Monday, September 8, 2014

Sharing the Wonder


I visited my newly-found phenology spot a week ago.  What I found there was amazing--first, I saw two Snowshoe Hares bound away from me.  I walked farther back and flushed three Ruffed Grouse, then a Short-tailed Weasel ran across the bog right in front of me.  Without a doubt, it was the highlight for me from the last two weeks I've spent at Conserve School.  I had my e-portfolio entry almost done.  Then, at the very last moment--Thursday afternoon--it changed.

I and five other students were atop the sledding hill, admiring a sun positioned 20 degrees above the horizon and shining through wispy clouds, set in a deep blue sky that belonged somewhere farther west.  We admired it until someone decided to go down the hill on a tube.  We couldn't help ourselves--we all followed suit.  When I reached the bottom, the scene struck me--it was beautiful.  Bird and Antonia stood at the top of the hill preparing to sled down, two small figures outlined against the raw beauty of the winter sky.  It was a very powerful scene.

Too powerful to keep it to myself...

I took my camera out and started shooting away.  I took dozens of photos of Bird and Antonia on top of the hill.  I looked around for more subjects--grass outlined against the sun made a particularly good subject.  The top of a pine tree, the buds of a maple, the fence around the gardens, the top of the warming shack... they all made great subjects!  I came away with hundreds of photos.

I already "Appreciate . . . the wonder of nature" and "value fundamental, life-long connections with nature." What I did with this experience was to find a creative way to express my appreciation for nature.  I learned that through creative photography, I can convey my appreciation for nature to other people in a way that, except for being right there with them, I can't do otherwise.

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