Well, what am I supposed to tell you about this. I walk my dogs every day. That's nothing new. Oh no, I didn't take pictures every day anymore ... so that I do have pictures now, that might be something new. Well, news, ahead ... maybe something unexpected. But that I leave home with the idea of taking pictures of the area, and then come home with all the pictures of Skipper, that was not really the intention.
And that I don't even have all sharp photos, that's something new. My god, I'm only now realizing how long I haven't photographed. The theory is still all in my head, but I now really notice that I really have to grab my camera more often. The feeling is not there yet. And that, that is something new ... and I noticed that very quickly. And that also made me completely forget that I was going to photograph the environment. Noticing that I had lost the feeling, that made me completely focus on photographing Skipper. Even though I had a completely wrong lens on the camera for that. That lens was chosen for the environment ... and so I didn't pay attention to that anymore.
I mean come on... I've always photographed dogs. That was really my thing, and noticing that you've lost that "touch", that's a bit of a shock. Of course, if I use my brain for a moment, I also know that after 2 years you cannot expect to pick up where you left it. But still, between knowing that with your mind, or actually experiencing that... there is a bit of a difference.
Now this blog is actually about the walk of course, but I think today you can say that both Skipper and I enjoyed the walk, despite the shock of the lost touch. It was pleasant walking in the sun with all the budding greenery around me. And Skipper who hopped along with me like a happy puppy made my walk in the woods extra pleasant. Fortunately, it was also very quiet in 'our' woods today. I didn't meet anyone and that made the walk for Skipper an extra party. He had plenty of time to use his nose, and as an owner you have to take that into account. Because what may take a long time for you is important for your dog. Their noses give them so much information, and it's important to give them time, even if you're thinking, "Wow, we've been standing here for 10 minutes now, are you coming with me again?".
Eventually your dog will come along again, although I'm not saying that they immediately walk much further. Walking can have a completely different meaning for us than it does for your dog. Today I let Skipper choose, and we've been gone together for over 2 hours, BUT... we haven't even walked very far. Skipper was way too busy playing, he was way too busy sniffing, he was way too busy looking for the tennis ball he'd lost in the ditch. So I was also busy paying attention to what he came up with next, looking for that tennis ball, and looking for the 'magic touch' to photograph dogs.
After we had spent more than 2 hours in only a small part of the forest, we had to give up the search. Both him and me, he still lost his tennis ball, luckily for him we still have a box full of tennis balls in the pantry. And I still lost my 'magic dog photography touch'. There's no box for that in the pantry either, that's not something I can just grab, but it's something that will show up again with a little more practice, and no one else can do anything about it... only me will have to get back in the paws WITH a camera around my neck for that. As it has been for years, and so it will soon be again. Back to feeling like my camera was glued to my hand.
