Finding Beauty in Nature Close to Home
Here is a photo log of our recent trip 3 miles away. We live in the middle of the city of Wichita, and I have been missing the woods (I grew up in the Northeast, so I am feeling a little homesick). But I have been challenging myself to take my daughter on outdoor excursions every morning at sunrise to explore the area, and try to reclaim connection to nature again. This is Great Plains Nature Center, and it is the place to beat, at least this close to our house.
Some details on how I shot. I love my other cameras (I have several, and the ones I have kept have special meanings to them), but in this season of teaching my daughter to walk, she constantly requires at least one of my hands (I am happy to oblige :) However, this means that my only camera I can use right now is my digital point-and-shoot, my trusty Nikon S8200. It does not shoot RAW, but it does give me 16 megapixels to work with (honestly though, I'm not sure if my 8 megapixel cameras are worse. More on that in a future post, probably). I am trying to keep my editing more minimal these days, because I have less time as a dad, and also as a musician to dedicate tons of time to editing photos. The compromise I am coming up with is to focus on less than 10 photos, ideally around 5 per shoot. I will make a small collection of the ones that really speak to me, and edit them until they are speaking the emotion I would like it to (aka VIBE) and then export twice (once for full size and once for web. Roughly 16 MB and 2 MB). I edit in RAWTherapee, and I often use the film simulations offered in their toolset. I am very inspired by the film aesthetic, and while I do shoot some film, I am finding it hard to fit in my budget to shoot it consistently. But right now, going on a hike in the morning with my daughter, and editing a few shots in the evening, to be uploaded to a post that night, fits the bill. It's a good routine, and taking the camera is helping get to the place I want to be :