wish that I did.

One of the things that we’ve been doing this holiday season is driving around looking at holiday lights. We’ve done the town thoroughly so last night I suggested that we head out to Belle River and see what was out there. I had read an article online about the town’s display at one of their parks.

Now, yesterday was incredibly windy here and that’s part of the story. We did a buzz through town enjoying what we were seeing and then headed out to the Marina which is a nice loop for a walk and since it was now after 7pm, we thought that we might have it to ourselves. Not really and that’s part of this story.

Once we got out and started walking, Jaimie kept looking over his shoulder as only a dog can with a plea for us to stop the wind that was ruffling his back. Sorry, bud. Through the park, we walked and out onto the pier that goes out into Lake St. Clair. It was windy, I’ll tell you. We’re headed to the north and the wind was coming in from the west. While it was windy, the pier kept the water relatively calm so I took a picture with my phone. Then, I took a few more hoping that at least one would come out since it was dark.

The problem was that it was so windy that every picture was fuzzy since I couldn’t maintain my balance. I was truly shaking and wavering in the breeze. Then, a stroke of genius hit. I sat down on one of the benches and took a picture.

Sadly, there was a pole in the road of a perfect picture. I was pleased with the result and later I noticed the water mark on the post to give an indication of how the level was down.

Things changed immensely when we got the end of the pier and headed back. The wind was now catching the water and really throwing it hard against that side of the pier. It was then that I appreciated the other people that were out there. They had parked their vehicles facing the west and were watching the waves. They were also getting a vehicle washing since the waves were at least a metre high and splashing halfway across the pier. Normally, we walk along the edge but that was a recipe for disaster. We ended up walking down the middle of the pier and I caught a picture highlighted by the car headlights.

This wasn’t nearly as good as the previous picture. I had no bench to sit on and the wind was blowing at me from a different direction. I wish I could have got closer to capture the size of those waves. They were huge.

In terms of photography, I’m self-taught. Once, 11 years ago, we were on a cruise and I took a class on board and learned that good photographers always have their tripod with them, their cameraS, and a camera bag full of lenses. It’s hardly compatible with dog walking when you have one hand and arm devoted to a leash. I also never plan to take picture; the urge just happens.

As a result of the course, I did buy myself a monopod and my 35mm camera does screw on it nicely but that does require planning and I’m pretty sure that the camera in my phone is better than my old camera anyway.

I’ll be honest and let you know that I probably took about 30 pictures in the wind last night and those two are the best of the bunch. The others were garbage or had a bit of something wrong with them.

This post tells of my experience and I did enjoy it and the cup of coffee for the ride home. Yet, I know that like most things, I have a lot to learn about taking photographs with a phone.

So, teach me if you have ideas!