Don't compromise yourself. You're all you've got. -- Janis Joplin

October 10, 2026 — Boise, Idaho

The Event

It had been about a month since I'd gone out specifically to take photographs. Work has a way of consuming time, and sometimes the things we enjoy doing get pushed aside. I wanted to get back into photography, even if it meant doing something as simple as taking a walk through a park.

I chose Kathryn Albertson Park in Boise, a beautiful place filled with pathways, ponds, trees, flowers, and wildlife. It's not an especially large park, but there is plenty to see, and it's a wonderful place to spend an afternoon with a camera.

The weather was good for photography. There was sunshine mixed with passing clouds, creating different lighting conditions throughout the walk. Direct sunlight can sometimes make colors difficult to distinguish, while clouds soften the light and reveal details that might otherwise be lost. Having both meant that the appearance of the park was constantly changing.

One thing I noticed immediately was the foliage. October is usually when the trees around Boise begin displaying their brilliant autumn colors. But after a particularly hot summer, many of the leaves seemed tired. Instead of the bright greens, yellows, and reds I might normally expect, much of the foliage had taken on duller shades of yellow. It wasn't quite the spectacular autumn display I'd hoped to photograph, but it was the park as it appeared that day.

I also encountered two weddings.

Kathryn Albertson Park is such a photogenic place that people come here to get married despite its relatively small size and limited parking. The landscaping, flowers, ponds, and well-maintained pathways make it a beautiful setting for an occasion like that.

I always enjoy seeing weddings. There's something pleasant about encountering people celebrating an important moment in their lives while I'm simply out taking pictures.

And I managed to photograph something I particularly enjoy: another photographer at work, photographing a bride and groom.

I've always felt a certain camaraderie with other photographers. Whether they're photographing a wedding, a concert, or something entirely different, there's a connection I feel when I see someone intently working with a camera. We don't have to know each other or even exchange a word. I understand something about what they're doing because I enjoy doing it myself.

Another thing I appreciated was the condition of the pathways. They're beautifully maintained, but the fallen leaves are allowed to remain. The wind moves them across the walkways, arranging them into patterns and waves that would be difficult to create deliberately.

The wind and the earth seem perfectly suited to one another. Together, they make designs that nature manages without anyone's assistance.

The Work

When I visit a park with my camera, I generally don't go looking for one particular photograph. I trust that if I spend enough time walking, observing, and paying attention, something worth photographing will eventually present itself.

I also have a particular way of walking through places like Kathryn Albertson Park.

I tend to avoid crowds, especially families enjoying time together. If I see a group of people coming toward me on a pathway, I'll often take another path rather than interrupt their experience. I don't want people to feel that a photographer is intruding on their afternoon.

Fortunately, the park has enough intersecting pathways that I can do this without missing much. People continue walking, paths become open again, and eventually I can make my way through the entire park.

There's no hurry, and I don't feel any need to force a particular route.

I also prefer to walk through the park several times with different lenses rather than constantly changing lenses along the way.

On one pass, I might use my 70–200mm telephoto lens, looking for details and more distant subjects. On another, I'll use my 10–24mm wide-angle lens to photograph expansive scenes, ponds, and landscapes. Sometimes I'll make another pass with a 50mm lens.

This approach allows me to work with one lens at a time, concentrating on the kind of photographs it produces rather than constantly interrupting the experience to change equipment.

I didn't come away from this walk feeling that I'd captured one extraordinary photograph. There are days when you recognize a remarkable scene almost immediately, and you know it may be the best image you'll make all day.

This wasn't one of those days.

But that doesn't mean the walk was unsuccessful. There were plenty of smaller observations and opportunities to photograph things that interested me.

And sometimes that's enough.

The Images

Looking through the photographs afterward, I was reminded that photography doesn't always have to produce something spectacular to be worthwhile.

The pictures show an October afternoon in Boise, with the park's greenery, ponds, pathways, subdued autumn foliage, and the people who came to enjoy it.

Some images reflect the sunshine, while others have the softer light of passing clouds. Together, they show some of the variety that makes outdoor photography interesting.

I especially appreciate the photograph of the wedding photographer at work. Photographing other photographers has long been one of my favorite subjects, whether at concerts or out in public. There's something satisfying about documenting someone else who is also trying to preserve a moment.

I also enjoy the images of the pathways and fallen leaves. I appreciate that the park's caretakers allow the leaves to remain, letting the wind arrange them naturally.

But perhaps the most important thing about this gallery isn't any single photograph.

It's that I went outside and made them.

I know there are people who find it difficult to leave the house on their days off. Some are introverted, some are uncomfortable around crowds, and others simply prefer to withdraw from the world after a long week of work. Most people are like "what the hell are you talking about, just go outside!"

Just going outside can be a difficult proposition for some people.

And I would encourage anyone who feels that way to consider taking a walk through a park, even if it's only for a little while.

While you're out there, take a few pictures. Not for anyone else-- just for yourself. You don't need expensive photography equipment. A cellphone is a perfectly good place to begin. Take photographs of whatever interests you, and don't worry about whether they're extraordinary.

Take pictures that remind you of things, if you know what I mean.

You don't even have to take pictures. Just go for a walk. Walks are a good way to start a conversation with yourself, or God, or someone that you knew in the past.

Photography gives me a reason to get out, observe the world, and participate in it in my own way.

Maybe this gallery is my reminder to myself, and to anyone else who needs it, that stepping outside doesn't have to be dramatic. Let me be more direct; if you're looking for a reason not to drink today, or not to use, or to get away from someone that makes you feel small, or whatever reason you have that makes you want to change the pattern of hiding at home, then get outside. If that sounds hard, then just start with going outside your front door and just sit. That's honestly where it starts for me, so try it out and see if it leads you into the weather and the sights and sounds of the day.

It's just a walk, some light, some leaves, and a few photographs.

But sometimes that's enough to bring us back to ourselves.