Last Winter, I described a most specific and peaceful memory to someone who asked. A day hiking trek had taken us on a mid-winter hike in Northwestern Arkansas, at Devil’s Den State Park. It could have been cold and frozen, but we found beautifully comfortable conditions for the season. Our explorations included waterfalls and limestone ledges, streams and caves. In one seep-spring location, I even found a tiny Zigzag Salamander skittering among the wet stones and mosses. Sounds, the feel of the wind, even the scent of the stream and its mud are identifiable memories. I summarized the hike we had together as ‘sharing.’

That might give you a sense of why we love to hike. It’s not always new places; sometimes the seasons play on the character of the scene. There are days we don’t see wildlife. Others have brought us close to deer, turkey, armadillos, squirrels, turtles, and more. Can we ever capture any of the awe to bring back and share?

We’ve put some miles on our hiking boots with each other. Cell phone pics have been launched off to family and friends, occasionally posted to Facebook. We have both wanted more of an artistic capture and have been drawn back to more traditional photography.

I introduced you to my Voigtlander Vito II, 1950s folding viewfinder camera in an earlier post. All analog with film. Distance guessing for focus. Sunny 16 ‘rule of thumb’ and metered exposure. Sharon enjoys her Canon EOS Rebel DSLR, with shooting options. Even took a class to enhance her knowledge and skills. We each feel as though we’re reclaiming a bit of our artistic past, while learning new ways of seeing through the cameras.

We aren’t purists, so you’ll likely still see cell phone snaps and, as well, shots when the two of us might swap cameras for fun. We aren’t experts, so you’ll always see room for improvement, with evidence we’re moving along in that regard. We aren’t set in genre, so you’ll get some surprises as life brings them to us. A fun note is that we’re starting to plan different photo-trek projects. You may soon see what fun we have as a challenge in capturing shots from the car, as we zoom down the highways and byways (one of us drives … the other handles the photos).