“Summertime and the livin’ is easy…” is a line from a song composed by George Gershwin..It has a lazy feel to it.. as summertime often feels to me.. hot and kind of lazy.. Sometimes it is hard to get inspired to get out.. yet sometimes you must just get in the car and escape to a cooler place, or just a new location-
I captured this dog on a street ..after one of these outings.. a friend suggested we go out for the day and I decided sure..grabbed my camera not sure what I would see or not.. after a leisurely lunch and some sight seeing we were walking back to the car when we saw this!! The light,the color of the beautiful dog and the car..wow.. and again each day you leave with your camera you will return with something unexpected!
Keeping Creativity fresh and ready is something that some find challenging..
Tips: Look for images you like- when you have a few moments -maybe you are waiting in a doctors office flip through the magazines on the table.. only looking at the images,, which ones do you like..why do you like them? Are you drawn to the colors,the subject matter or the composition. What are your interests.. Colors you like? These images add to your visual memory bank- or make a visual bank of images..in your phone,on your computer or your own board of things you like to look at.
Music- keep songs running in your head.. or find yourself humming a tune.. look for those lyrics to appear..and then capture those images..
Tip: Keep lyrics on your phone-make a list of favorite quotes or uplifting lines from books, music whatever.. these thoughts keep you primed to see things that fit that emotion,thought or mood.
Open yourself to NEW- sometimes just grab your camera and head out.. even if it is the middle of the day.. I can find images all day- don’t let roadblocks keep you from taking photos.
Events- Look in your local paper-online-or ask around to keep in the know about events in your area.. often again, something you think might not interest you.. is worth checking out.. a car show, a fair or even a farmers market-
So grab a cold drink.. your camera and don’t let the Summertime heat keep you in… all the time.
Personal thoughts.. the above images were all from such a day.. not an early start but just an outing.. took my camera, one lens and some good walking shoes.. And these are 3 shots that kind of surprised me.. did not expect to see the dog.. who just posed.. he just acted like a natural,, he was parked on a city street.. no idea where the owner was .. and he just barely lifted an eye as we approached cameras ready!
Porches.. something I find drawn to .. so seeing this one.. I noticed the light.. the small palm,, and the metal furniture..
For now.. happy photographing.. and enjoy the rest of the last days of summer..
