Wednesday, June 23, 2010

The Nicest Compliment...

...I received today was given me by a somewhat surly Walmart employee. He eyed me suspiciously while I stood at the photo counter waiting for him to hand me some enlargements I'd ordered, held up this photo of Shav, and asked, "Did you take this picture?"
"Yes, I did!" I answered and smiled.

"Can I see your memory card?" he quizzed me.

"Uh, I don't have it with me, but here's the disk."

He took it, looked at it (there wasn't much to see since it was a disk Jeff had put the photos on just to transfer them to Walmart, and we hadn't even labeled it), then handed it back to me. "I have to be really careful about what photos I develop," he said.

I understood. I know their policy about not developing professional photographs without permission; in fact, I'd had a run-in with the photo department at our town's other Walmart before. While the employee today got the form ready for me to sign that basically says that I take my own pictures and am not doing anything illegal, I chatted with him and told him that I had previously signed one of those at the other Walmart...and that I have a Canon Rebel...and that I'm trying to learn about photography...and that I have so much to learn...and that I appreciated him thinking that the pictures I took were any good...and that I really want to improve, etc.

"Well, I think you're doing a lot better!" he said encouragingly. Not that he had ever seen my previous attempts at photography to have anything to compare it to, but still, it was nice to hear that. :)

Here are some of the other pictures I had developed today:


I took these a few days ago at one of my favorite local spots, Riven Rock Park; and honestly I wasn't entirely pleased with them because the light was fading as I snapped them and so they didn't turn out as crystal-clear as I would have liked. But I didn't want my self-criticism and perfectionism to keep me from getting something developed to put into some frames I have, so I decided it was worth the $4 each to get these developed at Walmart. Now that I think about it, I could have told the man at Walmart, "If these were really professional photographs, do you think I'd be getting them developed here?!" :)

I'm enjoying this summer SO MUCH, but I'm already looking forward to the fall and the photography classes I hope to take at our local community college. My boys are so precious to me that I want to do an even better job of capturing them in pictures.

8 comments:

jeanette said...

those are great photos and I can see why he got suspicious. :)

Charree said...

Your pictures are great! And I love the scenery, in Texas I have yet to find somewhere so picturesque. Isn't it something how we are always our worst critic. I am the same way.

Have a blessed day!
~Charree

Sally said...

Those are wonderful pictures! I used to think that a lot of your boys looked alike (just different sizes), but in these pictures particularly, their each look very different and so much just like their individual selves. I have to admit I like the one of Shav at the top the very best. You have some very handsome guys!

I'm also extremely impressed with your promptness at getting prints, developing, etc. I won't get into how far behind I am on that type of stuff around here!

Miriam said...

Great pictures!! I like them all, but the one of Josiah sitting there with his feet in the water... I don't know, it just stands out in a fun way :) I like it :)

Unknown said...

these are lovely Davene! So charming and creative and sharp -- well done!

Elizabeth said...

What a sweet compliment! They are really great pictures! Let me know about those classes you might take. I might be interested as well..but then again I'll have a newborn...

Elizabeth said...

How funny! I would have to agree with him! They are gorgeous pictures! They look very professional! :)

Margie said...

Wonderful photographs, all! You're inspiring me to dust off my camera and get going again. I've stopped taking so many, and suddenly I have very few new shots of the girls, and I'm frustrated with the ones I have. Love, love what you did here.