A few notes on photo walks…
You’ll (probably) have noticed I’m offering photo walks locally and - occasionally - further afield.
They’re not workshops as such; we don’t cover technical knowhow and you don’t even need a DSLR camera. If you’re more comfortable using your phone camera, that’s perfectly fine. Because the point of a photo walk is to slow down, notice things, observe them and by looking at the smaller picture, take a mental break from the stresses and distractions of daily life.
The walks entail us meandering rather than marching, as we’re actively seeking out details in our surroundings. By zooming in rather than out, we become absorbed, curious and a little bit lost in what we’re doing. It’s the antithesis of multi tasking.
Discussions will centre around nature: perhaps we’ll identify plants and insects, and talk about the culinary and medicinal uses of certain botanicals. We can swap ideas and tips - recipes, favourite foraging spots - and maybe learn a little about plant folklore and history along the way. There’s no script; this is about spontaneity and discovery.
On family walks I do have a tendency to keep stopping and examining things that catch my eye. It could be an unusual leaf or an insect, a toadstool or a dewy cobweb. I pause and look closely, and more often than not I take photographs.
Occasionally treasures can be found. We’ve picked up bright jay’s feathers, disused and windfallen nests, oak galls and bleached bird’s skulls.
There’s much to be said for capturing beautiful landscapes with your camera, but if your photographs are going to tell a story, it’s all about the details. We can breathe life into a series of images by punctuating it with little nods to the season, the weather, the history of a place. These smaller studies add a sense of narrative. That old gatepost, the peeling paint on a barn door, the grasses gone to seed.
A photo walk is about opening your eyes and really seeing those things you might usually miss as you’re rushing around or feeling overwhelmed. We can tune in to those little ‘flashes of delight’ if we let ourselves.
It doesn’t involve an arduous trek up hill and down dale. We might stay close to town, and look for moments of magic along the canal side or in the park. Or we might meet somewhere quieter and have a ramble in the woods, up on the moors or along the riverbank.
Either way, dawdling is most definitely encouraged.
You don’t need to be an experienced photographer, either. Just as long as you can use your imagination and know how to focus on a subject you’re more than qualified to come along.
After the walk we’ll have coffee (or tea, or hot chocolate) and - hopefully - bask in that feeling of being creatively fulfilled and mentally recharged. If it awakens a new sense of awareness and a desire to notice those small, unexpected delights to be found everywhere, every day, then that’s the best outcome.
You’ll have found a resource which can be used over and over: fostering mindfulness simply by acknowledging your surroundings and appreciating them in detail.
Winter can feel long and grey and uninspiring. The best antidote to this is to get out there and seek out those green shoots, both physical and metaphorical. They’re there, waiting - we just need to look for them.
