I tend to walk a lot. Not for exercise, necessarily (although that's a nice side benefit!), but because we don’t have a car, and so if I have to get groceries, or meet a friend, I usually walk. Thankfully, we live in a city that is fairly easy to navigate by foot…at least the part of it we live in. 

But since quarantine lockdown hit, I have been doing a lot less walking! We have a grocery store right in our apartment building, so I don’t have to go far to get groceries. And that is all we are supposed to be going outside for. That or to go to the pharmacy or hospital. So for many weeks, I was not getting out much!

In the past two weeks or so, though, we have started going for walks in the evening, as a family, just to get out for a bit. Sometimes it is all four of us, sometimes just my husband and I. Sometimes just my husband and the girls, and I stay home alone (bliss!) It can be, and is, any combination. Last night, it was just my daughter and me. 

I have come to love this evening walk. We wear our masks, and we avoid people, but it is nice to get outside, get some fresh air, some exercise and have a bit of a mental health break! The weather is gorgeous here right now, and evenings are pure perfection. 

To make things even better, when we first started going on these evening walks, we found some puppies. They are strays who live not too far from us, and so that often becomes our destination. There are five of them, and they are very cute. A few of them are shy, and won’t come near us, a couple are timid, but can be won over, and then there is one who just loves to be petted, and always comes running to see us and get loved on! It has become a highlight of my day to go and spend time with them. I wish we could take one home, but that is difficult in an apartment, so is not likely to happen. So for now, I just enjoy my evening puppy fix a couple of times a week!

These evening walks, and my cuddle times with my puppies, have become a practice that is helping me get through. If I can’t see people, at least I can spend time with puppies! :) 

(And we do make sure we wash our hands really well when we get home. :))

Here are some photos of where we walk, and where the puppies live (not the nicest spot), and some action shots. They were rather boisterous the evening I tried to photograph them! They are like toddlers...they never stay still! But a few of them do like some attention. :) The photo at the end was the view of the mountains we saw as we walked home. Gorgeous!

The Next Challenge: Reflections

This one is fun! Incorporate reflections of some sort from a mirror or window or water to make an interesting and creative photograph. Try shooting from a different angle, not just straight on, to include multiple elements in your frame. Try to create a sense of mystery or intrigue or confusion as to how you did it. If you are having trouble visualizing what this might look like, or what I mean, look up Joshua K. Jackson on Instagram, and look at his work for some inspiration! He uses window reflections in such a creative way to create amazingly evocative work. Another photographer who uses reflections in his work is Mike Curry (also on Instagram). His water reflections are incredible and will have you looking at water in a whole new way!!

You can take this challenge at face value, and just make an interesting reflection image, or if you want, you can look at this in a deeper way. Think of layers, and mixed, confused, juxtaposed objects in a reflection. How does a reflection cause you to see things in a new, different, sometimes surprising way? What could this mean on a deeper level? Are reflections truthful, or do they distort the truth? Interesting thoughts and ideas! What message could you convey through an image using reflections? 

As always, post your images on Instagram or Facebook. #deepsoulphotochallenge.