First International Lensbaby Photowalk

Yesterday was the first annual International Lensbaby Photowalk. I had the opportunity to lead the Hamilton, ON walk down on James St. N.

Our group met outside a local coffee shop, and within minutes, everyone was chatting away and having a blast. I loved sharing my love of Lensbaby lenses and photography with the attendees and learning about everyone's photography journeys.

The walk flew by; we could have used easily another hour or two! James Street N turned out to be a great location, filled with fun and unique photo ops. The Lensbaby Photowalk treasure hunt left us searching for ten prompts; Lensbaby encouraged us to shoot extraordinary and get creative with the prompts. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed going with my list. Street photography is something I have little experience in, so the challenge was fun and pushed me to shoot outside of my comfort zone.

The Prompts:

The best part, for me, was getting out with others who share a passion for photography and doing what we love; shooting! Everyone was at a different point in their photography journey, with some only starting and others having years of experience. It was beautiful seeing how helpful and encouraging attendees were with each other and seeing new friendships blossom.

If you're local to Hamilton, we'd love to have you join us on the next walk! Thanks to Lensbaby for organizing and inspiring this event. I'm already counting down the days until the next Photowalk and can't wait to see everyone's images they created.

Here are my prompt images, as well as others from the walk. I was inspired to create images with a more cinematic '70s film feel, which I enhanced with editing choices and a 16X9 crop.

Do you have a favourite? Thank you for taking the time to read!

Self-Portrait or a Reflection of You: