The Weekly Margs by

E is for Environment

Hi, welcome back!

One thing that helps me take better photos is a change of scenery. It’s just not that exciting to take or share photos of the same parks, the same streets. Changing scenery, going to a new part of town, going to a new city, going inside a new place are always great reasons to bring my standalone camera.

For some reason I can’t quite place, I haven’t been able to travel as much this year as I usually am, which means fewer occasions to bring my camera and capture something in a new environment. I have been able to take a few short trips this year, and one thing they’ve all had is a lot of open space in nature, which is good because they’re safe and minimize spreading of that thing that I can’t quite place.

So this week, we’re looking at photos of the outdoor environment! Let’s get into it.

August 2019. Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve (Sonoma County, CA)

This is from last year’s trip up to Guerneville. We took a day to walk around the Armstrong Redwoods, and I looked up and caught this shot. I love how tall the trees are an how the photo captures how bright of a day it was.

April 2020. Pacific Heights (San Francisco, CA)

I took a long walk around my neighborhood on the weekend and looked up and saw these two trees next to each other and they made for such a sharp contrast. This was still in the city, so it’s not “nature” per se, but this was from a longer walk, on a block that’s outside of my usual route, so it felt like getting a change of scenery and finding something new. Back in April, a few weeks in to shelter-in-place, it felt like as big of a change in environment as I’d had in a while.

August 2020. Mono Lake Tufa State Natural Reserve (Lee Vining, CA)

I got out of SF for a weekend in August and visited Lake Mono. Lake Mono has these tufas, which are piles of calcium carbonate built up from mineral deposits over time (when the water level was much higher). They’re pretty spectacular and it was great to wander around the lakefront early in the morning and catch some great light like this.

September 2020. Iron Canyon (Park City, UT)

One of the other trips I was able to take this year was to Park City, UT. We spent about a week, and got in a few bike ride. It was right at like, peak fall vibes. I loved how wandering down this bike path, the leaves popped, and it was so bright. This is why it’s important to bring a camera walking around new places, because everything feels so new and fresh.

Thanks again for reading, and see you next time!

XOXO,
Margs