Photography, No Matter What!

"Curious Little Fungus"

I can deny it no longer. The crazy schedule I have right now due to the Christmas season means I may not be blogging daily for the next while. And I don't mean my work schedule, although that was busy for a bit too... I mean my personal schedule. I love Christmas and this means I make time for family, friendly gatherings every other night, and all the special activities I can't do without.

However, I DO find time to photograph SOMETHING through the week. No matter what! And so today's image is from a jaunt we made last week to try out a new hiking trail in the greater Niagara area. One we'll definitely be visiting often over the coming year. The Short Hills Provincial Park is one I've been wanting to visit for a while. Three major trails prevail, loads of birds of every color and size, deer and coyote... and I can't be certain but we think we saw fox tracks too through some mud.

I spend much of the time on new trails or locations just getting a feel for the area, the possible conditions we'll experience, the amount of time we need to experience it all, and what times of day would be the most ideal to visit. Also the history of the area. I don't do a ton of shooting my first walk through. But I do bring the camera on the off chance I need to remember what I love about the trails, and to photograph the odd scene that grabs my eye.

We were in a darker part of the woods when I spotted some fungi I had never seen before on the Bruce trails in the Hamilton area. Tiny, tiny, white with ruffles and tinges of green throughout. I loved the texture, but hated that I had neglected to pack my tripod, which I didn't really want with me this first time through. It was super bright out for the most part with harsh light and I wasn't thinking about how thick and dark the canopy of trees can be even without their leaves. So this one was taken with the ISO jacked up to about 500 to avoid any camera shake. The rock bed I stood in was not too sturdy either and I couldn't find a secure spot to place the camera on a support of any kind without it getting wet. So this is the best I could do.

I still like the image and it speaks of the future photo possibilities awaiting me the next time I return. Possibilities I'll be able to anticipate and try to be prepared for. But it's a fabulous park and the walk with the hubby was wonderful regardless of what little material I came back with this first go round! How about you? Do you always scope out a new area before trying to spend hours photographing it? I highly recommend it. No matter what.