Take a Hike
Yesterday afternoon I grabbed my camera, my 50mm, a zoom and a bottle of water and set out into Lower Macleay park without any plan. My goal was to reacquaint myself with the basics—in nature and photography.
In photography classes, I was forced to create images by assignment. I was also using a borrowed Minolta film camera and had to think a little harder about lighting, aperture, speed… I realized yesterday just how lazy I had become with it. I would end up taking way too many shots with poor results simply because I could review them instantly.
I had this realization around halfway into the hike while trying to make this photo—
—I was trying too hard and basically sucking the life out of the photo. It was no longer truly unique, but really just the best shot out of five (or ten) thoughtless clicks.
From that point on, I shut off image previews and focused solely on making a decent photo. I ended up hiking from Lower Macleay up to Pittock Mansion, then down through the neighborhood to NW 23rd Ave and had a blast! I’m planning on starting through a 60 Hikes Within 60 Miles of Portland hike-by-hike.
You can view the entire set on Flickr. How do you hone your skills?
