Summer is in full swing here in Niagara-on-the-Lake, and there’s no place I’d rather be. I try to get out and walk slowly, taking it all in with my eyes and my camera as often as possible. I also like to re-read Mary Oliver’s, The Summer Day, excerpted below.
I don’t know exactly what a prayer is.
I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down
into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass,
how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields,
which is what I have been doing all day.
Tell me, what else should I have done?
A few years ago, I created a worksheet with ideas for photographing summer. With my renewed interest in visual journalling, I thought I’d share some of the exercises from that original worksheet, as well as a few new ones. Note: If it’s winter where you are now, save this exercise for your summer.
2. Summer memories. Make a list of some of your favourite summer memories. Beside each, write word associations or feelings that you attach to the memory. For example, picking grapes with my grandfather – juicy, family, happiness, hot sun, grapevines. If there’s an activity that you really enjoyed and haven’t done in awhile, make a point to do it. Photograph the experience.
3. Take a summer sensory walk. Pay attention to what you see, smell, hear, and can taste or touch. Photograph from that presence.
4. Visual Listening. Find a place to sit outside with your journal and camera in hand. Do Patricia Turner’s visual listening exercise.
5. Symbols of summer. What symbols do you associate with summer? For example, for me it’s the sun, barbecues, fireworks, ice cream, and flowers. Perhaps you could do a project around your favorite symbol.
6. Summer Events. Create a collage of an event (festival, farmers’ market, concert, family barbecue, etc.) or your summer vacation. Here’s one I created from a weekend at a cottage one summer.
7. Create an album. Finally, add your favourites to a summer album (on Flickr or elsewhere). At the end of summer, or in the middle of winter, watch the slideshow and be grateful.
Do you have any more ideas? How do you photograph summer?
What a lovely idea, Kim. I love your summer album and I going to start one! I really like Mary Oliver’s excerpt from a Summer Day.
Last year, I started doing a collage each week during July and August. It was fun. The colours of summer definitely attracts me too!
Judging from your photos above, your summer is full of colour and sweet memories. The ladies in stripes and pink are just great!
Mary Oliver’s poem is just perfect for a summer’s day. We rarely get really warm weather here, but I still enjoy being in my garden and taking photographs of the plants and flowers. I love farmers’ markets too. I love your montage of summer images — beautiful!