Fall is in the air. Just the other day, the sun filtering through the wet and slightly smoky haze made the world glow. I love this light and just like Kathleen Kelly and Joe Fox of “You’ve Got Mail” I want to create bouquets of freshly sharpened pencils to place around my work areas. Anyone else start a nesting phase when the sun sets low and the leaves turn yellow? I want to start crafting and trying new recipes. I had been wanting to make my own granola for a while and baked enough to fill up 2 1-gallon bags of yummy breakfast cereal. No recipe, just what I thought would make the morning taste yummy. I then tried my hand at baking up some protein bars and came away with 40 delicious and satisfying little bites. However, I stored them in the wrong place and they started getting fuzzy after 2 weeks. Note to self, store in a cool dry location not on the kitchen table in direct afternoon sun. I will try those again though, as they were tasty and one little bite was enough to stave off hunger in the middle of the afternoon. Plus, I know what was in it so no weird tummy grumblings afterwards.
Was June really just a few months ago? Since then I’ve backpacked the Duckabush River, the Mount Margaret Wilderness, and Mount Rainier National Park. There was a week-long trip to Oregon to celebrate my 60th birthday. I started in the Columbia River Gorge and slept through a thunderstorm, then 4 days in Newport on the coast, and finally 4 days at a writers retreat near the McKenzie River. I rode in my 1st organized bike ride, a fun 35 miles through the lavender fields of Sequim. That was so much fun, I am looking forward to another ride next year (and maybe one or two during the year). Then a quick campout in August with the Mountaineers at Dungeness Spit, I was able to meet up with another photographer in Sequim and we spent the evening walking through the woods and photographing the sunset. It’s so nice to be able to photograph with other photographers who have an interest in the same subjects you do. Other than staying busy at work, I filled my summer days with art, photowalks, and yoga.
I have a ton of photos and videos to edit, so stay tuned for those. I’m working as fast as I can.
Catch up on what you might have missed here: https://www.youtube.com/@HIWalkerPhoto
I also had the pleasure of presenting for Linda Nickell’s Happiness Hour at the beginning of September. Each week, Linda invites photographer’s from all over to speak on a subject or project they have been working on. I have listened to amazing photographer’s who may be flying under the spotlight as opposed to more famous photographers. Each one creates beautiful work and I’m honored to be counted among them. Looking back through her catalog (she records each one and posts them to YouTube), there are
several that I need to watch and be inspired by. If you want to see my presentation, follow this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6rERhfKJO8&t=13s
And Linda’s Happiness Hour channel is here: https://www.youtube.com/@LindaNickellHappinessHour
For our photo tip for the quarter, I wanted to chat a little about niche versus genre. When we start expressing ourselves in photography, we are often told to find our niche. (We also talk a lot about finding a style, but that I believe comes a little with the niche.) A niche is our take on a type of photography, where genre is the general type of photography. Architectural photography is a genre of photography. Your niche, though, might be stairwells or cityscapes or derelict buildings. All of these subjects are part of the wider photographic genre of architecture. It helps to become known or recognized for a niche, more so than to become recognized for a genre. It’s easier to find your audience with a niche than a genre.
Once you are recognized for your niche, the genre becomes second hand in a viewer’s mind. “Of course you’re a landscape photographer, because you take amazing images of stormy skies.” Finding your niche helps you find your focus and also helps your audience find you. Once you find your focus, then you will begin to develop your style. Do you have to only photograph within your niche? No, of course not. Finding your niche helps you concentrate on the ideas and subjects you want to explore more fully and, again, helps your audience find you since they are also interested in those ideas and subjects. If your audience enjoys your work, they will happily follow you as you explore other subjects.
How do you find your niche, you ask? The best way is to start a project. Find an idea or subject that interests you and you want to explore further. Maybe you’re interested in macro photography and find the miniature world of mosses and lichens to be filled with fantastical possibility. Then simply, start exploring and share your exploration on your socials. It’s ok if someone else has that niche. It doesn’t need to be unique, what makes it unique is your take on the subject. Only you can create images that are yours. Just like you can’t create images that are someone else’s - you can imitate, but not create. So be creative and find your niche. Explore a subject that will fill you with amazement.
For me, my niche was found when I realized that I love the intimate details of the forest. My niche is the intimate forest. But I will also photograph the seascapes and mountainsides of the Pacific Northwest as well as the canyonlands of the Southwest. But I will always joyfully walk slowly through the forest to find those lovely intimate forest scenes (what I like to call nature vignettes) like the image of the Bracken Fern above where filtered light brushes across the burnished fronds.
I encourage you to find your niche, or just find a project to explore and see what comes of it.
For the rest of the year, I’m hoping to get one more backpack in before snow starts falling in the mountains. I hear my sister’s granddaughter is up for one more trip this year too. I backpacked into the Indian Heaven Wilderness near Mt Adams several years ago, maybe it’s time to go back. The elevation and distance is easy enough for a nine-year-old. Of course there are plenty of autumn hikes to be done too. I love how the leaves turn in the cooler months - and I love that they are cooler months too. Once the final backpack is over, I can clean my gear and tuck it away in storage then pull out the skis for waxing and playing. Last year they were put away without ever getting used. I hope the snow this year is better for a few trips.
Halloween is just around the corner and the haunted cellar is shaping up to be a frightful event at my sister’s in Shelton. If you’re in the area on October 26, come on by and have a fun scream. I’ve not decided yet if I will travel to Montana this November. I do enjoy the trip, but just not sure it’s in the cards this year. Really, I haven’t many plans but to continue photographing, making videos, and writing my essays.
Thanks for stopping by and I will see you on the next adventure.