Photography on the Walkabout

Photography Tips

There are times when everyday life becomes serious business. There are schedules to maintain, clients to meet, equipment to prepare, and products to deliver. Somehow it happened; your favorite hobby suddenly became overrun by your job. Set aside your daily scheduler, leave your cell phone behind, grab your camera and your favorite general purpose lens and hit the trails. It’s time to get back in touch with photography on a walkabout.

Photo by AV Dezign | www.avdezign.; ISO 250, 1/160-second exposure.

Getting away from the office or a daily routine may not be easy at first. After all, you need to leave a lot of baggage behind. So take a moment to prepare yourself. Load your camera with fresh batteries, check your memory card (or film) to be sure you have plenty of space, and familiarize yourself with the current settings. Take a cleansing breath and set out for your favorite destination with your camera in hand. It’s time to once again see your world through a viewfinder.

Change Your Perspective

The goal of a photographic walkabout is not only to free your mind of the daily goings-on, but to regain an appreciation for the world around you. As you head out on your trek, try to imagine the elements around you from their perspective. Your surroundings look much different from waist height, and you may be missing some incredible photographic opportunities if you spend a majority of your time looking at your subjects from eye-level. Change your perspective of how you see your surroundings and you will be amazed at what you have been missing.

See the Extraordinary in the Ordinary

Walkabouts are about seeing elements in a new light. Stop for a moment and look at something that looks completely ordinary as if you were seeing it for the first time. Perhaps an ordinary looking tree, flower, bird, or perhaps even a bus stop has no distinguishing features at first glance; however, I assure you that you can find unique qualities in the most ordinary items if you look at them through a viewfinder. There have been a number of successful photographers who spend much of their time photographing ordinary items through unusual angles. Even those items that are familiar appear foreign when observed in a new way.

Photo by AV Dezign | www.avdezign.; ISO 100, f/9.0, 1/400-second exposure.

Try People Watching

Setting out on a photographic journey also provides you with the opportunity to observe people. Care and discretion must be exercised when taking pictures in public places. Although some people may find it offensive to be photographed, street scenes are an excellent opportunity to snap shots of interesting people. Police officers directing traffic, bus stops, loiterers, and a host of other people going about their daily routine create some excellent prints, especially when processed in black and white.

Photographers find beauty in a variety of mediums. Walkabouts are a way to get in touch with photography in a new way and provide an opportunity to break away from a daily routine to exercise a bit of creativity. No matter where you travels take you, take the time to appreciate and photograph the world around you.

About the Author:
Peter Timko writes for Proud Photography, an online photography school.