Anxiety & Photography

[Boston001]

I never feel anxiety when I'm shooting with my camera. With the exception of falling into the water or dropping my camera. I'm always carrying at least one camera. I prefer still shots, but I also do a lot of videos. My pickup has two video cameras, my bicycle has two video cameras, my phone has two video/still cameras, and The camera that I take everywhere, every time I'm just going somewhere with no intention of shooting is a, 1" full frame action camera, water and dustproof, so I can pull it out in any conditions without thinking about it getting broken. My art camera is my Olympus and probably demonstrates my obsession the most, with all the lenses and filters, tripods, and accessories. I got my first digital camera after my chronic panic attacks started, and after my Ex and I separated for the first time. I had control over my pay check for the first time in 15 years. And where it was digital I could shoot everything and not have to worry about the expense of getting film developed, like my cameras when I was a teenager. Almost overnight I started feeling less stress, anxiety, and depression. When I'm shooting my agoraphobia melts away and I feel like I belong there. I can honestly say photography saved my life! So I think it offsets the stupid amount of money I have spent over the years.

Do you need to see a bunny today? Nature is my favorite subject to shoot. Feel free to share your photos, photography is also my favorite spectator sport. I always say "It doesn't matter what camera you use, the only thing that is important is what you are pointing at when you hit the shutter button"

[Isinatra]

Cool post. I like your story and of course love the the pic. I just got a cellphone and I’ll be a picture taking fool when I eventually remember I have a phone. 😁

[Hidden in reply to Isinatra]

Wait...what?!🤣 You don't remember that you have a phone?? Oh dear me...

[Isinatra in reply to Hidden]

No lie!✌️lol

[Hidden in reply to Isinatra]

That's cool. Question: are you on your phone now? That would be a sure-fire way of remembering.

[Isinatra in reply to Hidden]

I’m on my iPad. It takes great pics, but I can’t take it everywhere. It’s more user friendly for me. Keys are bigger, etc.

[Isinatra]

p.s. is it appropriate to take a picture of a stranger without their permission. 🤭

[Dolphin14 in reply to Isinatra]

What kind of stranger?

❤️🐬

[Isinatra in reply to Dolphin14]

The stranger in question was a really pretty gal, dressed so nice. She had a glow and her bag was gold. She was walking away at a fast clip so if I had been fast enough, the pic would have been her back. It started me thinking of all the beauty in the world I could capture including humans…..but is it appropriate to do so with no evil intentions. Just an appreciation of something pleasing to the eye. But I’m not going to the local fire station and sneak around taking candid camera shots if that’s floating around in the back of your very large brain. 😁

[Dolphin14 in reply to Isinatra]

Becky:

That's exactly what I thought. Thank you for the large brain compliment.

Put your token turtle picture up. Boston may have not seen that yet.

Put the phone with the keys and show us around town please

[Isinatra in reply to Dolphin14]

That poor old turtle pic. My memory fails me if Boston has seen it yet. Ok…one more time.

Good idea. Phone and keys. Yeah…I can do that since nobody calls me, I don’t need it glued to my forehead.

[Boston001 in reply to Isinatra]

Good Question!

There is a fine line between art and creepy! But here in the US, you can take photos of anyone in a public space as long as there is no expectation of privacy, Beach Yes- Bath house No, Walmart Parking Lot Yes- Changing room No. Street photography is protected by the 1st amendment. But is it appropriate? To me, It really depends on how you share it and what message you are trying to convey

[Isinatra in reply to Boston001]

Thanks for the explanation. 🙏 The woman is blurred out, but some people might think it was real life art. I doubt if she’d sign a release, anyway.

[Boston001 in reply to Isinatra]

I just blurred it for this example

[Isinatra in reply to Boston001]

Very thoughtful…

[Boston001 in reply to Isinatra]

Now if I was a news photographer, I would be well within my rights to print and publish the un edited version in the news paper, with out her consent

[Isinatra in reply to Boston001]

oh…that’s kind of weird or contradictory.

[Boston001 in reply to Isinatra]

As I said before street photography is protected by the 1st amendment. "Any public place, with no expectation of privacy" Paparazzi and other low-lives use this to exploit people, totally morally wrong but in US law it is protected.

[Isinatra in reply to Boston001]

Hmmmm…

[Boston001 in reply to Isinatra]

If I share a revealing photo of a stranger, it has to Shout ART or Norman Rockwell's daily life, as far away from exploitation as I can get

White Rose Running Woman

[Isinatra in reply to Boston001]

Nice!

[Hidden]

I'm glad that you're so into photography! That's really neat!

[Dolphin14]

Morning

Love your rabbit. Let me cruise my photos I have a good one

🐬

I think it is Rudolph

[Boston001 in reply to Dolphin14]

Lovely Dear,,,,,,,, Deer

[Dolphin14 in reply to Boston001]

perfection with your spelling

[Boston001 in reply to Dolphin14]

English is funny that way

[Dolphin14 in reply to Boston001]

No kidding right???

Have you noted our UK friends add extra letters to words?

[Isinatra in reply to Dolphin14]

lol …it’s a sweet pic, but I guess his nose only glows at Christmas.

[Dolphin14 in reply to Isinatra]

🙄..... hello .... it's day time.

[Isinatra in reply to Dolphin14]

Oops…good point. 🏄‍♀️

[Dolphin14 in reply to Isinatra]

🙄 ❤️

[Isinatra]

This is def amateur. No, the amateur isn’t the turtles name, it’s ping or pong. There’s two and I’m not sure which one this is.

Ping/Pong

[Boston001 in reply to Isinatra]

Yes I have seen this, I have pics of my turts somewhere

[Isinatra in reply to Boston001]

Compared to yours, I was almost embarrassed to post it, anyway. Dig up some of your turtle pics…..😊

[Boston001 in reply to Isinatra]

I wasn't thinking anything like that. Your photo tells a story about a little guy who found a place to relax on a ward day, in a dogs water dish🤣

[Isinatra in reply to Boston001]

lol spa day

[Nothing_but_books in reply to Isinatra]

Hi Ping/Pong!

[Isinatra in reply to Nothing_but_books]

lol 🐢🐢

[Nothing_but_books in reply to Isinatra]

I didn't realize how many different kinds of animals I've shared my life with until I began using HU. Not quite enough to fill an ark, but headed that way.

Dad used to set my turtle in the middle of the kitchen table. We'd get a kick out of it as he dashed for the edge, and dove off into Dad's hand. Over. And over. What a kick watching him eat. Chomp!

I had another of those guys, years later, that I kept in an aquarium with my tropical fish. Not a good idea; he considered the other residents food. Pretty much cleared them out except for an algae-eater who was too fast for him.

Boy he'd sulk when that guy landed on his back and did his work. Poor turtle would drift to the bottom of the tank. He'd stretch out his head and neck and lay them down with a "woe is me" expression. When the algae-eater finished, my guy would shoot off after him with his mouth open to get some back. Nope.

Red-eared Slider

[Isinatra in reply to Nothing_but_books]

cool! Pretty little thing.,

[RupertBrown]

Beautiful shot! Wish I could take better pictures. I take pics when I'm hiking to use as reference photos for art. But end up deleting 95% because they're just plain awful! I get the same feeling when I'm drawing or painting; the world, my troubles, even the voices kind of fade away and it's quiet in my head for a while. Love your photo and hope to see more!

[Boston001 in reply to RupertBrown]

I so relate with you. 99% of my photos get deleted. And some that are crappy photos I use my digital brushes to paint over and a garbage photo has new life

common heron

[RupertBrown in reply to Boston001]

Love the idea of turning "junk" to treasure. Nice!

[Nothing_but_books in reply to Boston001]

You got him! This is the guy I used to watch every year, always on the other side of the creek. He'd take off even if I walked too close to the water on my side.

[MadBunny]

Of course I do.. Lovely 🤗

Saw this yesterday on my walk down the river . They have been nesting in this area for years

Swans nesting

[Boston001 in reply to MadBunny]

I love it!

[MadBunny in reply to Boston001]

Thank you .

[Boston001]

You know you are in New England when

Street photography, Scituate Ma.

[Nothing_but_books]

I didn't know I needed to see a bunny, but 'deed I do.

[LifeIsThePitts]

We always walk the dogs around 🌄 sunrise. The wildfires on the west coast always produce crazy intense colors. This was from summer 2020.

Morning walk... wildfire smoke sunrise

[Boston001 in reply to LifeIsThePitts]

😃That is beautiful! Only once in my life have I seen the wildfire effect you are talking about. I think it was 2003 and there were fires in Canada somewhere. It lasted about a week and there was one morning I could look directly at the sun and see sun spots, It was like wearing a #10 welding mask. Having been so close to 9/11 and the invasion of Afghanistan, it had a real post-apocalyptic feel to it

[LifeIsThePitts in reply to Boston001]

This had no filter or color correction either!! It was absolutely INTENSE AND AMAZING in person.

[LifeIsThePitts in reply to Boston001]

I'll bet those photos would have been insane! Sun spots are rarely seen with the naked 👁️ eye!!

[EarthSitter1]

Your photograph is lovely.

I took this picture a few weeks ago a Fallow Deer near my home as you can see there was a slight mist so not a particularly sharp pic.

A Deer taken at dusk near my home.

[Boston001 in reply to EarthSitter1]

Coool! She/He's a fatty hee hee. We have a small population of deer here. Most of the time I only hear them or see their hoof prints. Unfortunately, a few of my neighbors are anti-nature. They hire commercial pest control people to spray chemicals. I'd be okay with that if it stayed on their property, but it drifts all over the neighborhood. There have been a few times I was sleeping and woken up to my bedroom filled with their chemicals. I cat get them to stop, I have called and written letters to the Board of Health and EPA and no one wants to help me. It really triggers me and I get manic when they spray. We live in a world where it is OKay to pepper spray your neighbor when they sleeping in their bed. Sorry for the rant! As I said it has become a real mental health issue for me that has no solution

[EarthSitter1]

So sorry you have to put up with that, how can people have such little respect for nature no wonder the planet needs help with people like that around. I prefer to think there must be more people who care than don’t 💛