I haven’t written here in quite a while. Sometimes real life takes away from the things I like to do. I have still been taking pictures, and one thing that I have started is a photo project. 

I decided to use a Mickey Mouse figurine that my mother had in the attic. My nieces once used to play with him & other Disney character figurines when they were smaller, & my mother has quite a collection of them in the attic. I thought taking pictures of him in different places & under different circumstances would allow me to practice some different techniques in photography. I am calling the project,”It’s a Small World After All.”

I was inspired by a friend who takes some great pictures of his miniature toys. You can view some of his work on Instagram at @alanrappa. I love his pictures with Wall-e. 

This was my first picture for my project. One thing that I am learning already is to get out of the comfort zone in which so many photographers get. We stand & take pictures. We often look at the world the way we see it, at eye level. For this picture, I was literally laying down in a field out in the country in my Sunday church clothes. We often don’t get that low & look around, but that day in the field there wasn’t much around. So a post & a road was what I had in my view. 

I am pretty good with shooting in natural light, but this picture was taken indoors. I have a lot to learn about controlling the light. Trying to take more staged pictures indoors is teaching me how to do that better. I still need lots of practice, but at least this project is doing what I had hoped, help me learn. 

I will be sharing more pictures of Mickey & his friends, and I will share with you what I learn along the way with this project. Maybe it will inspire you to take on a project too. Sometimes the only way to learn is practice. Give yourself a reason to practice & find a project of your own.