If I Pay Attention In Class

When I was a child, I was a very poor student. I had better things to do than pay attention in class. I doodled, read stuff that was not assigned, talked, and gazed out of the window because the outside world beckoned. As an aging adult, I hope that I’m a better student now than I was then. As poor a student as I was then, it shouldn’t be difficult.

I have previously written about things I’ve learned while on the journey as a wildlife photographer that are relevant to the world of wellness, veterans and first responders and retirement but I’d like to really zero in on three things. These three things can be restorative and helpful to everyone…especially those who have been exposed to the volume and intensity of trauma like these groups.

I try to shoot every day and usually manage to get 100-250 (On occasion many more) shots in. I only keep a small portion of what I take. None of these animals have ever manifested themselves in my living room. In other words, if I don’t have the self discipline to get out there, I won’t get these shots. Period. Some days are easier than others. Some mornings it’s cold. Some mornings I work and have to adapt and go later. Some mornings it’s raining. Most of the time I make it. On the days I do not for whatever reason, the school of wildlife photography has taught me the undeniable lesson that the adorable face of the teenage otter is not found in the comfort of my living room. I have to go and get it.

The world of photography has all sorts of lessons in patience. If the photographer specialized in landscapes, weddings, people or wildlife each has its own less that it will teach you along the way if you sit still and listen in class. Oddly, wildlife doesn’t pose on request. Wild animals in fact have an annoying habit of appearing in just the right place and lighting when my camera is slung/on my vest or pointed somewhere else and then when I bring it to bear they seem to get a text message from some friend and immediately move. Larger animals are somewhat easier to photograph as a rule and small, fast moving ones are devilishly difficult. As a result if I want to get photographs of any of these more difficult animals, I have had to develop…patience. Patience in abundance. It takes patience to stalk the animals, wait for them and return time and time again if you are unsuccessful. Patience was not something that I have traditionally had in abundance.

At the outset of this post I said there were three things I wanted to focus on. The final one is the “Zen” of the wild places. As I hike into the wild place, I’m quiet if I hope to see and photograph wild animals. I walk softly and listen intently. My breathing is controlled and I am relaxed.

If I am doing it correctly, I feel the wind on my skin, hear each bird’s song and feel the slight crunch of the early morning dewy grass under my boot. When the camera comes to bear on a subject, the entire world is reduced to the viewfinder for that moment or moments. If it is a particularly good day, there will be a string of moments through the viewfinder connected by the sights, smells and feel of the wild place I’m present in. It is a sort of wilderness meditation. I have, on occasion taken others with me. I can quietly narrate what’s happening for them and many who are merely hiking with utilizing binoculars and enjoying the wilderness provide feedback that they experience the same thing.

Nature and the wild has a great many lessons to teach us all if we will sit still in class, stop passing notes, doodling and staring out the window. First responders and veterans are exposed to so much trauma with such intensity that they must pay particularly close attention to wellness. Theirs, their family’s their team’s and agency’s. Grab a camera or your phone. Step outside. Seek a wild place and practice patience while you listen and feel the world around you and take some pictures of the creatures that live there. You might just be surprised at what you find out there and in yourself.

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