If you have been following my Instagram account for a while, you will undoubtedly know that I mainly photograph hot air balloons. As of the last couple of weeks though, my subject has temporarily switch to nature related photos. The main reason for the change in subjects, for now, is that I just don’t have much ballooning stuff to post as of right now. Yes, I do have photos that haven’t been published to Instagram yet but, I’ve already covered those events extensively with other photos to where I don’t feel that those photos feel “new” to the feed.

This isn’t to say that posting photos that aren’t related to ballooning is a negative experience. In fact, I think that photographing something outside of the norm is a healthy activity to do, and can perhaps help us grow as photographers. Of course, be sure to temper expectations as the photos produced from such ventures probably won’t match the quality of your usual work.

How can it be good for us to do? Really, I don’t know. I don’t have some prestigious doctorate to backup my notions. But, I can at least say, anecdotally, that photographing something else once in a while is fun!

There isn’t any deep philosophical stuff to say here. Below are some of my exploits from going out to the White Sands National Monument, and the Festival of Cranes in Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge. If you ever get the chance to go out for a hike, I highly recommend it!