It's been "one of those summers" here in Teton Country: long periods of poor air quality created by wildfire smoke. Such conditions can make landscape photography quite challenging. Let's face it, Grand Teton National without the views is, well, perhaps not quite as grand - at least if you're trying to make photographs.

Besides, by July and August the parks are inundated with tourists. Kind of miserable.

While I've gotten some work done in GTNP over the past few weeks, my time there has been very limited.

Your situation might be quite different: no tourists and no smoke to contend with. Still, photographically speaking, your hands might be tied just a bit, too. Maybe you're just not "feeling it." Or you'd like to get out there with the camera, but it doesn't seem like there's anything to shoot. Perhaps you're in a creative rut, or finding it hard to get motivated.

What to do when any of these things happen? Put the camera away for a few weeks - or months?

Absolutely not! Photography is like any skill; if you don't use it, you begin to lose it. You get rusty.

Subject matter surrounds us. All we have to do is open our eyes (and maybe the space between our ears).

One method to greatly expand potential subject matter is to branch out into other genres. Shoot things you don't normally specialize in. If you're primarily a landscape or nature photographer, what about street photography, sports, architecture or still life?

Especially during the summer and autumn months, there are all sorts of things going on that can provide terrific opportunities. Festivals. Farmers' Markets. Sporting events. Outdoor concerts. Myriad activities associated with back-to-school. Halloween. Apple picking.

Wander around your downtown and look at the buildings. Really look: for details, interesting lighting, urban landscapes.

If you're in a rut creatively, shooting something outside of the norm can be just the ticket. It's often all you need to provide a little boost.

Other genres are good practice. Let's face it: a composition is a composition. Regardless of the subject matter, you're going to need to think about which elements to include in the frame and how to arrange them. What is the story you're trying to tell or the mood/message you're trying to convey?

Many of the skills are transferable. For example: fast action sports and birds in flight.

Maybe you've got some new gear. Find something local that interests you to take it for a test drive.

There's always your yard. Between my gardens and trees, over many years I have spent many hours working only a few steps away from the house.

Bottom line: if you're looking for something to shoot, you probably won't have to look very far.

This summer I've showed up at a variety of events with my camera. Only one - the inaugural Greater Tater Tot Festival (which screams Idaho, does it not?) - didn't yield any photographic opportunities. It needs to grow into its exceptionally cool name; I'm hoping it'll have a bright future.

The Teton Valley Hot Air Balloon Festival and Idaho Falls Sidewalk Chalk Art Festival were two favorites, and then of course there's the State Fair.

I'll have more on the fair in another post. It's an especially good example, though, of the value of branching out and shooting something completely different from the norm. Why do I consider this one to be such a prime opportunity? First, there's access. The Eastern Idaho State Fair takes place not far from where I live (and it's big). Second, variety: there are all sorts of things to photograph. Third, I have a new lens that I need more hours with - specifically, fast-action, low light subject matter.

Did someone say rodeo? That'll work just fine.

More later.

The image at the top of the post is an abstract of one of the many rides on the midway at the State Fair.

In Other News

The lightning-caused Fish Creek Fire, burning not far from Grand Teton National Park, has grown to more than 18,000 acres in size and forced the closure of Highway 26 in the vicinity of Togwotee Pass the other day. It's still closed; there are a lot of Yellowstone-bound people who were forced to turn back and scramble to find lodging in Dubois, which is now bursting at the seams. Brooks Lake Lodge has been evacuated, as have two neighborhoods in that area.

High winds have pushed the fire into more of the receptive fuel i.e. mass stands of dead trees, killed by beetles which have been ravaging whitebark pines over the past number of years. So far, firefighters have been able to prevent the fire from jumping across Highway 26.

In the central part of Idaho, the Wapiti Fire - also lightning caused - has been burning since the end of July in the Boise and Sawtooth National Forests, and is now one of the largest in the country at more than 110,000 acres. It's only 8% contained. Steep terrain, difficult access and unfavorable weather conditions have made it very challenging to fight. More than 1,300 firefighters have been deployed.