Startle

I watch Gardening Australia.  To not watch it, may be dreaming the impossible dream.  I don’t make a point of noting the time it is on and watching it, but I do watch it when it is on.
I really like it.  They have some great stories.  They have been celebrating being on air for 30 years.  That is a long time.  For me it is almost half a life time.  Recently they have been replaying some of their most popular stories.
One was about a tree guy.  He seemingly knew all there was to know about trees.  One of the things I remember him saying was how predictable they are.  When you know the tree, you know how it acts and will be.  Bit like life really.  What I am now is not necessarily how I will always be, but what I do now shapes who I am.  Another was on a museum.  They had an incredible number of seeds and particular drawings which were the only ones in the southern hemisphere done of plants that were drawn as a teaching aid.  Still another was about the “philosophers’ garden.”  He wrote a book about how therapeutic gardens are, and how good they are to think in.
The story that really got me was one about a photographer of insects.  She is based in WA.  Many of her photo’s are used by others.  They showed how stunningly beautiful the little things can be.  The colours and patterns of insects highlighted how they are not just important to the environment, but a closer look revealed their intricacies and beauty.  Different times of the year bring different insects.
She was giving instructions on how she goes about it.  She said something that really stands out in my mind.  It was to do with how she approaches her subjects.  She said the idea was not to startle them and cause them to run (or fly) away.  She said to get good photo’s a person needed to blend in and get the trust of the subject.  Then the subject just goes about what they are doing all natural like.
Merril and I have noticed that with the birds.  They are getting more and more confident of us.  Once it was like they would fly away if they knew we were in the next suburb.  They still fly away, but only when we try to get really close. 
I take photo’s a bit like what she was talking about.  Often I will take a chair to their environment and just sit.  Soon things are doing what they do, and I am free to click away. 
She was photographing a mite at the time.  It could not fly but it could run quite quickly.  It could also hide itself away so that getting a decent shot was nigh on impossible.  It was beautiful.  She just stood there and waited.  Soon it was doing its stuff and she was free to confidently photograph it.
I don’t like being startled, so why should I expect that anything else will?  I am way more approachable when I am allowed to just go about what I am doing.  It may take more time and effort but if you want to get a good photo of me (f there is such a thing) then it is worthwhile not startling me, because if you do, I will run away.