Lessons Learned

So here I was, on this beautiful day, determined to take a photo of <i>something</i> in the afternoon - trying to convince myself that my back yard is not so boring if I'd just go outside and have a closer look. Naturally I brought the dogs out with me.

Lesson #1. Leave the dogs inside.
I had found a perfect little mushroom growing in a patch of moss, with rabbit poo right beside it. A perfect nature scene if I've ever seen one. Now, since I'm new at this digital stuff (and all photography lessons were a long time ago and I have to dust them off to snap even a basic picture), it takes me a while to set the picture up. I'm checking my settings, yada, yada. Dogs are running around like mad in the yard, having a great time. You see where this is going, don't you?
Seconds later (I'm still fiddling, trying to remember what it is I'm trying to do), the big black dog with sasquatch feet SQUASHES my pretty little mushroom flat at a dead run. :eek: Never even looked back to say, "Sorry 'bout that!" A squash and run.
So I took a picture of the devastation. Ref: photo 1.

Lesson #2. Pay attention to the background. (Well, DUH! most of you say!) :rolleyes:
Like I said above - it takes me a while to remember even basic things! Ref: photo 2.

Lesson #3. Well not really a lesson - just a wanted poster of the offending criminals. Are they laughing at me? :nono:

A great time was had by all. Just had to share.

I think you have to live those rules for them to really make sense. OTOH, the leaves shot could have been great with more out of focus leaves in the background. Not bad with none, but interesting and unique with maybe 2 or 3 times that many.

Yeah, dogs are generally not conducive to photography. :)

I have learned to leave the dog inside as well.