I love to go for a daily walk in my neighbourhood and I always bring my camera with me even if I don't end up taking a photograph.
This is different to my two or three times weekly photoshoot, where I deliberately plan where to go and what type of photography I’ll do.
This is a walk with my small camera, a wrist strap and one lens.
My walk usually takes place in the early morning. I love this time, when the world is quiet and still, the birds are singing, dog walkers and early walkers and runners are the only humans to be seen, and the world hasn’t yet awakened to the working day.
I love the crisp air in winter, the warmth and sweet aromas of summer, and everything in between.
Even getting caught in a light rain shower can be invigorating.
I am fortunate to have many walking routes and trails near my home.
Just a ten minute walk from my home is a large park and woodland where I do a lot of photography. In addition to this park there are also paths around the suburb where I live, a small town centre close to my home, a riverbank walk and many local walking trails I can follow.
The main purpose of my daily walk, as it is for many people, is exercise, but it gives me much more than physical exercise.
My walking time is a time for myself. It is a time to slow my thoughts, to appreciate the world around me, to reflect on any ongoing issues in my life, and to put things into perspective.
It is a time to enjoy solitude and to exercise my creative mind by observing what is around me and occasionally creating some images.
This time is not about making great images – it is about capturing what catches my eye.
It is about enjoying the limitations of just one lens and increasing my awareness of what is around me, both in the natural and in the human-made world.
My daily walk has become an essential part of my day, a part of my day that I try not to miss, and by taking a camera with me it has become an even more special time.
Here are some images from a week of daily walks with my camera:
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