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I Spy With My Little Eye . . .

5/24/2016

3 Comments

 
Chris Fedderson — MacroFine Musings
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Recently, at an Art Fair, I was talking with a couple kindergarten teachers about how I view my world prior to photographing it.  I spoke of how I employ virtual tunnel-vision in my Mind’s Eye to home in on a small subject; to eliminate all the visual clutter and distractions around it; to show it in its unique singularity, unhampered by the chaos around it.  In discussing this concept, we came up with a great two-part project for their students.

In Part One, the class would learn about telescopes and what they have done to improve / advance civilization.  The students could then “build” their own “telescopes” by coloring the outsides of TP or paper towel tubes using Crayons, markers, or finger paints (OMG!).  Hey!  We even managed to work Art into Science class!
 
With Part Two comes Nature Study.  The telescopes become microscopes with the Little Nature Explorers crawling around in the grass and among the bushes looking at life through their ‘scopes.  A vociferous discussion soon erupts about all the colors, and bugs, and leaves, and pebbles, and worms, and…, and…, and…

Close-Up photograph of black and white spider
This is what I spied with my little eye. This Harvestman is about a quarter inch big... small (?)
This is essentially what I do every time I go out on a Photo Safari.  My TP tube is a bit more sophisticated.  My voice is a bit quieter.  But I’m still a kid, on my knees, rooting around in the garden, discovering the mystery, the majesty, the esoteric, the familiar [re-seen differently], the minute, the wonderful… all seemingly for the first time.
 
It’s Grand to be a Kid again!

 
Thank You for visiting,
 
— Chris
 
P.s.      Do you think you might try this with your own kids?  You did?!  How’d it turn out?  What did they discover?  Share their stories for us all to enjoy.



3 Comments
Kathy Strauss link
5/31/2016 09:55:57 am

Chris - this is awesome!!! I plan to use this "trick" with my art camp students this summer....

Reply
Chris Fedderson link
6/22/2016 04:39:59 pm

Hi Kathy,

Man, time flies when you're busy... I've been off doing a couple art shows and catching up in-between...

I'm glad you'll be able to use this idea at your Art Camp. As far as I know, you and your Campers will be the first ones to take this from the drawing board to production! Let us all know how it works out!

Thanks,
--Chris

Reply
Michelle link
9/27/2021 06:11:31 am

Great Article! Thank you for sharing this very informative post, and looking forward to the latest one.

Reply



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    About Chris

    I am a Virginia-based photographer and gather my images while hiking in parks and natural areas here at home and in the locations I travel to.  I also love to visit arboretums and botanic gardens to find unusual and exotic subjects.

    With my photography, I explore intricate textures, repeating patterns, visual rhythms, and the emotion inherent in the infinite occurrences of Nature’s minutia. I find these are the fascinating, fundamental elements that integrate into our cohesive, synergistic — and essential — ecosystem.

    It is my hope and my goal that my viewers will gain not only an immediate connection with my images, but that this relationship will be forever evolving within their hearts as they bring a never-ending flow of life experiences to every viewing.



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