1:00 PM — I have decided to start journaling my travels to add a layer of focus to my work and to help me become more present while out shooting. While I’m not anywhere exotic at this current moment, I feel that it is a good idea to start small.
I am currently taking a stroll through John Chestnut Sr. Park in Palm Harbor, Florida. I’ve heard of it through the grapevine for being known for having a lot of active wildlife. While I haven’t seen any large animals yet, the park is definitely full of life. The squirrels have been super curious and friendly. A few have even gotten close enough to pose for some photos. The park echoes the sounds of singing birds. Each with its own song, but somehow it comes together as a harmonious choir. It’s honestly amazing to just sit, watch, and listen as nature does its thing. There’s a certain purity to it that I can’t describe.
1:28 PM — A quick aside from the observance of nature. After shooting for the past 5 years, I have definitely come to a certain preference for how I want my work to look. While I have tried and tried again, I have come to the conclusion that I don’t like how my work looks in cloudy conditions. I thought that if I keep trying that I’d learn the “secret,” but to be honest, I just don’t like how it looks. Even now as I shoot and the clouds pass in front of the sun, changing the scene around me, there’s such a loss of character and depth when the sun isn’t there. I know there’s a time, place, and mood when it comes to shooting overcast, but the only time I like it is when there’s snow or fog. That doesn’t mean I won’t shoot in overcast conditions, but I probably won’t make it through the selects unless there is something really interesting about the shot.
1:41 PM — I was trying to be mister nature man and find my way back to my car without looking up where I parked. However, I hiked too hard and have no clue where I am in this park. So, I ended up caving and using my GPS. I will say though that I wasn’t as far off as I thought so my instincts weren’t too far off, so I’ll count that as a partial win.
1:52 PM — Even though I didn’t traverse as much of the park as I would have liked due to needing to be somewhere, John Chestnut Sr. Park has been one of my favorite hikes that I’ve done in the area. I’m hoping next time that I’ll see some deer.