A few months ago, I wrote about my dedication to lifelong learning. One of the learning experiences I mentioned was taking photography classes at the Smithsonian Institution when I lived in Washington, DC. In these classes, not only did I learn how to take photographs but also I learned how to process black and white film and how to develop black and white prints. For anyone who lives in the DC area, the Smithsonian offers lots of great studio arts courses to choose from.
One of the things I enjoyed about the photography classes I took was feeling a connection to my paternal grandfather. He worked several jobs over his lifetime, and one of them involved taking photographs at official events for the newsletter and archive of the company he worked for at the time. He also supplemented his income by being a self-employed photographer. In both of the houses he lived in as an adult, he built darkrooms so he could practice his craft. He took lots of photos of people’s weddings back in the day!
Unfortunately, I didn’t persist in my photography lessons long enough to become as good a photographer as my grandfather. After I moved away from DC, I lived in Pittsburgh for a while, and although I had access to a darkroom there, I needed more instruction before I could feel self-sufficient in my skills. Then I moved away from Pittsburgh, lost access to the darkroom, and never picked up any additional photography classes.
Nonetheless, I still enjoy taking photographs. I always have I guess. When I was in college, long before I lived in DC, I was the historian for my sorority chapter, and you could find me at all our official functions taking photographs for our scrapbooks. Also, every time I go on vacation, I take lots of photos to print and save in my memory boxes. In fact, I have a huge backlog of photos that I’ve saved to my computer but have never had printed...I’ll have to add that to my to-do list!
In any case, over this fall, I’ve taken a few photos to capture scenes of my favorite season. Where I live, fall is now gradually changing into winter. Before the snow flies (although I know it already has in many places), I thought I’d share some of the photos I’ve taken. Maybe they can serve to give you a taste of nature, which is so important in coping with COVID-19 and other daily stresses. I hope you enjoy!
