Every month my photography class and I meet up to go on a photo walk. Often we will work on some new concept, but most often it’s to catch up, talk about photography, projects, and specific needs. It’s been a fun experience this past year to explore this dynamic and create new images. This time around we worked on taking photos as the sun set and into low light.

Despite being in a popular downtown area, we were in a sleepy town that didn’t have as much happening as we would’ve hoped, but it was full of charm. A prime lens is key because you can use a low f-stop and therefore a lower ISO, although grain is welcome when it’s warranted and I encouraged my students to push the number as needed to get the shot. We looked for unique lighting opportunities starting with the sunset which was off to our side and not directly giving us that gorgeous light, while looking for good texture within smaller vignettes.

It’s challenging to walk into a scene with no real subject to put your energy into and walk away with something that feels worthwhile, but it is a lesson in strengthening your capabilities for skill with your camera and your creative eye. It’s important to be able to create something no matter where you are, because big beautiful landscapes are not always an option, so what can you create with what you have and where you are?