Photo Walking in Finley



Sassy Sara and Remi

I got out this weekend for a nice photo walk with my friend, Linda, and her dog, Sassy Sara. She invited me to bring one of my dogs so I did the smart thing by taking the most rambunctious one. Remi is my youngest who still acts like a puppy. She is most certainly bipolar so I was apprehensive about taking her. About two minutes out of the car and into Sassy's territory they were fast friends and literally did not stop running and playing for three hours. What a riot! 

 

alpaca

Photo walking with Linda is a huge joy for me. She always has interesting animals out at her place as she has a big back yard pasture that needs animals to chew it down. Her neighbors and friends bring their horses, sheep and alpacas to stay with her a few days while they feed on the rich grass. 

 

And then, there are the birds. She has a great set-up outside of her kitchen window with an abundance of bird feeders and a nice bath place situated just right so she can photograph the little tweeties without much bother. Linda never really has to leave her place to find interesting subjects to shoot but I'm glad she likes to go walking with me. We have been to some really fine places together and have decided we need to go more often.

 

Linda's birds

The fun thing about photo walking with a friend is that you can kill two birds with one stone. No birds were actually killed during this session of photo walking. She and I catch up on happenings while secretly keeping our eyes open for hidden treasures. The beautiful thing about walking and talking with other artists is they get it.  She gets me.  When I wander off while she is talking, she is not offended. She knows my eye has caught something that must be shot. She knows I'll come back and pick up the conversation right where we left off.  I love that about her.

 

If you've never been photo walking before, I would encourage you to try it. If you feel too self conscious to go with a friend, try it by yourself sometime. Use your cell phone or your point & shoot, or take a big camera if you have one. Keep an open mind.  In other words, leave your thinking brain at home and take your creative side for a walk. Bend down and look under things. Stand next to a tree and look up. Sit on a park bench and watch people walk by. Be still for a moment and see what you can see. Notice the things you normally walk past on a daily basis.

vertebrae

Before I joined the local digital photography club, I had never heard of photo walking. Oh, how I wish I had thought of that sooner. One of the first fun things I did with them was a photo scavenger hunt.  You can do that too!  I hope you will. And, I hope you'll come back here and tell me about it. Or better, I hope you'll post your photos or start a blog.

love, susan