A few years ago, when I took my first iPhone photography course, there was some advice that the instructor gave about photographing flowers in nature.

He said to spend some time and catch every angle possible.

When I’m power walking, I don’t take too much time for photo stops because I like to keep my average heart rate up to my optimum cardiac level for the duration of the walk. With practice, I’ve learned how to make quick photo stops and still accomplish my fitness goals.

Back to photographing flowers from every angle. Yesterday, there was a wild rose bush at the end of one of the bridges I cross. When I had passed, I turned back to look at it (another tip from the same course – always look behind you) and saw how the sunshine was lighting up the rose petals and foliage. I decided to stop and go back for a “different angle”.

I’m sure that when the photography course instructor was making his point about many different angles with wild flowers, he had not considered how this would work with a wild rose bush.

I got in there and got my shot, but not without several scratches from the thorns. How does that old saying go, “no pain no gain”? At any rate, when I teach my next phone photography course in Texas this winter, I think I’ll include a warning about crawling into rose bushes. There are warnings for everything else these days.

“Photography is basically an art of arranging the angles!”

Mehmet Murat ildan