The Beginner Photography Podcast

Your Most Photographed Summer Ever

• Raymond Hatfield

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#572 In this episode of the podcast, I talk about making this your most photographed summer ever, no matter what camera you are using, even if it's just your iPhone. Whether you're capturing spontaneous moments, managing family summer plans, or building a photography business, this episode is for you. I aim to help you better see the moments in front of you, create a habit of shooting daily, and share your images with confidence.

KEY TOPICS COVERED

  1. Why Summer Light Is Your Playground - I share why summer light is so dynamic and exciting—from the harshness of midday to the drama of golden hour, and even the sparkle of artificial lights at the fair. I challenge you to explore light at all times of day, not just the “pretty” hours.
  2. How to Practice Seeing and Using Light Differently - I break down how to train your eye by watching shadows, highlights, and even weather patterns. I explain how small photo experiments—like shooting the same subject at different times—can build your intuition and help you anticipate beautiful moments.
  3. Photographing the Everyday Without Waiting for Something ‘Special’ - I talk about how my own backyard, morning coffee routines, and spontaneous family moments have given me some of my favorite images. You don’t need big events to create meaningful photos—you just need to pay attention.
  4. Your Best Photos Might Be Unplanned—But Still Need a Plan - I reflect on how some of the best moments I’ve ever captured were unexpected: a rainstorm, laughter in the car, or a squirrel caught in the morning light. But I also explain why having a shot list and preparing for the moments your family is excited about helps you stay intentional.

IMPORTANT DEFINITIONS & CONCEPTS

  • Golden Hour: The short window of time right after sunrise or before sunset when the light is soft, warm, and flattering. It’s popular with photographers because of the golden glow and long shadows.

DISCUSSION & REFLECTION QUESTIONS

  1. How do different types of light affect your mood or inspiration to pick up your camera?
  2. What’s a “boring” or everyday moment in your life that might actually be beautiful when photographed intentionally?
  3. What are three things your family is most excited about this summer—and how could you document those in creative ways?

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Thanks for listening & keep shooting!

Raymond Hatfield:

If plans change, if the weather ruins your barbecue, if you forget your camera again, don't sweat it. Sometimes the best moments are the ones that are totally unplanned. Remember progress over perfection. presence over polish. If you can be present in your life and you use your camera to document that over, a quote unquote magazine, perfectly polished image. You're gonna be able to create a full summer of amazing work. Hey everybody. Welcome back to the Beginner Photography podcast. I'm your host Raymond Hatfield, and I am also a parent of two kids who are on summer vacation. And if you're anything like me, well then maybe you've already promised yourself that this will finally be the summer, that you actually go out and you shoot more, and you capture all the things. That are summer, but then, life happens, you work plans change and before you know it, the pool's closed and, the season's over and your memory card still is basically empty except for like those eight photos that you took at that, 4th of July cookout and one of those photos being an awkward backyard selfie. Yeah, I have, uh, I've definitely been there before. So if you've ever scrolled on Facebook or Instagram, come August and thought. Wait a minute, did I even pick up my camera this season? Then this episode is, gonna be your nudge, your pep talk, and your game plan all rolled into one because we are going to make sure that, by the time Labor Day rolls around, that you have got not only a memory card that is full of moments that mattered most to you. But also a heart full of these wonderful memories, that are captured, right? Because photography is not all about just capturing the photo of the moment. It's also about, being a part of your life and, enhancing the moment that you get to live as well. So today I am talking all about making this your most photographed summer ever, no matter what camera it is that you're carrying. And yes, I mean, even if it is just your iPhone. So we're gonna dig into what really makes Summer photos valuable. Why your everyday moments are worth capturing. And I'm also gonna share some practical and totally doable tips that you can start using right now to make, again, this your most photographed summer ever. Even if you're feeling too busy, or you know it's already a few weeks in, maybe you're feeling too late to the party or you're too overwhelmed to even think about shooting. So to start off this episode, I would've thought, it'd be nice to take you back, share a little story of mine, take you back to a, it was a July evening a few years ago, and I had, just poorly built this fire pit in our backyard, and took me all day, I mean. Honestly, it's thinking back, it is embarrassing how long it took me to build this thing, but by the end of the evening, my wife and my kids were all sitting around this fire pit and we're just talking, and it's just like this wonderful summer, evening. and I wanted to kind of live in this moment forever, right? I wanted a photo to be able to capture this feeling, capture this feeling of, of what summer felt like to me, but my, you know, quote unquote real camera, my Fujis were, well, they were inside, they were in my office. They were sitting on my desk, which, at that time was exactly zero help to me whatsoever in that moment because I wanted to be in that moment of, of the joy, of, the family time. I didn't want to have to get up and go inside, get my camera come back out, and chance having the moment changed. But you know what? I had in my pocket, my phone. So I pulled it out. I took a few shots. I caught what I found was the perfect frame of what it was that I was looking for, that was it. Is it technically flawless? No. Did it win any awards also? No. Would a photo with, again, my quote unquote real camera, have been better? Uh, a thousand percent, but I didn't have it, so I took the photo with my phone and that photo was framed in our house for years because it screamed. This is our summer, and now every time I look at that photo can smell our backyard. And there's really something special about that. I mean, that is, that is the goal of photography to, to capture the moments of our lives, to help, enhance our memories of the things that we live through. Again, even if it's just your phone. So let me start off by saying something that has been said 10 million times before by people, not even just myself, but it is that the best camera is the one that you have on you. And again, I know it sounds super cliche, but, every time I leave my, again, quote unquote real camera at home, and I just bring my phone. I somehow always end up seeing something amazing, whether it's, in the summertime that perfect golden light or my kids doing something hilarious, something that I'm gonna wanna remember, or just that feeling of like, ah, some summer's here, right? we're out and we're doing something, that's a summer. And rather than kicking myself for not bringing my camera. I will just use my phone to capture the photo. And like guys, I have an iPhone 13 mini. Like this is not a pro phone, or even a current phone, but it is the best camera that I have on me at the time. So that's what I use because when I'm out photographing the summer activities, it's not about best photo possible. It's about best photo of this moment and the best photo of a moment is always gonna be a photo rather than no photo. So therefore, if I take the photo on my phone, then it is what it is. So don't feel bad. The first part of making this your most photographed summer ever is to not shame yourself for not bringing your camera with you. It is to not, discard these moments of summertime. Just because all you have is your phone. capture it. It takes great photos, like so use it to take a photo. But this is a photography podcast. It's not a phone photography podcast. So, we oftentimes do want to bring our, dedicated camera with us. especially, it's a lot easier when, I know that there's a lot of hesitation of just bringing in a camera with you during everyday life, on your way to work, or grocery shopping, or the doctor's office, you know, things like that. But in the summertime, we typically go more places. We do more things, with the goal of family time or relaxing or connecting with others, and therefore, it's gonna be more common to bring your camera with you. So I also want to fair share, a few tips on how to create that carrier camera everywhere with you, mindset. So here is my first challenge, right? It is to bring your camera with you everywhere. Again, whether it's your phone, whether it's, an old point and shoot camera like this, uh, Sony, tx. Is it tx? Yeah, TX 20, which is worth its weight in gold, honestly, even though it's from like, I think 2012. Or it is again, your dedicated camera. So the challenge for you here is to bring a camera with you everywhere you go, right? toss it in your bag. Keep it in your cup holder. Whatever works, honestly. and you know, the thing about summer is that you don't need a photography outing. to be able to capture incredible images. A lot of photography is not, being in the most beautiful places or being in the, the busiest. urban areas, it's just about simply being present and ready. It's less about the camera and more about the moment and how it is that you capture it. Because these cameras are tools. They're not creators. They are tools that use to create. The images of our life, and because they're tools, treat them like that, don't baby them. I understand. You know, maybe five,$600 on a camera is quite an investment in a camera. Might be the biggest that you've ever spent on a camera, but these things are not. I was gonna say, they're not made of glass, but like a lens is technically made of glass. So that may be a bad, analogy, but they're not as fragile as you think that they are. And honestly, as time goes on, they just get more robust and better and better and better. So if it means that, um, you're gonna miss a photo because you're babying your camera and it's gotta be padded in the special thing and you know, all this stuff and tucked away and, protected and, don't do that. Get a camera strap. The one that came with your camera is fine. Put it on, loop it around your shoulder. And that's it. I mean, for me and my summer outings, my go-to is my Fuji Ex Pro two, it's from 2016. It's not even again, like a current camera with a 27 millimeter lens attached to it. and a neck strap and that's it. I just carry it around my shoulder. Walk around everywhere. If I see something, I pull it up and I take a photo and then I put it back and that's it. Next thing is to have two batteries always on rotation. There's one that's always in the camera and then the other one is always on the charger. And if I see that, you know, I grab the camera before we're about to go out, I turn it on real quick and see that the camera is half or less, then I'll just do a quick battery swap. And then I'm out the door with a full battery. That way you're never wondering like, wait, is this charge, is it not charged? Because you don't wanna show up, anywhere with a dead battery. I've done that before. I've brought the camera, I've lugged it with me. We went out, camera was dead. That feeling sucks, so just remove that friction as well. Always have two batteries, one on the charger, one in the camera, and then swap it out. I don't know, every day or so, like depending on how much you're shooting, and there you go. And again, if it's not a dedicated camera, maybe it's a large camera that you have a pocketable point and shoot camera or a phone might work out great for you. Put it in a, in a sling or, hang it up next to your door, so that when you leave, you always see it there. One thing that I do is I always keep this, Sony point and shoot camera right next to, my phone, my wallet, my keys, and my sunglasses so that whenever I leave the house and I need to grab something, I grab my phone, wallet, keys, sunglasses, camera, and then I'm ready to go. And then when I'm in my car, I literally take the camera and I just put it in my cup holder because I don't know, sometimes you're driving and you see something and you're like, let me take a photo of that. And it's just nice to have, always around you within close distance to be able to take that photo. You get outta the car, you just grab the camera, you go out, you shoot, and then that's it. This isn't about dedicating like, again, an entire amount of time for a photography outing. Sometimes you're gonna take some photos that are great, that are just kind of these unpredictable moments at the grocery store. And you only took three photos that day with your camera. But it's all about building that, mindset of carrying a camera with you everywhere so that you will start to see more photographically. So, make a plan right now. Pause this episode and think to yourself, what can I do to make carrying a camera? More friction free. Whether it's keeping it run by your door, keeping it by your phone, wallet, keys, sunglasses, keeping those two batteries always charged, or keeping the camera in your car's glove box. I don't know, like, think to yourself, what would it take for bringing a camera with me everywhere to become frictionless? Then take a step towards, towards doing that because that's how you start to take more photos as you bring your camera with you more places. Alright, now let's talk about one of my favorite subjects. Summer Light. I mean, summer light is, it's magical. It is dynamic. It is sometimes unpredictable and it can easily mess up your exposures if you're not careful. And I think that that's why it makes it so much fun is that every time you go out, it's a challenge. It's something new, and that is going to build upon your skillset of seeing light and photographing it. So here's what I want you to do. I want you, I mean, my goal for you is to start noticing light at different times of the day. We all know that Golden Hour gets all the love it's pretty great. I'm not gonna lie, but I don't want you to shy away from maybe the weird beauty of harsh midday, summer sun, or the warm chaos of the summertime campfire. Or fireworks, come the 4th of July here in the states, fireworks are incredible. Or there's plenty of things like state fairs and things like that. All the neon signs and the artificial light after dark. Ugh. There's not many things that say summer more than that. I mean, the thing is that we're just outside more during the summer. We're busier. we see more things, so it becomes a perfect opportunity to get the experience of shooting all of these different types of light that you're going to run into. Now, if you're thinking like, okay, I get it, like harsh midday sun. What is it that I'm photographing here? What is it that I'm looking for? Here's what I want you to look out for. I want you to pay attention to things like shadows, right? How long they get in the evening or in the morning, or how they disappear at noon. Uh. how they dance across the kitchen table at breakfast. And then I also want you to look at highlights. Summer is full of bright highlights, so try to spend a day or a weekend just exposing for the highlights. When you do that, that's gonna create this beautiful, contrasty image with like crushed, dark shadows. And that could be fun to have a new visual style of summer, right? So pay attention to the way that the sunlight makes water sparkle if you're going out to the lake or the river or the beach, or what headlights look like on a rainy drive. You know, growing up in California between the months of like May and October there was no rain. So moving here to the Midwest was like this weird change where you need to have an umbrella in a car at all times. Even like July, like, what is this about? But I've had 4th of July parties being rained out and like growing up in California, that would've been unheard of. But anyway, this is how you train your eyes when you look for the things that light does. It makes shadows, it creates these beautiful highlights. It can create these sparkles in the way that it shimmers off of things. And again, noticing the world in a new way is how you fall in love with the photography all over again. When I get into a rut, and by what I mean by when I get into a rut, is that I just won't be like photographing for a while. I'll find that like I just need like a jumpstart. And that doesn't necessarily mean like, oh, planning this photo project or something to get my visual brain going again. It just means like taking photos of the everyday things that I do. In the morning my wife and I typically have a cup of coffee on the porch. And, we have some hostas in our front, garden area. And from time to time, bees show up to the hostas. hummingbirds show up as well. We have some bunnies and, squirrels in our front yard. So just like, even just sitting out there and just like capturing them in the morning, when the sun is like low in the sky and hitting them and backlighting them, and it looks just warm and dynamic and beautiful. That right there, I mean, when you see that in a photo instead of just like, taking the whole world in, but you see. What a bee looks like, backlit as it's, inside of a flower kickstart, something within your brain and you're like, wow, this so beautiful. And it almost feels effortless. So then going throughout the day, mid-morning kids wake up, oh, now they wanna play some basketball outside before the day starts. Okay, I'm gonna take a few photos of that, oh, well what if I, you know, my kids are short because they're kids. What if I got the camera up high, like up by the rim and got them shooting for it? Oh, okay. Now I'm starting to see the world in different compositions. What if I got the camera down low and, behind them? In the background, I could see the backboard as they go to shoot it. Okay. That's a new composition. And then throughout the day, these moments just kind of present themself. These are everyday moments that you go through, but if you bring a camera to it, you're gonna start seeing it photographically. And again, that's gonna kickstart the process for you of just taking more photos of your summer. So I wanna give you a quick exercise to better see and document all of this beautiful, gorgeous summer light. And it is this, pick just one subject, something that is easily accessible. Maybe it's the hammock in your backyard, something that you're gonna see throughout the day. And I want you to photograph it at three different times of the day. One at like. 9:00 AM again, at 2:00 PM and then again at like golden hour, same spot, same lens. Try to get the exact same frame as well, like know where you're standing and then when you're done, look at all three of the photos on your computer and see how just the lights change creates these different summer moods and now you've captured them. So again, think about that as you're going forward. Oh, we're going to the fair. We're going on a morning walk. And now you can kind of visualize what the light is gonna look like at that time so you can start to preplan some photos. All right, if you have kids, here is something about photographing the summer that I had to kind of come to grips with as a parent, and that is that your favorite summer photos probably won't be the ones that you planned. You may have big plans. Our family has big plans. We have a trip to Alaska planned. We're going to, Oshkosh, Wisconsin for the world's biggest air show. We got weekends, at the local pool. And somehow that doesn't mean that just because you put in the effort into something special, like going to these places that you're guaranteed to get phenomenal photos from it, right? Photos of the kids happy or beautiful landscapes or, perfect weather. Like you're not guaranteed those things. And when I think about the images that I capture of summer, some of my most cherished images. of my kids happened during a freak rainstorm, sitting on the porch again, enjoying the morning sun, having that cup of coffee and they're just out there like riding around on their scooters, trying to figure out what the flow of the day is going to be, or just them laughing in the back seat of the cars where as we're driving somewhere. That's why having that camera in your cup holder is so important just keep your eyes on the road, but just kind of turn it on and just snap a few. If, if it doesn't work, it doesn't work. But if it does, then hey, great, you got that photo. But despite the fact that some of your favorite photos are going to be the ones that are completely unplanned, that you didn't intend for at all, you still do have to plan to take photos during all of the fun things, that you have put together. Because that's, that's being a parent, right? Like, we want to go to these fun things. We hope for the best. So of course we're gonna take photos of it so that when our kids get older, they don't say, you never took us anywhere fun. And we could be like, the hell I didn't. And then you can show'em all these photos, right? And you also want to make sure that you actually capture the moments that you put effort into and the things that your kids. Are looking forward to as well. So one thing that I try to do at the beginning of the summer is ask the family like, what are you guys most excited for this summer? And then in your head, just kind of make a little, bucket list together, right? Everything from, you know, my daughters said water balloon fights. our son has said making s'mores out in the the backyard fire pit. for me this year, it's hopefully seeing a bear. Now when we go up to Alaska, this isn't a must do list, but this is more of like a be on the lookout for list because I can tell you sometimes as a dad, like the end of a Saturday evening, like I'm pooped. I did a bunch of yard work all day. We went out, we did all these crazy things, and now like I just wanna sit and like relax. It's like eight, 9:00 PM and then my son might say like, Hey, my friend's gonna come over. Can we make s'mores? And I'm like, yeah, yeah, sure. Whatever. Like in the fire pit out back. Now I know that if that's the thing that he's most looking forward to. I gotta get my butt up off the couch and I have to try to take a few frames of it, even if it's not like I'm not gonna turn it into a thing that feels inauthentic, but I'm gonna go out there and capture, a few photos of them making s'mores and enjoying that time together. On that note, life can get in the way sometimes. Sometimes, you're not gonna be there when these things are happening, when the kids are having that, s'mores party in the evening or, you know, maybe weather will ruin a beach day. So again, because life can get in the way and you might not be able to get everything that you were hoping for. I want you to remember to give yourself some grace if you don't, because if you have kids, some are as hard enough as it is to make sure that they are entertained, but not on their screen all day and that you're planning fun things for them. And sometimes again, like I said, the weather might change or who knows. But the idea of this is not making it, you're most perfectly photographed summer ever. It's just your most photographed summer ever. So go into it with more planning, but less expectation. You're planning to capture these photos, but if you don't, then you don't, and you're not gonna let that ruin everything for you, because photography should not be about, again, summer is not about the photograph. Summer is about time spent together with family and building connections with each other, and then the camera's just there to enhance those memories. Just take those photos that, that bucket list beyond the lookout for list, and use that as your guide to photos rather than forcing everyone into matching summer outfits, for like this, Pinterest perfect summer group photo. And honestly, like no judgment, but I can tell you from experience that those photos in our family usually end in tears or outfits covered in dirt. And, that's not really what I want my summer to be remembered as. so if you know that your summer is gonna be busier or messier than quote unquote, magazine ready all the time, then what you can do is photograph the chaos as well. Chaos can make some beautiful photos. Some of my favorite photos as a kid were the ones where I have like melted Popsicle running down my shirt, you know? So document those things. Document the sticky faces, document the muddy feet, the living room forts that never quite seemed to get cleaned up. Yeah, we have those as well. So just remember that these are the moments that you're gonna want to remember and it's not about creating a whole series of images of these things. Sometimes it's just getting a few photos of it. So let's recap here. Create a bucket list, brainstorm. Okay? Maybe over breakfast. Ask your kids, ask your family what's the one thing or what's something that you're really excited for this summer and then just kind of secretly jot down their answers and make that your be on the lookout for shot list. Another thing, if you do have kids take more photos at their level, taking a photo of a 10-year-old from the average height of an adult of like five nine or five 10 looking down on them is not interesting. That doesn't inspire the feeling of summer. So, kneel down, bend over, sit, lie on the grass, whatever it is, take photos of your kids at their perspective or lower because their world looks different down there and when you get down there, so will your photos. Trust me. Alright, and then, the last thing here is to honestly, embrace the mess. Like I said, Popsicle stains, pool towels everywhere. bedtime meltdowns, you know, whatever it is, the future version of yourself and your kids are going to thank you for taking those photos today, even though it might not feel like, like the whole picture of summer, if that makes sense. But anyway, embrace the mess. And maybe you're listening right now and thinking like, yeah, well, like all of those sound great, but maybe my kids have moved outta the house then. Well, congratulations to you because I think that you are in one of the best seasons for authentic storytelling, because you have not only years of perspective, but you probably have a lot less ego about having the perfect shot when you go out and shoot. So, for you, next time you're out on a walk, next time you go to the farmer's market, next time you're going, downtown to meet your friends at a little car meet or something. you're pulling weeds in the garden. Just bring your camera along. Photography doesn't just have to be about, your family, it's about your life, so don't underestimate the beauty of those quote unquote everyday moments. Pulling weeds in the garden doesn't sound like a great photo, but I think you'd be surprised at how cool a dandelion can look with a new perspective or the way that the sun, peaks through the leaves of the trees on your morning walk. Those moments of your life are also important. They're important because it's your life. It's not necessarily like something that's gonna be printed huge and going to change the world, but it's capturing your life and that is why it's important. So for you, make a list of your favorite summertime activities. Is it gardening? Is it hiking, going to the beach? Is it grilling out? Is it road trips, having friends over, whatever. And then do the same activity. Pre-visualize a photo or two that you would like to capture, and then go for it. Be on the lookout for it. And then don't stress if the moment doesn't go according to plan, because that's a life, if I could account how many times, a wedding that is pretty well planned out, didn't go to plan, it would be a lot. And that's, that's like a planned out thing, you know, that's not just life happening. So, don't stress over those moments that, again, don't go according to the plan because you want, as I said earlier, the camera to be an observer of your life and not the creator of your memories. So for you it might be. A good idea to keep a camera, in your gardening apron or your hiking vest. or again, just next to your keys, your phone, your sunglasses, because a photo of like one flower, one hiking signpost, one sunset, just something again that says, this is my life, is all that you need, and then you're done. And then also don't forget to pre-visualize, are you going to the county fair? Are you going to a car show? Maybe, Google, county fair or a car show, just to get a visual idea of what images are being captured so that you kind of have an idea of what to photograph while you're there. And then be on the lookout for your version of that shot. And then also what I find super helpful is having a gentle learning curve, meaning to give myself just a single goal per outing. So, this weekend I might be, I'm gonna practice back button focus, or I'm gonna shoot everything at F eight. Little aside here. I don't know if, uh, how many fans of the original, Perry Mason TV show there are out here, but, if you're like me and you love that show to death, then if you watch it from a photographic perspective, you're gonna realize how amazing, it. From a cinematography standpoint, I mean, everything had to have been shot at F 16, F 22, and these are like TV sets. There's not a lot of depth, so every single thing is in focus and realizing how they use camera movement and blocking and composition to guide eye where it needs to go is incredible. Same with the Twilight Zone. Oh my gosh. The Twilight Zone, I would say is takes it a whole nother level. So, you know, if you're thinking like, shoot everything at F eight, that sounds terrible. No, trust me, if you can get really good at it and your photos are gonna be more compelling than people who shoot it F two or 1.8 or things like that. Anyway. that was my whole thing. Go check out Perry Mason. Go check out Twilight Zone if you have Paramount Plus. they're all there. All right. I also know that a lot of y'all, maybe thinking about turning photography into a business in the future, you know, maybe fall. Hint, hint, wink, wink. and I'll have some tips for you as well. You can use your summer to build your portfolio or just practice, bigger things. you don't need to have some sort of fancy shoot planned to make progress in photography. You can simply be more intentional while photographing what you're already shooting to get portfolio worthy photos, family reunions are a great place to practice Candy group shots. summer fairs are a fantastic place for, practicing street photography or playing with light if you are, going on a mini vacation or traveling for work. Challenge yourself to capture something for your portfolio, even if it's not, for a client. Because that's how I built my first portfolio when I knew that I wanted to get into weddings, but I needed images to show to potential clients to show them. Hey, I'm not, so random to do with a camera. I kind of have an idea of what I'm doing here. What I did was I just assembled some of my best personal images. I'm sure that's what you would do as well. So why not capture the best personal images that you can write now so that you can build a better portfolio. I love elevated snapshots of my family, like as much as, as you do. But when I see an opportunity to capture some funky light or an eye catching composition, like, I'm gonna do it. And if it turns out really good, then yeah, I'm gonna use it in my first temporary portfolio to show clients, to show clients that I see light, to show clients that I see moment, to show clients that I see how to turn everyday ordinary things into beautiful images. Like, that's what being a photographer is if you're going into business. So, kill two birds with one stone, photograph your family, photograph your adventures, and work on getting portfolio quality images at the same time. and you know, another part about like documenting, your summer is that if you're working on building a business right now, and you're dealing with balancing work, balancing family, balancing your photography dreams, that's your summer. So document that journey too. Get a shot of you editing late night, get a shot of you planning a shoot, get a shot of you failing miserably, getting everybody out the door on time, like these are part of your story of summer. So they're important. So as a recap, remember focus on dual purpose shooting. If you go to a kid's birthday party, hey, capture those candid moments and snag a detail shot or two of the cake. Those are great images for the portfolio. Um. Document your summer, even if that is documenting your journey to your photography dreams. That selfie, in front of your computer at one in the morning. that shot of you taking a portrait of your great Aunt Linda at the family reunion. Like these things start to build that trust and authenticity. and it is your actual summer at the same time. And then here's the thing that I didn't think of before. Maybe think about like micro projects, like a little summer series. Maybe local summer food trucks or front porch portraits, that could be a great way to capture your neighbors, your neighborhood. make friends with people in your neighborhood who could become potential clients as well. So, there you go. Alright. This whole episode is here to help you to, better carrier camera to better see the moments in front of you to, create a habit of shooting daily and to share your images as well. So here are some actionable ways to help you do just that. Start a summer photo diary. What is that? Well, it is a fancy way of just taking at least one photo per day, no pressure for perfection. and then at the end of the week, look back at your photos and see what surprised you. You had a whole week full of images captured either on your camera, your phone, a point, and shoot disposable camera, you know, whatever. But focus on just capturing one photo a day with intention. All right. Number two is to reflect on what makes your summer unique. Before softball took over our family's summers, we used to go to the best amusement park slash waterpark on the planet, which is Holiday World in, Santa Claus, Indiana. We'd go every 4th of July weekend and have so many photos from those trips, and. That made Summer, unique for us. So maybe for you, it's the same beach trip you guys go on every year, or maybe it's working in your yard between, Midwest thunderstorms, whatever it is, write a sentence or two daily along with your photo. just talking about the photo, the day, the summer. And what that's going to do is. when you have a habit of taking a photo every day, and then you build upon that habit by journaling about the photo that you took every day, that's gonna strengthen your habit of creating daily. All right. Tip three is to use photography to build connection. That's the whole point, right? Ask your family and friends to pick their favorite photo of the week, and then print out a mini, summer photo album around Memorial Day. How cool would that be to have a physical token of your summer with your favorite photos, and then even like the journal entry along with it. That'd be so cool. All right. Tip number four is to remember, always be ready. Keep that lightweight bag packed with, your camera in it, a battery, a memory card. Hang it by the door so that when you head out, you can just grab it and go and be ready for whatever the day. Brinks. And then lastly, summer's about small, honest moments. That's what summer is to me. Those sticky faces, the overgrown gardens, the road trip pit stops, you know, going to Bucky's. That's a thing. That's like an event right there, which is so crazy to me. Like 10-year-old myself would think that's the stupidest thing in the entire world. But like now, it's, we're all pretty excited to go to Bucky's whenever we're on a road trip. So anyway, you know, it's also friends laughing over burnt marshmallows, like these small moments. that's the good stuff. Even if it doesn't look quote unquote fancy or professional. A photo of a moment is better than no photo of a moment. And remember, if plans change, if the weather ruins your barbecue, if you forget your camera again, don't sweat it. Sometimes the best moments are the ones that are totally unplanned. Remember progress over perfection. presence over polish. Ooh, that's a good one. Presence over polish. If you can be present in your life and you use your camera to document that over, a quote unquote magazine, perfectly polished image. You're gonna be able to create, a full summer of amazing work. And remember, the jaw photos are valuable because they're yours, not because they are technically perfect, not because they look like anyone else's. It's because they are yours. So there you go. Those are my tips and my stories for making this your most photographed summer ever. Whether you have a family full of, busy kids, whether maybe you're an empty nester and you have more time to explore projects on your own, or you're growing a photography business, you know, you're working on your photography dreams. Those are my tips to making this the most photographed summer ever, because again, photography is here to enhance our lives, not to be the memory of our lives. So there you go. That's it for today. Remember, the more that you shoot today, the better of a photographer you will be tomorrow. Talk soon.