White's Chapel UMC Cemetery - June 6, 2015

Andrea's POV:

This was my first spot to take pictures with my new camera.  I took some shots that I loved, but I admit after looking through my film I was very timid with this experience.  I loved that we went to a beautiful cemetery with so much history.   I loved that the old was intertwined with the new.  As I was taking pictures I also found that I love wrought iron, reflections, and lines (such as fences).

I love that this was our first spot to test the waters.

Elaine's POV:

I think we decided to visit a cemetery for our first trek because we had seen so many beautiful photographs of cemeteries and we both felt a connection to the theme. I know that as a young girl, I was fascinated by cemeteries, the different kinds of tombstones, and what the whole place represented.

We started off our day intending to visit Arwine Cemetery in Hurst. When we pulled up, we began to wonder, "should we have gotten permission?", "what are the rules about taking pictures in cemeteries and posting them online?" This made us decide that, since Arwine Cemetery is a private family cemetery, we would wait until we had made contact with the family to be sure they would be okay with us practicing our photography there.

Next, we headed to the historic cemetery that is on the grounds of White's Chapel United Methodist Church in Southlake. The cemetery is still active. That is, people are still being buried there. The earliest tombstone - that of Amy Marr, the first person buried there - dates back to 1872 and is still readable. The mix of old and new was very interesting and the grounds are kept beautifully.

The trek gave me experience with light and shadows, as well as perspective. I spent a lot of time holding my camera at my knees (I have a hard time kneeling and getting back up), and taking pictures without the viewfinder. Most of my favorites for the day are the result of that effort.

To see all of our favorites, visit our Flickr page.

Fort Worth Water Gardens - June 19, 2015

Andrea's POV:

This was my first time to visit the Fort Worth Water Gardens.  Although it was a beautiful spot, I found that I enjoyed the sculptures (that were not made of water) much more.  I did enjoy walking around the water garden area, but was much more intrigued by the older buildings that surrounded the area.

I agree with Elaine, I think this would be a great place for shots with people involved in the photo shoot.

Elaine's POV:

My oldest daughter had her senior pictures taken at the water gardens and I thought it would be a good place for Andrea and I to work on photography. After spending the morning there, I found out that the water gardens really weren't built with much interest for a photographer. It is best used for shots of people.

After we worked on finding things to take pictures of, we decided to wander the area around the water garden and found a few interesting buildings.

I learned from this experience that you cannot make uninteresting things interesting without bringing your own people or props.

To view all of our favorites, visit our Flickr page.