Shared Interests, Shared Moments

This week I’ve asked Andy to be my photographer. He and I both very much enjoy photography. He comes by it naturally as both of his grandfathers also loved photography. So this outing is especially fun as I reflect on this love of capturing nature in snapshots, and the times my dad and I had “photo shoots.” Now I’m having a photo shoot with my son and I get to share it publicly. Today we headed to Eagle Creek revisiting some areas we’ve explored over the years together.

Photography back when I was developing my interest in it was very different than it is now. We would take shots with little editing available. You got what you got. And you had film that needed to be developed. I felt like I had to be more creative on the actual taking of the picture than now. Now, my pictures are digitalized and I can play around with the end result, plus I can take multiple shots of the exact same thing and not feel as if I’m wasting film, and have the advantage of picking the best photo of the series. But honestly, I am most happy with the pictures that actually look the most like what I saw when I took it. But I am still in amazement at what Andy can do when he photoshops! It takes the creativity of photography to a whole new level. I am thrilled to share this adventure into nature with Andy in my blog.

Andy is my nature boy, always has been. One of his favorite bed time books was a text book like nature book. We would mostly page through it looking at the pictures, and I would add commentary, it wasn’t a story book. He took it all in, more than I appreciated in the moment because as time went on and a random question would arise about something nature related. He’d have an answer, and at first I didn’t think he would have the correct answer. But after several times fact checking and seeing that he was indeed right I eventually learned to trust that he did indeed have the correct answer. His young brain was a sponge when it came to the smallest details on living creatures, from bugs to dinos.

Andy loved, and still loves to explore. He takes the saying “leave no stone unturned” to heart. That began as a toddler, literally. One day I looked out my kitchen window into the backyard of our first Michigan house in Midland to see Andy pulling up each landscaping brick that was circling the maple tree, looking for insects! The landscaping never looked the same, but when I recall that event I smile.

Andy has a big heart when it comes to nature too. He rescues spiders from inside the house and releases them back into nature. He has endured deep cuts from the claws of a snapping turtle to move it from a busy country road. Frequently he has spotted an animal that has found itself trapped and he figures out the best way to reunite it with its home. He loves to go creek stomping, looking for fish and snakes to grab and examine. We actually wanted to go creek stomping this week at a favorite spot near Shades State Park but we are all wanting to stay close to home while awaiting the arrival of baby C., so maybe another week we’ll get that chance. But this week I was happy to spend time with Nature Boy & his camera out in the woods.