Photowalking better than Fatblogging
I’ve noticed that a number of people are scheduling particular walks for taking photos of their town or city. Robert Scoble has named the idea “Photowalking” on the principle perhaps that everything should have a name.
The Quay, Exeter
I’ve been Photowalking — combining taking pictures with my morning five-mile walk — ever since I bought a digital camera last year. It’s a great way to add value to mere exercise. My project — I’ll call it PhotoExeter — is to photograph the city I live in through this summer, trying to capture the face and atmosphere of it when it looks its best, and is filled with tourists. You can see the results so far by clicking the Flickr logo at the top of the sidebar.
After a brilliant March and April, we’ve had six weeks of wet and windy weather here, so no Photowalking. In fact, the whole country has been under the cosh. As I write, people are losing their lives across the Midlands of England in the worst flooding for years.
Back to Photowalking. It’s really a great extension to Fatblogging because it keeps the interest up on what might be dreary rambles across familiar ground. As I walk, I find myself noticing things, large and small, that might otherwise have passed unseen. I also take many detours I’ve never explored before — maybe an 18th-century street straight out of a Dickens novel. The fact is, Photowalking insists you walk farther, if not faster, than you otherwise would.
As someone who used to run marathons, I know that interest is crucual to exercise. A date with a race a month or so ahead, seeking to beat your personal best, or a slightly better runner going along with you.
But Photowalking beats even personal ambition as a spur to distance travelled. For it drags in different parts of the brain. If exercise utilizes the left-brain — all those time calculations and forecasts along the way — then Photowalking adds curiosity, perspective, artistic appreciation of views and architecture, and delving into historical information. Classic right-brain stuff.
I’m only sorry I have to write about it today. The rain is beating down outside my window like stair-rods, and Photowalking is out of the question.
It’s back to blogging, I suppose. Oh, the tedium!
What a GREAT idea! I love it. I’m totally hooked on “fatblogging” for motivation - but photowalking is so much healthier (and on rainy days can use the photos to fatblog)
My digital camera should be arriving soon and I’m definitely going to start carrying with me.
Lady Rose (lost over 80 lbs so far, only 60ish to go!)
By Lady Rose on July 2nd, 2007 at 10:30 am
Lady Rose, 80lbs is quite some weight loss. Well done.
And yes, Photowalking is great fun, weather permitting.
By John Evans on July 2nd, 2007 at 10:33 am
[...] can’t take credit for this very cool idea - we learned about it from John Evans, in his post: Photowalking better than fatblogging. It is a wonderful post, and we recommend it as a MUST read, it even inspired Lady Rose (a [...]
By Photowalking — just brilliant! « The Diet Pulpit on July 2nd, 2007 at 5:22 pm
It’s a good idea John. I tried to do this all weekend around the cottage and beach area .. but, alas my camera is only 4x and the pictures aren’t too good for the wider scenic pictures. I will get a new camera before the year is out
my pictures are here.. http://hbsmc.com/victoriabeach/ if interested in seeing our cottage. This weekend (pages 4-6) I built a dog trailer and have been touring around the community snapping pictures, while my wife jogs
By HART (1-800-HART) on July 5th, 2007 at 7:15 pm
Those are great pictures, HART. That looks like a wonderful place, although being Canada, I imagine it’s totally snowed up in winter?
By John Evans on July 5th, 2007 at 8:10 pm
Snowed up, but accessable. There are permanent residents who live out there and most roads are plowed. Lake Winnipeg is a shallow lake and when iced over it is great for cross country skiing, skidooing, snowshoeing, etc. The cottage has a fireplace, but honestly.. it’s a lot of work and shovelling to get to it. We went one new years eve years ago, and decided that summer was more fun than winter out there.
By HART (1-800-HART) on July 6th, 2007 at 3:54 pm
Ha ha, yup, I think I’d go along with that. When you have to use a shovel to get into your house, I’m outta there.
By John Evans on July 6th, 2007 at 4:07 pm
[...] has been so appallingly wet for months that I’ve not been able to venture out on my morning 5-mile photowalk except very [...]
By SYNTAGMA » Resolutions, GI index and Gordon Brown on July 15th, 2007 at 2:52 pm