Why journal in nature?

I love my digital camera and it is full of beautiful nature items and vistas from New Mexico. These digital images give me ready access to inspirational reflections. A great passion is also to take my nature journal on a hike and sketch what catches my interest. This is relaxing and takes me to a deeper level than just snapping a picture. I have time to note the time of day, the weather, the season, and a description of the nature object. Nature journaling also insures that I will spend time outside observing closely. This is a picture of me at the Bisti Wilderness near Thoreau, NM. It is a magical place full of hoodoos and sandstone sculptures. In the picture, I'm deciding what I'm going to sketch which isn't easy at the Bisti.

A great inspiration is the Rio Grand Gorge near Taos, NM. The photo is helpful to capture the immensity of the gorge. Because of the wind, I found it helpful to sketch and journal this experience back in the room.

What pictures have inspired you of nature and your travels? Do you journal in nature? Happy shooting and sketching, Ruth Hamilton