I’m constantly trying to improve the blog — coming up with new ideas for destinations or things to do, providing tips, improve the information, and yes, improve the photos. I recently discovered Washington Photography Safaris, with a variety of destinations (several of which you’ll see in upcoming posts over the next couple of months).
I was intrigued by one photo safari that promised to teach us how to slow down and really see in order to unlock our ability to “photographically elevate the mundane to the magnificent.” Their premise is that everyday items and familiar places can offer powerful images in exchange for a little work, imagination, and practice. I’m like, “that sounds cool.”
This day trip was all about looking at everyday objects in a new way — isolating and uplifting the commonplace and nondescript into the unique and beautiful, by just changing our perspective.
This photo safari is led by Steve Rosenbach, who’s mantra is “look, see, isolate.”
Our canvas was quaint, historic Annapolis, where we met at a coffee shop right on the harbor. There was only one other participant, so we were both assured of a lot of private attention and coaching.
After we reviewed some photography basics, such as F stops, aperture, shutter speed, and things like that in a very conversational way, we gathered our cameras and headed out to the street to begin the fieldwork part of the lesson.
Our first stop was the dock itself, looking for interesting things to photograph. Things I would normally have walked over without giving them a second thought — a knot in the wood of the dock itself, a chain coiled on the ground, shadows of people sitting on a bench enjoying the lovely day — provided fodder for our photos. Steve often pointed out potential photos to us, jarring our creative eye into action.
Once we felt that we’d exhausted the dock area, we headed over to a residential street to continue our photo exploring. Again, we tried to look at things differently. Shadows from an ornate fence, splayed across several steps offered an interesting subject, as did the sun pouring through the balusters on a front porch (I sort of trespassed, gently).
All in all, we spent at least 2 hours just walking around 1 city block. And I took photos — well over 600 of them — of sidewalks and shadows, chains and ropes, garbage cans and benches, doors and walls, trees and floating weeds, and more! I’m eager to try these techniques on future day trips!
Know before you go: There are photo safaris to a variety of cities, including Washington DC, Baltimore, Philadelphia, and New York City.
Getting there: Each of the Washington Photo Safaris have a different meeting place. Once you sign up, you are notified regarding the specific details.
Website: https://washingtonphotosafari.com/ and for similar workshops in Philadelphia and New York City: http://Cityscape-Photo.com/workshops
Do you love to day trip? Share this blog with your family and friends on FB — here’s the link: www.MidAtlanticDayTripsBlog.com
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Have you daytripped somewhere interesting? I’d love to hear what you’re doing! Email [email protected] if you’re interested in being a guest-blogger!
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