Some weeks my photography feels uninspired.  I simply don’t have the opportunities to get out and find the inspiration that bring photos to life for me.  But I’m determined to keep up my practice of taking daily photos…so out of the blahs, here’s a few shots that keep me going.

Scouting out some local hiking places meant an excursion into a nearby place we hadn’t previously explored.  I love our native plants for many reasons–their drought tolerance, their earthy smells, and their resilience. But they aren’t always beautiful in that ornate, photo-ready way.  I do love the old oaks in our area, especially when the sun shines through them.

A closer look at one of the smaller coast live oaks revealed acorns!  I love this one that reminds me of Halloween candy corn!

If you pay close attention, you will also notice the insect life around. Swallowtail butterflies are pretty common in the area…and this guy even sat still long enough for this portrait.

And I couldn’t resist this web built into the corner of the fencing along a portion of the trail.  I love the way that it is tucked into the corner, creating a lacy effect.  I didn’t see a spider…and this looks like it may have abandoned.

It was disturbing to see these dead palm trees in the distance.  We learned that they have been intentionally poisoned as part of an effort to restore this preserve area to its native state.  The palms are an invasive species and removing them will bring back native plants…and the ecosystem that native birds and other animals need to support them.

And a trip to the local mall offers an antidote to the blahs.  There’s a lot of construction going on as the mall is updated to better accommodate the growth in the area.  The cranes particularly caught my eye…along with the way the sunlight was streaming down towards them.

So…how might you use photography to fight the blahs…or adjust your eye to fight the photography blahs?  You might have to force yourself to start snapping and trust that something interesting will come up.  I try hard to remind myself to take at least one photo every day–even when I don’t feel inspired!  (Hence the construction photo!)

You can post your photo alone or along with some words: commentary, a story, a poem…maybe even a song! I love to study the photographs that others’ take and think about how I can use a technique, an angle, or their inspiration to try something new in my own photography. (I love a great mentor text…or mentor photo, in this case!) I share my photography and writing on social media. You can find me on Instagram and Twitter using @kd0602. If you share your photos and writing on social media too, please let me know so I can follow and see what you are doing. To help our Weekly Photo community find each other, use the hashtag #blahs for this week and include @nwpianthology in your post.

Head out with your camera and take some shots…you’re bound to find something interesting and that will help with fighting the blahs.  And in the process, you might learn something about the place you live, the people around you, or even about yourself and the way you look at photos! Fight your blahs this week…and share a few shots with us!