What?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Newer photographers should look for anything interesting.\u00a0 What’s considered interesting?\u00a0 That’s up to you, but I can promise you that you’ll know when you see it.\u00a0 A rabbit hiding under a car.\u00a0 A bird perched on a window.\u00a0 An interesting mural.\u00a0 An ugly crack in an otherwise pristine building.\u00a0 Maybe it’s just a cool car or a cool house.\u00a0 Take lots of shots (unless you’re shooting film because that could get expensive).\u00a0 Editing yourself in post (back on your computer) usually starts with evaluating and deleting the bad photos (and that’s a skill we’ll eventually talk about).\u00a0 But there’s no harm in loading up your hard drive with bad photos.\u00a0 It’s a bad feeling if you wax nostalgic about the photos you didn’t take.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/4north.net\/inspired\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/NoWords-Garage-005-300x214.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nAs you continue in your photographic journey, you will constantly be looking for new things to capture.\u00a0 When I go on photo walks, I like to try to pick a topic and stick with it.\u00a0 Sometimes, these become a mental list of things I like to capture.\u00a0 For example, I have been photographing shopping carts in the wild for decades.\u00a0 If it looks out of place, or if it’s broken, I’m capturing that.\u00a0 Another example, I went on a photo walk around my neighborhood during the COVID pandemic, and I discovered some interesting garages in my neighborhood.\u00a0 It became a thing for that walk.\u00a0 Yet it remains as something I look for – interesting garages I can capture in interesting ways.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You don’t always need a theme. Themes do help you identify subjects. But you’re more than welcome to wander out on a photo walk with no purpose at all. Sometimes, that’s the best way to go about a photo walk: Just look for something interesting. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
When?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
You should try to do a handful of photo walks over the next several weeks. Therefore, you should try to get out at different times of the day.\u00a0 Ideally, get out to the same places at different times of the day. Some areas will feel different on a weekend vs. a weekday.\u00a0 The light will change throughout the day and the year.\u00a0 Morning and evening light will have longer shadows and will therefore result in a different character than midday sun.\u00a0 While the high midday sun may result in flat-looking photos – at least by some photographers’ standards – flat light may help to emphasize a mood.\u00a0 And maybe you don’t like the midday sun, but you won’t know until you try it for yourself.\u00a0 When I’m doing Street Photography (candid photography of people in public spaces), the midday sun creates a harsh look:\u00a0 People are squinting, trying to shield their eyes, or their heads are dipped.\u00a0 That is a mood that is unrivaled. But if I’m shooting landscapes, like a beach scene or a forest, it is beneficial to look at sunrise and sunset. <\/p>\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/4north.net\/inspired\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/NoWords-No-Words-3-3-300x240.jpg\")