In a record first I tried just going outside to take some photos in my local neighborhood in an attempt to find beauty in the normal. I feel like I live in a rather beautiful place, but I found this to be a bit of a challenge. In this post I’ll talk about my experience with what feels like naturally beautiful places and how they turn out “on film.”

       I have a natural inclination that when I see something that makes me say “oh that looks beautiful” I will be able to take a photo that also makes me feel the same way. In practice, however, this tends not to be the case. First and foremost our eyes operate in notability different ways than the typical DSLR or mirrorless camera. Even if they did, the innate beauty of a scene is not dictated by the colors expressed in its content. I tend to struggle with the image not looking the way I feel in the moment.

       And there’s the rub, as a 70 year old man would say. The problem with photographing something that I feel is such a remarkable scene has little to do with the actual imagery of the location and more to do with how it makes me feel. So to overcome this I attempted to flip the script on my local paved hiking trail. As I walked to dinner one night I snagged my camera and tried to take beautiful photos of mundane things. And these photos are the result! I am quite happy with them, and I was able to work my newly built editing muscles.

       Ultimately the lesson I’d take away from this experience is just how easy it can be to chuck the camera in your bag or around your neck and go take photos. There is beauty to be found in the world and practice to be had in every moment. Best, -Ben