Exploring Again

“There is nothing like returning to a place that remains unchanged to find the ways in which you yourself have altered.” – Nelson Mandela

I love visiting new places. I love to see new sights, hear new sounds, and maybe even take in some new smells. I think this true for anyone who loves to travel. We are always on the lookout for new places to visit. My family and I have places we love to camp at, and if we go to that area again, we look for places we haven’t been before. While I love to see new places, I have found new opportunities while visiting a place I have been before. When I revisit a place, I already know where the best spots are to take photos, and I can focus on looking for new ways to capture where we are on my camera. Here are a few tips I use to help me make the most out of revisiting a location.

📷 This is a great opportunity to try something new with your camera. You might have something new you figured out on your settings. There is always that new filter or tripod that you haven’t used before. I remember when I went from taking my photos in a JPG to Raw. I did JPG before that was all I knew, but when I made the switch to RAW I discovered how much better it captured where I was.

🔍 This is a great opportunity to experiment with different angles. I always try to find new ways to capture where I am. I will sit on the ground, squat, or lay down to try and find a view that I had not seen before.

😁 Stay positive. I wanted to travel to new places this year, but gas prices have caused me to rethink our travel plans. While we wanted to go further out this year, we realized it might be best to stay somewhere closer to home. I looked at as an opportunity to recapture some of the awesome places I have been before.

I took these photos while I was riding my bike around Charlotte a few weeks ago. I remember I was trying to take the greenway to one of the parks I like to visit, but it was closed for construction. I did stop in front of this clock and try my luck at some slow shutter speed shots. I liked how most of them turned out. Even though I didn’t get to go where I wanted to, I still was able to capture some pretty cool pictures here.