By Lisa Hanhard
I had never been what people would call a patient person. I’d always been very goal oriented and for my first 40 years on this earth I was charging through life. My quest was to aim for my next goal, whether personal, professional or physical until it was achieved. Then I would seek out my next challenge and charge forward again, single minded in my purpose of completing what I set out to do, learn or achieve. That was until I got my first macro lens, a Canon f2.8 100mm L series macro lens. And my life has never again been the same.
The day my life changed, started by taking a jaunt over to the Desert Botanical Garden in Phoenix, Arizona. Armed with my new lens I set out to see what I might discover that day. As I came to the little pond that day I saw the most magnificent creature, a gorgeous red rock skimmer dragonfly posing on a rock, and I was entranced. I stared at that little guy and took probably 200 photos. As I sat at the edge of the water it stared at me and I stared back, shooting photos. Every now and then it would do a little rotation, almost saying to me “you think this side of me is eye-catching, check me out from this angle.” Through the course or 15 minutes I just sat with that dragonfly photographing it from all angles. When I got home to view my photos I was amazed at the detail and intricacy of this creature. I was astounded that in 40 years of life I had never even noticed a dragonfly before, let alone seen their delicate details. The dragonfly became symbolic to me of all of the breath-taking things in the world that I had never slowed down enough to see. From that day forward I have been peeking into flower buds, looking into trees, and crawling on the ground to see what else I have been missing, and I’ve learned there is so much beauty everywhere if we only take the time to look.
Some things that I have learned on the journey.
Patience – If you clear your mind and relax, beautiful things will happen. The best moments in life do not happen when you are in a hurry. Sit down, and plan to stay for a while.
For example, Dragonflies are very territorial and generally flit back to the same branch or two consistently. If you miss a shot, just sit quietly and chances are they will come right back to you, and even pose for you a few minutes later.
Most of my best dragonfly shots photos have come after missing a shot. It gave me time to prepare my focus and choose the best seat to wait for the dragonflies return.
Solitude can be a very nice thing – Spending some time with nature in total solitude can be very peaceful. Not only will you get some of your best shots, but letting your brain have time to totally shut down is very relaxing.
Beauty has many angles – Make sure to explore as many as you are able. If you don’t like the way something looks, change your perspective.
Life is short. A dragonfly only flies for the final few months of its life. Get out, explore, look for beauty everywhere, and make friends along the way. Arizona Highways Photo Workshops are a great place to do that 🙂
And, next time you see a plant or flower of bush, look closer. You might find a tiny little magical world waiting for you to explore. Enjoy the journey.
Lisa Hanhard is a trip leader with Arizona Highways Photo Workshops.