Hidden Treasure

I’m not sure why this chest is here but I liked the look of it. I also found it interesting that it has been left here and it doesn’t seem as if it’s going anywhere anytime soon. There must be a story behind it.

There are times when I think I picked a very expensive hobby. Not that you have to have the best and most expensive equipment. On the contrary I have the Rebel XTi which is considered an entry level SLR camera. I also know that you could give some people a plastic toy camera and they would come back with better images than someone with the top of the line equipment. So, we don’t need to go into that whole argument. This relates to me personally and my photography hobby.

There are two hidden treasures that I have discovered about my hobby. One, I enjoy the various gadgets you can add to an SLR camera. Whether it’s a different lens, a flash or a filter, I have enjoyed discovering how each makes a difference when taking photos. Also, experimenting with depth of field, aperture, shutter speed, etc. is at times hit or miss but I find that to be the beauty of hands on learning (although, I also enjoy my P&S camera).

My second discovery has nothing to do with the camera or any of the gear. Instead, it’s the discovery of the hidden treasures in my own back yard. In the beginning, I took my camera to work with me, once a week, and shot images along my walk. Eventually, I had to start walking a different path so I would have new images to shoot. Lately, I’ve been thinking I need to mix it up and look for another path to walk. While, I’ve stopped carrying the SLR to work (only packing the P&S) I’ve started going out on ‘location’ shoots during the weekends. Mostly, I went to places I had already been (Saquish, Plimoth Plantation, Brant Rock, to name a few) but, recently, I have started looking outside my familiar spots. This has led me to Norris Reservation and Webb Memorial State Park (this week’s images) and I have a list of places I hope to visit soon.

While I’ve known that I live in a beautiful location, rich in history, I didn’t realize how many wonderful locations I’ve missed in my own backyard. With the weather starting to get warmer (just barely) I’m invigorated with new energy, wanting to get out there and discover all these wonderful hidden treasures. The best thing, they cost nothing yet are priceless in what I take away from my experience visiting them.