I went for a walk yesterday morning. The weather wasn’t brilliant, but I hadn’t been for a while and I needed it. I block out Friday mornings to go for a walk and write blog posts, but last week I’d met up with a freelance friend instead.
And thinking about it, I haven’t done many short walks either. Those range from a 5 minute walk around the block, to a wander around the fields on the other side of the main road, to a walk down to the park and back.
Whenever I walk, I like to take photos. So it’s great if the sky is blue and the weather is bright, but I can always find something to photograph even if that’s not the case.
Yesterday was grey and overcast with occasional bits of rain. But there were so many signs of spring, it was lovely to capture a few details on my phone. And as I was walking by water, as I love to do, there are always reflections and ripples to photograph. And often ducks, geese and swans too.
There’s something about taking photos of the details around me that just takes me away from the thoughts in my head, whatever challenges are going on or work things there are to ponder.
I remember 10 years or so ago when I was commuting to a contract role, back when I started my creative writing, I used to take 10-20 minutes to go for a walk locally before sitting down to write. And I’d notice the details I saw, often bringing them into the piece I was writing, sometimes saving them in a notebook for the future.
At that point I thought I wanted to be a freelance photographer or a writer. But I realised that I didn’t necessarily want to be paid for it, those things were just activities I liked to do that helped me relax into the world and see a different perspective. And made me more creative in my working life.
I realised it was something I needed to incorporate into my weeks, and so I made that happen. By writing this I’ve reminded myself why I do that, and why I need to get back into my short walks again too.
Do you go for walks and take time to notice the details around you?
Photo copyright – Nina Lenton