Sunday Serenity: Hip Shots

No, not “hip” as in cool. Literally, these are shots taken from the hip, me not looking at the camera screen (iPhone in this instance) but just shooting from hip level. It’s an exercise in seeing things differently, taken from a book I’ve been working my way through, called Zen Camera, by David Ulrich.

One of the things I noticed during my hip shot walk was that I was looking out at the bigger picture as well as noticing small details (like the mushroom-encrusted log above) instead of searching for “the shot” as I moved down the trail. I was using my eyes, not my camera, to see the world, clicking the shutter button when I saw something interesting.

I started walking down a sandy road and then descended to a wooden walkway that crossed over a pool of water. On my way out, it was sprinkling rain just enough to blur the surface of the water, but not so much that I wanted to tuck my phone/camera in my pocket.

I kept going on the trail until I hit the river and then I turned around, heading home. I wasn’t too sure of the right trail at one branch, but I ended up picking the right one to get me back to the walkway and the same view, now with the water so still it reflected the bare branches beautifully.

It was an interesting way to take a photo walk – not looking at the shots and seeing what I had when I got home. Kind of like a treasure hunt, actually. I’m adding this hip shot technique to the collection of tricks I use to get myself out the door on those days when I just don’t want to go. Today turned out to be way more surprising than just “do 40 minutes of something” to close the exercise ring on my fitness tracker.

Surprise is the greatest gift which life can grant us.

Boris Pasternak