Tucked away in the Georgetown neighborhood of Washington, DC is Dumbarton Oaks, a historic property rich in history and many botanical and architectural surprises. We visited on one beautiful, sunny day in April a few years ago, for our anniversary, and it was most definitely a romantic way to spend an afternoon.
If you have been keeping up with political news lately, you might have heard Denmark come up in a conversation or two. Bernie Sanders has often spoken of Denmark with fondness, suggesting that the US become more like Denmark when it comes to taking care of it's people. Others on the opposite side of the spectrum are vehemently opposed to the idea of becoming more like Denmark.
No matter what side of the political spectrum you may lie, you may have, there is one lesson we can all learn from Denmark, that is guaranteed to improve our daily lives. And it's just one simple word.
Hygge.
From the moment my daughter could talk, it seems, all she talked about what horses. As she got older she begged for riding lessons. And then her own pony. And you get the idea.
No matter where we go, she gravitates towards any horse we see. We have countless photographs of horses we have come across on our vacations. This is one of my favorite, taken on a drive through the Danish countryside. We pulled over on the side of the road and they came up to investigate. I believe they were as curious about me as I was about them.
This photograph may be purchased as a print through my fine art photography shop, Furry Paws Cares, where a portion of all proceeds are donated to local equine rescues I support.
As a photographer, I have gotten asked many questions over the years on how to improve photography, the most frequent being "What lens do you use?" I understand that many people believe that a great picture is the product of having a good camera or a good lens, but that is far from the truth. You can take a beautiful picture with the worst camera if you know how to focus the viewers attention.
Unfortunately, for all their advancements over the years, cameras don't come with an "Automatic Composition" button, and since there is really no right way or wrong way to compose a photograph, it's also one of the most difficult aspects of photography to learn. Everyone sees the world differently and has their own style and vision. What appeals to one person may not appeal to the next.
With that said, there are some general "rules" you can follow to help compose your picture. Good composition will grab people's attention and tell them a story. It will make them feel like they are there with you when you took the picture.
Over the next few weeks I will be sharing with you my tips on composing a better photograph, whether it is a photograph of your kids, pets, day at the beach, or that next trip of a lifetime. Today we will be talking about the Rule of Thirds.
