Photography – Write on the World

The best way to understand a city is to walk it—and on my first morning in Indianapolis, that’s exactly what I did. I’m currently on my very first house sit through TrustedHousesitters, caring for two incredibly sweet, easygoing dogs. While they’ve been wonderful company during my downtime, this trip has also doubled as something I want to be intentional about moving forward: a writing retreat. Building travel around writing time—quiet mornings, unstructured afternoons, space to think—feels less like a luxury and more like a necessary shift in how I want to move through the world.

Much of downtown Indianapolis can be seen from the canal walk.

That mindset carried into my first full day, which started with a solo walk along the downtown canal. The full three-mile loop offers one of the most immersive introductions to the city you could ask for. The path winds past water, public art, and a cluster of museums that practically guarantee I’ll be back. It’s the kind of place where you don’t feel rushed. You notice things. You let the city unfold at its own pace.

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Biking, Illinois, Nature

Instagram stories: Life on the prairie

May 17, 2015 Mandy Webster

I like Instagram, but I’ve found that I don’t particularly enjoy following people I actually know. I’m friends with most of them on Facebook, and many of them automatically share their Instagram photos to Facebook (including myself). It gets old, after a while, seeing all the same photos twice. I have considered unfollowing all the people I know on Instagram and following only complete strangers.

My latest Instagram posts are photos from a long bike ride out on the Central Illinois prairie. The corn is just now cropping up, but before I know it, I’ll be riding my bike through green canyons of corn.

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Short Story

Love photography? Want to collaborate on a story? Join The 52.

July 31, 2013July 31, 2013 Mandy Webster

Do you take a lot of pictures? If so, author Richard Wright is doing something over at his blog that I think you should check out and possibly help out with. He’s calling it The 52.

Here’s the deal. Richard is planning to write one short story per week in 2014. Each short story will be based on one of many pictures that he is asking his readers to submit. To join, all you have to do is send him a picture. He writes a story based on your image, then posts it to his blog sometime next year. You maintain the rights to your image, and he gives you full credit on his blog.

Sound like fun? I thought so. Here’s my entry:

The 52 - Image by Amanda L Webster - WriteOnTheWorld dot WordPress dot com — This is the image I submitted to Richard Wright for The 52.

Want to join in? Visit Richard Wright’s website for details.

Challenge: Write your own short story about Continue reading “Love photography? Want to collaborate on a story? Join The 52.” →

Random Rants

Maybe I just take too many pictures to begin with

February 27, 2012 Mandy Webster

Several years ago, when I got my first digital camera, it never occurred to me that the ability to take an unlimited number of pictures would one day become a problem. I’ve always been a big picture-taker, but film was expensive, and I used to always try to save my film for the most important moments. But when the day came that I no longer had to worry about the price of film, every moment became a camera-worthy moment.

Then came a new problem: the cost of developing unlimited photos. It wasn’t long before I had upwards of $50 worth of photos in my Snapfish shopping cart, just sitting there waiting for me to order prints. But I was broke, so I began to search for other ways to save those priceless images. Continue reading “Maybe I just take too many pictures to begin with” →