Sometimes I just need a break in a beautiful place. Some time alone to figure everything out. With that in mind, I set out on my first weekend-long camping trip of the year to the Wichita Mountains.

When I arrived there was a light rain falling, but that ended shortly and I was able to set up my campsite. I decided to go for a short hike in the woods, and something that caught my eye was all the vegetation speckled with little rain droplets. I especially liked the way the green contrasted with the brown leaves on the ground below.

I slept in the next morning. After breakfast, I decided to go for another hike just to see what was around me. Along the path I was on I came across a burnt tree that had been struck by lightning at some point. I framed the scene as best I could, but the cloudless sky and harsh light made the composition difficult to work with.

After lunch, I decided to check out the view from the park’s tallest mountain peak, so I drove up Mount Scott. The view was impressive, but I had a hard time translating it into an image. I found an interesting foreground for the shot I took, but there isn’t enough separation or interest in the rest of the picture, so it falls apart. Before I headed back to the car, though, I came across this lizard just minding its own business on a rock.

I spent the evening by the lake close to the park entrance. As sunset got close I decided I wanted to try to put myself into the image I had framed up, so I set up my remote timer and started experimenting. I like the sense of scale and human element that this added to the picture. I want to do more of this going forward and especially experiment with it for the thumbnail pictures I use for my YouTube videos.

I woke up early on the last morning and hiked to a spot I had picked out for sunrise. It was a cool, calm morning with no wind, so I got great reflections in the water in the foreground of my shots. A few wispy clouds were catching the light too. I really couldn’t have asked for much more.

This is a place that I want to go back and visit again! It’s not always about how many images I come away with or every photo being perfect, it’s about slowing down, appreciating what’s around me, and learning to see. If you’re in the area, this is a place you should visit. I’m certain I didn’t see everything there is to see there. If you’d like to ride along with me on this trip, and even see a bit of campsite cooking then check out the video below. Until next time, bye for now.