B&W: Randomly Chopped Logs and a Raging Stream
I’m a sucker for black and white photos. My fiance is a sucker for black and white photos. So naturally I’m going to test out some photos in black and white.
The minute I came across these random, chopped logs I knew I would want to see how they translated to black and white. Personally I was hoping for a bit more contrast.
I’ve taken photos similar to the stream before and loved they way they look in black and white. I think the background provides a nice, dark contrast to the bright water.
A Break from Palm Trees: Macro Plant-life
One of the things I’ve been noticing while testing out our new DSLR, is that the best way to improve and learn its functions, is to use it abundantly. I’ve watched video courses and am in the process of reading a book, but so far the best results are from trial and error.
Murray Canyon Trail, part of Indian Canyon Trails, in Palm Springs is a relatively short, simple hike. I believe it is about a 2 mile in and out for a total of 4 miles. It probably took me about an hour going in because of all the stopping and shooting I did.
One of my features on our camera that I love working with is the macro setting. I’m not a huge plant-life enthusiast but I love how macro close-ups look with the in-focus foreground and blurred background.
Pictured below are the plants known as “somewhat purple fuzzy rods” followed by “tiny chalky flowers”. I think a botany class is in my near future.
Palm Trees as Far as the Eye Can See
Another shot from my solo hike in Palm Springs.
It was a relatively flat and barren hike until I turned the corner and saw this. From there it was all canyon, stream, and palm trees. I’m pretty sure I saw an ocelot too, but that could’ve been the adrenaline.
Solo Hiking is Amazing
The photos are coming a little late, but back on February 1st, I went on a solo hike in Murray Canyon, part of Indian Canyon Trails, in Palm Springs, CA.
My fiance wanted to visit with a team she used to coach back in Chicago because they were out there for a competition. Therefore, I did the hike solo.
Now don’t get me wrong, I love hiking with my fiance. It never gets boring. However, hiking alone was an amazing experience.
You get a chance to totally clear your mind and be uninterrupted with just your own thoughts. It also helped that seeing other hikers on this trail was few and far between.
There were times when I could literally hear nothing. It was a surprisingly revitalizing experience and reinforced, at least for me, why we moved to California. It also fed my wanderlust which is growing increasingly every single day.
I would recommend to anyone, to give hiking solo a shot. If you’re worried about going missing on the trail, just give someone the name of the trail you’re doing. You might also want to give them a cutoff time so they know when you’ve been gone too long.
Again, hike solo, at least once.
Inspiration: Travel Bucket Lists Only Get Larger
Travel bucket lists never get shorter; they only get longer.
Some lucky photographer/traveler just won $25,000 to travel wherever in the world they want. [Jealousy ensues].
While I undoubtedly wish it were me taking that trip, I couldn’t help but notice a couple quotes from the article. The first quote from the content winner talks about how wanderust a.k.a. “the travel bug” cannot be cured. I haven’t been enough places to speak to that, however I hope I do someday.
“I thought that moving to South America would cure my travel bug. But I was terribly wrong. It has only awoken a larger wanderlust sensation to keep seeing more parts of the world.”
The second line I noticed was from the author stating that your travel bucket list will never get shorter. I am addicted to crossing things off my “to-do” list and love the satisfaction of having a completely crossed off list. However, I have a feeling this will be one list I won’t want completely checked off.
“The more you travel, the more you want to travel. Which is why, I’ve noticed, travel bucket lists never get shorter; they only get longer.”
This Is One of Them 