Neuroplasticity is the ability of the brain to change with learning. Research shows that as we get older, by continually learning new things, we have the ability to keep our brains young. In my continual endeavor to learn photography, I do indeed feel young-- with a burst of energy and excitement whenever I learn something new. One of my favorite ways of learning is by asking questions and then finding the answers. Sometimes I don't immediately find the anwers to my questions-- sometimes I find them slowly over time...
My inspiration to begin nature photography began one cool crisp October morning when I pulled into the parking lot at my school. In looking out at the baseball field in front of me, I beheld the most incredible sight.-- sunlight streaming through the trees as if it were raining sun!
It has been a year and a half since I
took these pictures and I haven't come
across another scene like this.
I've wondered what conditions caused these rays of sunlight-- I'd love to see them again! With this question lingering in the back of my mind, I was thrilled to finally find the answer at an unexpected moment. Last week I was flipping through a book entitled, Fine Art Photography: Water, Ice, Fog-- Photographic Techniques and the Art of Interpretation, by Tony Sweet. I stopped at a page that displayed a picture with the same type of incredible rays of sunlight. On page 94, Tony Sweet explains that these rays are called "crepuscular rays", sometimes called god rays. "Light streaking through trees occurs most often when it's very moist (dewy), usually in the morning...When the bright sun in the blue sky goes behind big opaque clouds, rays will shoot out from behind the cloud." (Finally an answer to my question!)
Knowing this information will not make it more likely that I will happen upon this type of scene in the future. However, it will certainly help me know what kinds of conditions will bring a greater likelihood of seeing these types of rays and let me know when I should have my camera handy. Also, having this type of information will prevent me from feeling frustrated that I am not able to frequently get shots with this type of effect.
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Coincidentally, I was able to verify the accuracy of Tony Sweet's information a few days later during a conversation with my friend Susan. The previous day she had posted a striking image on Facebook of crepuscular rays illuminating the trees and the lamp posts in front of our school. Like me, she did not manipulate her picture in any way. She just happened to be in the right place, at the right time, to behold this incredible sight! Susan had the good sense to take out her camera and with her incredible eye for detail and composition, she knew just the right angle to take this shot.
When I told Susan about how crepuscular rays are created, she mentioned that there were indeed drops of water on the trees that morning! Since I was not able to remember the weather conditions that had created the sunlight streaming through the trees of my picture, it was neat to be able to examine Susan's picture in that way.
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Learning new things is exciting, invigorating, and does keep my brain feeling young. One of the reasons that I love the online photography class that I am taking is that I find that it is continually answering many of the questions that I have had and is inspiring new thoughts and questions. There are many parts of the learning process that I find to be exciting-- experimenting when taking pictures, watching the videos in my online class, sharing and discussing ideas with other people, and of course, asking questions and finding the answers.
To Readers of my Blog: I would love to hear about an exciting learning experience that you have had. What did you learn and what made the learning process exciting for you?
My inspiration to begin nature photography began one cool crisp October morning when I pulled into the parking lot at my school. In looking out at the baseball field in front of me, I beheld the most incredible sight.-- sunlight streaming through the trees as if it were raining sun!
It has been a year and a half since I
took these pictures and I haven't come
across another scene like this.
I've wondered what conditions caused these rays of sunlight-- I'd love to see them again! With this question lingering in the back of my mind, I was thrilled to finally find the answer at an unexpected moment. Last week I was flipping through a book entitled, Fine Art Photography: Water, Ice, Fog-- Photographic Techniques and the Art of Interpretation, by Tony Sweet. I stopped at a page that displayed a picture with the same type of incredible rays of sunlight. On page 94, Tony Sweet explains that these rays are called "crepuscular rays", sometimes called god rays. "Light streaking through trees occurs most often when it's very moist (dewy), usually in the morning...When the bright sun in the blue sky goes behind big opaque clouds, rays will shoot out from behind the cloud." (Finally an answer to my question!)
Knowing this information will not make it more likely that I will happen upon this type of scene in the future. However, it will certainly help me know what kinds of conditions will bring a greater likelihood of seeing these types of rays and let me know when I should have my camera handy. Also, having this type of information will prevent me from feeling frustrated that I am not able to frequently get shots with this type of effect.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Coincidentally, I was able to verify the accuracy of Tony Sweet's information a few days later during a conversation with my friend Susan. The previous day she had posted a striking image on Facebook of crepuscular rays illuminating the trees and the lamp posts in front of our school. Like me, she did not manipulate her picture in any way. She just happened to be in the right place, at the right time, to behold this incredible sight! Susan had the good sense to take out her camera and with her incredible eye for detail and composition, she knew just the right angle to take this shot.
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| Photo by Susan Erickson |
When I told Susan about how crepuscular rays are created, she mentioned that there were indeed drops of water on the trees that morning! Since I was not able to remember the weather conditions that had created the sunlight streaming through the trees of my picture, it was neat to be able to examine Susan's picture in that way.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Learning new things is exciting, invigorating, and does keep my brain feeling young. One of the reasons that I love the online photography class that I am taking is that I find that it is continually answering many of the questions that I have had and is inspiring new thoughts and questions. There are many parts of the learning process that I find to be exciting-- experimenting when taking pictures, watching the videos in my online class, sharing and discussing ideas with other people, and of course, asking questions and finding the answers.
To Readers of my Blog: I would love to hear about an exciting learning experience that you have had. What did you learn and what made the learning process exciting for you?
I had an exciting experience with my camera and playing with the settings. It gave me a different perspective of lichen. I think with learning and teaching, you at time need to let yourself or your students go and see what path they take.
ReplyDeleteSteven often talks with the kids about learning new things, especially about nature. He says that once you learn something new and study about it, you will notice it more every time. Hopefully you will get to see the same crepuscular rays again.
ReplyDelete