We have been trying to get out and walk more so we were trying the Nature Walk at a local Wildlife Center. It goes through a heavily treed area with ponds and marshy areas, with lots of different plants along the way. I enjoy picking out still life images from what we find along our walk. It can be branches with dried leaves, a feather laying on the ground or almost anything that catches my eye. I especially like shooting 2 to 5 shot panoramas of fallen tree branches. Some have an amazing variety of textures, colors, shadows, etc. Also look for a tree with interesting tree roots, shadows or shapes. Sometimes you find a spot of color when everything else is drab. Look for sunlight highlighting an area of interest. Strong highlighting adds textures or highlights interesting shapes. It is also interesting to look for subjects for some extreme closeups such as 1X to 8X, but that is for a different blog post. To sum it up, it is like a treasure hunt and your techniques can enhance what you find. It also helps you see more and broaden your visual skills. On a walk I usually take 2 cameras, one lightweight m43 with a 14-140mm lens (35mm equiv. of 28mm to 280mm) and a Canon 1D MkIV with either a long lens or a 150mm macro. It depends on how much I want to carry.

3 shot panorama