Anytime a person can combine two things they truly enjoy into one activity, it’s typically going to be a successful experience. For Bob Underwood a favorite hobby of his (photography) recently melded with his past profession (teaching) when he was asked to teach photography to a group of local girl scouts to help them earn their photography merit badges.
“Photography was a hobby I started before I was in high school,” said Underwood, a resident at Breeze Park, a Lutheran Senior Services community in Weldon Spring, Missouri. “I worked at a small camera shop in high school and college. Then as my profession I was a schoolteacher. I like to say I spent 30 years in fifth grade.”
This background made Underwood the ideal person to help a local girl scout troop earn their merit badges. He did more than show them how to take better photographs. He also shared his photography philosophy with them: Think about why you want to take the picture.
He also showed the girls how set up a photograph and what details to pay attention to while shooting a photograph. In the next class, he will show the girls how to edit photos with cropping and color correction so the moments they capture can look how they want to remember them.
“Teaching is something I really enjoy doing,” added Underwood who takes photos around the Breeze Park campus and at various Breeze Park events. “This is a delightful age. They’re still children but their questions are more probing.”
Thanks to Underwood and his photography class, now their photos will be equally as thoughtful as their questions.