#Earthschooling365: Day Thirty-Seven
Inner Work Meditation (Heart): A rabbit is always very still when it senses danger. It will run when it feels it has an opportunity. However, it also knows that if it immediately runs this will often be the reason it is captured. For the rabbit blends quite well into its surroundings and when it is still it is not obvious he is there. Once he starts moving he has revealed himself fully – white cotton tail and all. Take some time to meditate this morning on how we can be more like the rabbit when faced with obstacles or challenges. We often feel we need to respond to such situations with immediate action but often the best results will come from counting to three before we take action – or in some cases counting to ten first. If you want to explore more about your senses and how we respond to the world around us, check out our webinar, Steiner’s 12 Senses here.
Nature Walk Idea (Head): One time last spring I went off the nature trail to get closer to a tree. I had seen an owl and wanted to get a better photo. However, in my eagerness to get closer to the tree I almost tripped over a pile of baby bunnies that the mother had hidden under a pile of leaves. Today, on your nature walk try to walk a little slower and look a little more carefully at the ground. If you are in an area that has rabbits and it is spring you may find some baby bunnies yourself. If not, you may find something else that is hidden. Pick up a small log or a fallen piece of bark. Or gently stir a pile of leaves. Perhaps even sneak into the tall grass and peer into the depths between the blades. What can you find today that is hidden?
Photography Notes (Hands): Today we will be working some more with shutter speed. Yesterday you took a photo of some things and used different shutter speeds to try to answer some important questions – How fast does the shutter speed need to be for a hand-held photo to be sharp? How fast does the shutter speed need to be for a portrait or for someone who is moving? Today let’s see if your answers correspond to the “norm”. Most commonly one would need a shutter speed of at least 1/60th of a second to maintain a sharp image when they are not using a tripod. When I was younger I could sometimes “pass” with 1/3oth of a second but it is difficult – especially if your subject is not still. To capture any kind of slight movement at all – a child, a flower on a breezy day or other gentle movement you will need a shutter speed of at least 1/125th of a second. To capture a running rabbit, a basketball game or other very quick movement you will need at least 1/500th of a second. To capture the movement of birds, butterflies and hummingbirds you will often need a speed even faster than that. Spend some time today exploring those shutter speeds in more depth. Choose one at a time and shoot with only that shutter speed for a few photos and then move on to the next one. For a more intense lesson you can try a different shutter speed each day this week. The more you use (or notice what the camera chooses for you) different shutter speeds the more you will become familiar with them. The numbers I’ve given you above are not from any book. They are from years of my own experience with photography and learning, over time, what was needed in different circumstances.
Verse: Tiny Beasts
Copyright Kristie Burns
Tiny beasts sought by birds of prey
Still within the brush you lay
Wise, silent and safe you stay
When in chaos seeking harmony
Respond with hushed placidity
Do not be so quick to flee
*A Tercet is a poetic unit of three lines, rhymed or unrhymed. It could be AAA BBB or simply AAA.
*These poems have been created for many purposes – from early childhood circle time verses to inspirational or expressive. They vary from day to day so you may find the way you use them or enjoy them also varies. If you would like to set these poems to music consider our tutorial: Creating Your Ow Waldorf Verses or Finding Your Inner Voice.
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What is #Earthschooling365?
This series takes you through an entire year of our nature walks and is part of our non-profit project #Earthschooling365 at www.Earthschooling.org. The photos and posts in this series are all copyrighted. Please do not share or re-print them. Instead, share the link to this blog with your friends.
Along the way I will be sharing our favorite photo of the day, an inner work meditation for the day, photography assignment/tip for the day, nature walk theme for the day and a short verse for circle time (children) or meditation (teens/adults). We invite you to “walk along with us” this year, take some time to use the inner work meditation, be inspired by the nature walk theme of the day and perhaps even start a photo series of your own. To join the community on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram please tag your photos #Earthschooling365. To receive these inspirations in your e-mail inbox daily please subscribe to our blog alerts HERE. Don’t worry about missing days – you can join us as many days as you want this year!
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