I have found with my busy lifestyle that if I don’t take time to get out into the ‘green’ my creativity begins to wane. Between the concerts, portraits and weddings I have taken on, I’ve not had a lot of available time to be out in the woods or off in a nature preserve.
This past weekend I had some much-needed time off. I had finished editing the last wedding on my books and was almost finished with the portrait session I had done the week prior, yet I had a couple of projects that still needed my attention. I just couldn’t seem to wrap my mind around what needed to be done with them, so I put them on the back burner to stew around in my mind. I decided on Saturday that I would head to the local park and take in the boardwalk and see what my camera may find. Because I hold a full-time job along with my part-time photography my mind is constantly thinking and working; portraits, concerts and weddings require my brain to constantly be thinking about the next shot I need to take and calculate the lighting and the distance from my lens to the subject, but out in the open air at a park or in the woods, I get to rely more on my instincts and simply aim my camera and shoot. I don’t take a lot of shots because I’m there to relax my mind, but if I do see something I want to remember whether scenery, plants or animals I will snap off a few. The color green is very relaxing and I find I mellow and meld into the environment. I think it makes me a better photographer, because I get a few hours to relax and to renew my mind and thoughts. After spending a couple of days in the woods I came home and was able to dive into the past projects with a new passion, I opened up the project and within a few minutes I had solved the mystery of what I was going to do with the project. The few hours I spent in the heat and in the green were well worth it. I got a few great photos and I feel like a new person. If you are a photographer and you are having a difficult time keeping up your creativity take an hour or two and lose yourself in the woods. You don’t have to go far, a local park, a nature preserve or even a zoo will give you the needed break your brain needs. We can always use a mental break from time to time. So no matter what you job is, take a break, go outside, breathe in the fresh air and relax.
Life, Love & Passion Through the Lens 