A photographic Safari in my neighbourhood – Turning blue thoughts into blue sky clarity
I was feeling a little blue today – not depressed – just a little contemplative and low. I am dealing with a few family-dynamic issues, and this got me feeling mentally under. So today, I almost did not get myself going on my ‘Something Different’ and I really had to give myself a push. One of the reasons behind practicing something different daily, is to jolt one out of such a state, allow room to see things from another perspective and help us move away from mental clutter so that we may process problems better. So today was in fact one of the most important days to get a ‘Something Different for Today’ done! So, I pushed at the part of me that was falling into a ‘I don’t feel like it’ space, put on my shoes and went outside.
I decided to take myself on a walk and to add the element of different, turned it into a ‘photographic safari’. A walk is always a good idea to clear one’s head and feel better physically, but adding the task of taking photographs of my surroundings added an extra dimension – pushing things into a better or higher gear per say. The reason for this is, having to actually observe; look at one’s surroundings in detail (above and below, far and near), you get out of your head and are forced to take a mental break from whatever is plaguing your thoughts. This exercise then in turn has the potential to help one gain a different perspective and even if you are unable to solve your problems, they can become a lot easier to handle.
I am lucky to live in an extraordinarily natural place. Its quite wild and I am acutely aware of how fortunate I am. I was hoping to see some of the wildlife we have roaming around freely here, like our buck, a tortoise, or porcupine, but unfortunately did not cross paths with any. They would have been nice to add to my photographic project. However, I got some amazing shots of vegetation, pathways, and ocean views. This exercise did me the world of good and lifted my spirits. The clutter in my head disappeared and I personally regained perspective on what is important to me and what is not. I am so happy I pushed myself to do it… and it proves that a push can often be most rewarding!
As I type I am imaging what my ‘photographic safari’ might have looked like if I lived elsewhere – like in an urban environment. I think it could be just as fulfilling. In fact, I wish I had thought of this when I was living in a city. The angles of built structures, the bit of vegetation pushing into an urban existence, old buildings, very new ones, details on building facades, detail in people, the sky above etc…
How about an environment in or near a dessert, or deep in snowy mountains? Perhaps in a tropical jungle or on a tropical island? Beauty and photographic opportunities can be found anywhere – even in a plain back yard.
If anyone does decide to go on a walk with their camera, please share it with us. I think it could be brilliant to see each other’s surroundings and photographic findings.
If you would like to see my ‘Something Different’ example, please watch my video. And please send your example to us. That’s it for me today – turning blue thoughts into blue sky clarity. Have a great one!