I’m going to be honest here: this idea of “themes” that we and so many photographer sites carry has always been a tough one for me. I’ve never liked being told what to do (who does, really?), and the minute you put a fence around me, mentally or physically, I resent it and want to bust through it. The whole thing creates negative energy which seems to act like “writer’s block” for me. I have always felt themes to be creative restrictions for me, but I understand how for many, they can function as creative sparks.

But when Lindsey announced the theme for March, I was actually quite excited. I’ve read some recently on the topic, and thought a lot about it on my own, and I was ready, for once, not stuck staring blankly at the drawing board, waiting for lightning to strike. And I’ve got a collection of photos to share that I never felt had a place anywhere before. They aren’t quite enough on their own, but together and in light of the theme, they make sense.

I moved to small town upstate New York within the past year. As you might expect, new places motivate me like nothing else to get out with my camera and explore. But sometimes, I’d be walking the dog, or on the way to dinner, and I couldn’t stop and properly set up a shot with my real camera. So when I wasn’t feeling like breaking out the big guns, I’d pull out my iphone to make a visual checklist of someplace I’d like to return and take a photo with, say my F100. In the process, I ended surprising myself and collected a group of shots that stood quite well on their own merits.

hamilton iphone march muse (9 of 10)

hamilton iphone march muse (1 of 10)

hamilton iphone march muse (3 of 10)

hamilton iphone march muse (10 of 10)

hamilton iphone march muse (5 of 10)

My iPhone wasn’t my only companion, though.

hamilton iphone march muse rosie (1 of 2)

Happy Snapping!

Cara of tumbleweedineden