If you are out hiking on a trail, take the time to STOP and look around you. Hiking on a trail for exercise is different from hiking on a trail to photograph nature. Pause. Look around. Look up. Look down. Look behind you also.
You might totally miss something beautiful if you just keep pushing forward without stopping to LOOK. Especially on rocky rugged trails, it is easy to focus on where you are placing your foot in each step so you won’t fall. That means you really are not seeing the world around you.
That is one of the things I have loved about photography. It reminds me to slow down and appreciate the world around me.
There’s probably a good analogy here about life in general. We can sometimes expend all our energy focusing on just putting one foot in front of the other and totally miss the beauty in our lives.
Seriously, take the time to just STOP occasionally.
Happy Picture-Taking… and STOPPING,
Kevin Gourley
