It’s easy as a hobbyist photographer to get caught up in feeling like we need to make art, or at least to be constantly improving our work.
If you have those feelings, as I do, it’s easy to forget why we got into this in the first place. We liked the gear and wanted to see how it worked. Or we enjoyed the experience of going out and simply photographing whatever caught our fancy.
There is real pleasure in shooting: the noticing, the composing, the capturing. Not only is there nothing wrong with pursuing that pleasure — there’s everything right about it. The aimless photowalk is a fine way to spend some time.
An aimless photowalk frees you to experiment and try things in your photography. Or shoot the same kinds of photos you always shoot, because they make you happy or bring you comfort. Or visit a place that otherwise you’d have little purpose to see, as I did this morning through downtown Carmel, Indiana.
Pentax K10D, 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 SMC Pentax-DA AL
