Same Route, Different View

“Hope is patience with the lamp lit. – Tertullian

When I ride my bike around town, I have like 3 or 4 different routes that I go on. When I ride, I always have my camera with me because you never know what opportunities will arrive. In this one particular ride, my wife and I were riding along the Irwin Creek Greenway. We stopped in one flower field to take pictures, but I didn’t really have photos that I was particularly excited about. After riding most of the trail we started to head back towards our house. On the way back I noticed the trees were blooming, the skies were clear, and this view of Charlotte at this one particular point I had not captured before. I stopped and snapped away.

This moment taught me that there are always different views, perspectives, and opportunities in photography that I have missed before. Here are some of the ways I have been able to capture the same places but captured differently.

🚶‍♂️ Walk in a different direction, path or angle. Cut across the grass if you have to. This is the easiest way to see something new that you haven’t seen before.

⏲ Try coming at a different time of the day. The lighting is different, people are different, and sometimes it just looks different.

📷 Switch camera your camera lens if you can, or try using your cell phone instead of your camera. Recently I have started to use my 55-200 mm lens instead of my 18-55 mm. I have to stand a little differently, position myself differently, and look at my subject differently. I will hopefully be able to share those photos soon.

I hope these tips are helpful. Most of them I picked up just by going out and practicing photography. If I wasn’t paying attention or in a hurry to get back home, I would not have been able to take this photo of Charlotte. If you look closely, you can see Bank of America Stadium and the Duke Energy Building.

What tips do you have for when you are visiting the same locations? Leave your thoughts and ideas in the comments below.