At some point or another, we all can get caught in a rut.
It doesn’t matter if the work we do is creative or analytical, the process can become frustrating.
Whenever I’m in a rut when it comes to taking pictures or even when I want to clear my mind, I pack up my camera with only one lens and I head to downtown Norfolk.
What do I do when I’m in a rut?
I take more pictures!
I walk around the familiar streets without being shy to capture anything or anyone I come across.
Sometimes I capture great moments and other times I use this time to clear my head.
This particular photo excursion was different than most as after some time I didn’t have any pictures to show for it.
Usually, this is fine because these projects are rarely published.
Most of my street pictures will continue to be unpublished.
What was different about tonight was I went into Waterside to warm up a little bit and to my surprise, there was live music.
Everyone was being safe and socially distant but it had been so long since I’ve seen or heard live music.
I knew this was time to enjoy myself so I sat down for a good 30 minutes and listened to Ms. Amy Kaus.
She sang plenty of covers that night.
Some that I knew and most that I didn’t, but either way, I enjoyed my time.
I was able to relax, clear my mind and even come up with a few different ideas.
Whenever I take pictures at basketball games, I try to get as close to the action as possible.
However, I saw a different story here so I wanted to show you guys the whole gym.
I’m at the first home game for the Norfolk State Lady Spartans.
250 people.
That’s the max capacity allowed in Joe Echols hall on this warm Sunday evening.
The only sound we can hear is the fake crowd noise coming from the sound system.
Have you ever heard crowd noise when the home team is shooting a free throw?
Not only was this game odd because there were less than 100 people present, but I also had to take pictures from the stands.
The NCAA has a rule where only two photographers can be on the baseline at one time.
I was the third.
At first, being told that I couldn’t take pictures from the usual spot was frustrating.
But after a while, I started to become grateful.
It had been over eight months since I took photos at a meaningful sporting event.
Being present at this game with all of its social distancing and Covid-19 protocols was not only a blessing to get back to doing what I love, but it was a memorable opportunity to try something new.
