Life: Through the Lens

There are so many things to teach our children. The landfills we pass along the road and the trash we picked up as we explored various ecosystems on our trip have reminded us once again that our environment needs preservation. The cactus at a beautiful southern Arizona mission had plastic garbage bags stuck to the spines. One park area had paper cups and pop cans littering the parking lot, and they could be seen periodically along the road way as we drove one of the roads through the park. When park services include trash receptacles , and most people arrive by automobile and could at least take their trash with them, this unnecessary littering of the environment becomes even more appalling . If we show our children the world they live with and teach them to look at it as a precious possession, one we need to care for and nurture, then our land and its resources will be preserved for future generations to love and appreciate and care for. Walk softly; "Take only pictures, leave ...

Traveling by car may be tiring, and a bit grueling at times, but it's one of the best ways to see the country. Our discussion on this topic usually comes back to whether flying over the land in a small aircraft is better than driving, as far as seeing the vastness of the country, as well as the topographical differences, but we can't come up with a firm decision. It depends.... For instance, from the air you can see the sand dunes of the south west, and see they extend quite a ways, but you can't always see what is happening to the lands. You also can't see some of the humorous, and sad, aspects of road travel when in an airplane overhead. One such example is signage. And you definitely can't meet the people, and sample the cultures of the various geographic and cultural areas of the country. So, in my opinion, road trips "win."

Photo from The Gathering of the Mustangs, Columbus, OH We're back, but not from anywhere exciting. The rather lengthy hiatus was due to busy work schedules, family commitments and technology issues. Yes, the everyday work world sometimes interferes with the greater good...which is just plain wrong! Making the world a better place takes time, and some planning. The cold weather has settled in, here in Michigan, and days are mostly gray and white and scruffy. We used to get lots of "good" snow, snow to play in and enjoy. But winters are getting colder and harsher, and not as easy to enjoy. Global warming may be happening, but I don't see it in my backyard yet, or aren't we looking carefully enough? At this time of year it's not as easy to pull out the photography gear and head out into the natural world. The rewards, however, are great. Fresh air, sometimes sunshine, and a very different type of nature photo. Each season has its strengths...we just hav...

The title of this student project is "What's the Point?" Derived from our business name, as well as the project theme, we have found it to be a loaded question throughout our instruction. As some of the children struggled with the concept of finding a close-up photograph within a larger picture, we had to explain, re-explain and demonstrate with our own cameras what we were getting at. Other young people seemed to understand the basic concept, but would change their body position between shots, which changed the perspective of the close-up. Teaching a concept is a wonderful way to fine-tune our communication skills as well as our ability to help young people see their world in a new way. If we are going to raise a generation who will help protect our environment, we need to make sure they actually notice that enviroment in a variety of ways. Photography is a wonderful medium through which to do this. Take the time to teach a child to look carefully at the world around th...

Watching young people look for new aspects of their town is amazing. Though listening skills can be all over the place, the results never cease to surprise and reward us. Just look at some of the ways this group of 5th graders discovered surprises about their small town architecture. Now the children will write clues to match the close-up photos they took of the landmarks they'd like to highlight. Then the fun begins. Will people be able to figure out where these locations are? Or will they be stumped? Watch for updates as the project progresses.

I love the excitement which comes from planning a new project. It's time to introduce another group of young people to photography, and a way of "seeing" more carefully. Here's a teaser - is there a landmark in your area which stands out to you? Or one you wish was highlighted more fully? Would you recognize it if you only saw a small portion of it? A photograph of a piece of the puzzle? Look forward to more as the project progresses!

What a great weekend it was in Alma, Michigan just a short week ago. A fabulous air show was put on and the routines, events and attractions were amazing. The turnout was also a rousing success, with conservative estimates in the neighborhood of 10,000 people. This was a difficult number to come up with as the event was free - open to the public to help gain support for the airport as well as build community spirit. And spirit there was! Warbird Aerobatic and Formation demonstrations, static displays of military and vintage aircraft, P-51 Mustang performance, airplane and helicopter rides and Gene Soucy and Teresa Stokes performances were only a few of the attractions. Children's activities were also available, such as pony rides, and rides in a wooden airplane "train", pulled around the field. Food? Oh yes. Area Rotary clubs got together and put on a hamburger and steak fry. Food vendors were also on the grounds. Feedback was excellent... pulling the Gratiot communi...