As I’ve mentioned in earlier posts, I’ve had way too little time to shoot this year. And so the next week I’m photographing Savalen. I started with a short photowalk to get the creative energy flowing.
Returning and making the most of it
Not long ago I wrote a post on how you can make the most of a location. To me it seems like the locations that I return to again and again are the ones I succeed most with. Maybe because I’m a crappy photographer, that needs time to gather keepers, but I don’t think so. I think I need to connect with a location to be able to show anything more than snapshots from that place.
I need to know what conditions are best, when the light hits different scenes, what to shoot in different seasons. But more than anything I need to know a place to know what story I feel is worth telling about it.
Yesterdays photowalk helped me understand and know Savalen even better. That’s why I don’t think it’s a problem returning to a location over and over again. There’s always more to explore.
Not just mountain trails and wilderness
I’ve said that Savalen is a paradise for easy hikes. And it is. However yesterday reminded me that it’s not just mountain trails and wilderness. In photographing Savalen I also have to document sheep and horses, dirt roads and other traces of human interference.
I’ve shot other scenes than pure landscapes and nature shots from the area before as well, and some of them are my favorite images from my years photographing Savalen. However the last few years I’ve found myself frustrated whenever I haven’t been able to come up with new compositions without trace of manmade stuff. And I think I have to change the angle. So yesterday I decided to embrace it, and follow the dirt roads to see what caught my attention.
A challenge – let’s accept it
I found it a challenge. The light wasn’t as golden as I had hoped. The dirt road didn’t lead to anywhere particularly interesting. My dog wasn’t up for walking along the dirt roads and kept tugging me in other directions.
But as I walked I started to refocus my mind. Not looking for anything in particular, just looking. And I started seeing small scenes that caught my interest. A splash of color, a reflection, repeating lines, a certain mood or simply some cute sheep and horses. Things worth looking closer at. I accepted the challenge, and found my creative energy starting to flow.
It’s all about the mindset
I know this so well. Last year I spent a week waiting for the light. This year I’ve waited for something to spike interest. I know it’s all about the mindset. Once I stop waiting, and start charging, I can start creating. That was the purpose of yesterdays photowalk, to break the waiting. To change my mindset. And it worked. I’m photographing Savalen yet again, and I’m having a blast.
I hope you like the images in this post, and that you’ll follow me this week while I’m photographing Savalen. I’ll be posting both here and on Instagram, so consider subscribing to my blog and following me on Instagram if you don’t want to miss out. And remember; there’s always more to explore locally!
