Hi ya’ll, I know it’s been a while. 2023 has been an interesting year. All day long at work I am on a computer and typing my fingers to the bone, so it’s rare I want to type more after work.
True fact, if you don’t wanna type, it’s hard to do a blog post. Tonight though, I got the urge!
Anyone who has followed this blog for any length of time knows I love being outside. Hiking, beach walking and most of all, cycling. breathing the fresh air and experiencing nature keeps me alive.
No matter where I am though, I LOVE taking photos. Before I go farther though, a disclaimers. Folks, even though people tell me I am (and I laugh) I am NOT a photographer. Photographers understand F-stops, exposures, and have multiple lenses and filters. They have light meters and tripods. they know their stuff.
I am just a bike riding, beach walking, nature loving guy with a phone and his trusty point and shoot camera in his pocket.
When I head outside I want to make sure I have binoculars, my phone and this camera with me, you just never know what you will see!
I will freely admit folks, I am lucky. Living on the Oregon Coast it is HARD to take a bad photo. In the last few weeks I’ve taken these
One of these was from my office, some from a bike ride or two, and some from a beach walk. All of them reflect what you can see here at the coast.
Like I said before, I am not a photographer, and I giggle whenever someone calls me one. Given that, I do have some tips I adhere to when I take photos.
The first is easy. If you think it’s cool, snap a photo! If you like it, chances are others will to! Even if they aren’t partial to the subject matter, like mushrooms
They might still appreciate the photo.
Number 2, share that sucker! If you like the photo, put it out there. Old schoolers like me still use Facebook. There is also Instagram. I have heard legend of this thing call Tik Tok, but that is greek to me! Whatever you use, throw your favorites out there. You will be amazed how many people like the stuff you take.
Third, STOP!!! Walking, running, driving or cycling. If you see something that is worth a photo, for the luva gawd stop and take it!
Whatever it is you see, there is no guarantee you will see it again.
Think about it, how long does it take to stop and take a photo or two? You may get home and look at it and say, “MEH!” and delete it. OR you could look at it and “Holy cow!”
Either way, it took 30 seconds of your life to stop the bike, pause your walk or even pull over the car and bust out the camera! More often than not, it well worth it!
Fourth, just look around! You never know what you will see! There could be a cool tree, a reflection, or hell a squirrel in the back yard.
If you stop and look, there is no telling what photos you might take.
Finally, and this seems counter intuitive, but it’s a fact. Do not be an afraid to NOT take a photo! I have seen whales, seals, harbor porpoises, sun sets, crashing waves and amazing views that I did not even try to capture with the phone or camera. I just looked, enjoyed, and thought to myself, “DAMN, I am so lucky to see this!” It is perfectly ok to enjoy life in general without busting out a camera or phone.
Sometimes the memory of what you saw is better than any photo you can take.
So in short, enjoy life. Take and share photos if you want, who cares if you aint a photographer. Enjoy life, look around, just stop and snap away. You will never be sorry if you take the photo, but you might regret not doing so!
And honestly, the more I take, the petter I have done. I’ve taken a few lately where I was truly surprised at how well I did.
Thanks for stopping by, and I hope you will keep taking and sharing the photos you take of the world around you! If no one else will look at em, let me know! I will be happy to do so!
Oregon Coast Cyclist 