It’s been a while since I posted so I figured I would talk about something close to my heart: Appreciating the beauty around me.
For a long time I felt that the only way to get good photos is to travel hours away from home to some of the most scenic places on earth. Im glad that now, years later, I am finally gaining some sense.
Traveling to far away traditionally beautiful places often does not give you the time or the chance to take a unique photo. With the limited time you have on site, you often get fairly typical and non extraordinary photos of some very extraordinary places.
Recently, as the pandemic made travel challenging, I have been spending more time visiting parts of California that I neglected for being “too nearby”. In the process I have taken some surprisingly amazing photos!
The picture above was taken not too far from my home. It shows a relatively common seagull eating a relatively common sea star. Most any bay area local has seen both of these creatures on pretty much any beach, but to catch this raw moment where this bird was eating this sea star created a surprisingly good photo.
This trip, having been closer to home and far more relaxed, allowed me the time to wait for this bird to eat this starfish! This was a truly unique experience for me, most of my trips rarely leave me more than twenty minutes to line up a shot!
This focus on capturing as many photos as possible and rushing through a place often detracted me from capturing moments. On a local trips I’ve had far more time to capture moments like a rainbow over a waterfall, a thunderstorm over a local mountain, or a bird eating a starfish. I think these pics are the ones I’ll remember most because they represent a moment that will likely never happen again in quite the same way.
I think you’ll find, as I did, that slowing down and enjoying the nature close to home may provide far more interesting moments than rushed trips abroad!