photography Archives - Journeys Are My Diary

Maybe you’ve had your hobby for a while, and the spark seems to be going out a little bit. Maybe you just want to expand on it, or you’re just interested to know how you can change things up. These tips will help you to get even more enjoyment from your hobby!

Get A Friend Or Family Member Involved

If you’ve always done your hobby alone, why not try getting a friend or family member involved? Having somebody you love try your hobby with you could be a lot of fun and give you a new perspective on it. You might even enjoy teaching them all about it if they are brand new to it. However, make sure you’re not offended if they aren’t as passionate about it as you are. Everybody is different!

Practice Regularly

Practice your hobby regularly instead of picking it up once in awhile. The more regularly you do it, the better you’ll get at it. Many people use hobbies as a form of relaxation and meditation. Try to do your hobby every day, even if you can only squeeze in 10 minutes on a busy day!

Join A Club

Joining a club can introduce you to many like minded people. People who also enjoy your hobby and who you can freely discuss it with. If people have always found your hobby strange, then this could be a brilliant idea.

Turn It Into A Business

If you’re pretty much an expert at your hobby now, why not turn it into a business? Many people turn their hobbies into a business idea and do really well! This isn’t saying you are guaranteed success, but when you love to do something, it shows. Money usually follows this attitude, and you won’t even feel like you’re working! To help increase your success with your photography business, you may utilize Elite Photography Systems.

Learn Life Lessons From Your Hobby

Think about all of the things your hobby is teaching you as you do it. Is it teaching your patience? Consistency? Determination? Real life skills you can apply to your life? Appreciate it and learn as much as you can from it!

You should never feel bad for taking the time to do something you enjoy, no matter how busy you are. You need to take time for yourself and hobbies make us better people. Here are some ideas and ways you can get into them:

Horse riding – you might think you’re too old to ride a horse, but you’re never too old for anything! Find somewhere you can begin having lessons before you rush out to buy your own steed though.
Photography – photography is a lot of fun, and you can get started by buying a beginner’s camera and taking pictures of things you like. Photography websites can give you inspiration.
The gym – find a workout plan, grab a notebook, and get started! Record your progress and set goals that you want to achieve. It’ll be fun, not a chore. You’ll stay active and improve your health – what could be better than that?
Collecting – find something you’d like to collect and then research as much as you can. This hobby can cost a lot of money though, so make sure you have the income!

Which hobby will you try?

Father’s Day is very much on the horizon but don’t worry if you haven’t quite got your Pa’s present for Sunday June 21st on order just yet. To save you from surrendering to a last minute supermarket purchase of a box of chocolates, this post rounds up gift ideas based on your Father’s favourite things to do. Hopefully you’ll find some fresh new ideas nestled in the list…

Cycling

Is your dad one of the growing MAMIL (middle aged man in lycra) brigade? While you might not always want to see him in his brightest and best neons, his efforts to keep fit deserve applauding and rewarding. You probably won’t want to stump up for a designer bike as the cost of these are so high they are reportedly driving some cycling enthusiasts into debt. If you can’t stomach a cycling shorts purchase, how about a caffeine based gift to fuel his rides? Everyone knows coffee and cycling go together like hands and handlebars and this aeropress kit, £20.95 from cremagoods, is suitably lightweight.

Foodie

Speaking of food, if your dad is the type of guy who appreciates food and drink in its many forms? if he’s a regular visitor to a farmer’s market or takes trips to the local craft beer festival, you may want to invest in something that will feed his foodie fascination. Even better, why not choose a gift that may benefit you in a roundabout way? Home smoking has seen a huge surge of interest over the past few years and while you can invest a lot of money if you want to, there are some very accessible kits that will help you father bring home the bacon, smoked fish or even smoked cheese. This one from notonthehighstreet at £28.50, comes with packages wrapped in string!

Gardening

If your dad has been gardening a while, chances are he’s got a plentiful supply of plants flowers and seeds. With this in mind, why not buy him something that will make the less interesting jobs such as leave removal that little bit more exciting. Air compressors can move unwanted garden debris in super speedy time, which makes for less time spent brushing up leaves and more time enjoying a tea break in a tidy outdoor space. Air Supplies stock a wide range suitable for at home for use in the garden or for general garage jobs and prices start at £120.

Gamer

Buying the latest games is an expensive affair, but there are plenty of less costly Father’s Day gifts you can give to dads with a serious games console commitment. How about starting with some snazzy items they can enjoy in a dedicated games area? These Tetris stacked lights (£29.99 from Firebox) can be rearranged and fit in rather nicely with these retro geek blinds from English Blinds (prices vary according to size).

Walker

If your dad likes to explore the hills and vales of our wondrous isles, a good pair of walking socks might be a safe (and price-conscious) buy. If you’d rather add something a little more stylish to their walking collection, what about this Cartography flask (£19.99) from John Lewis? The map might not be able to help them up or down a mountain but hot tea, coffee or soup stored inside would surely give them a boost!

Photography

If your father’s into photography he’s likely to have expensive tastes – lenses, tripods and editing equipment don’t come cheap. However, if he uses Photoshop he might appreciate this nifty shortcut skin for his keyboard, which can help speed up the editing process. They might also appreciate a metal printing of one of their favorite pictures, or one with both of you in it. They last a long time, and they’re pretty versatile. Print it in the right size, and they can go on display just about anywhere!

DIY enthusiast

According to the statistics, DIY enthusiasts are in sharp decline, so if your dad is a DIY-er you could almost say he’s an endangered species and that means his hobby requires support with sentiment. Those with these hobby often appreciate things that are handmade that much more, which is why something like this handcrafted sea life bottle art should be right up their alley. They’ll place it somewhere around the house where it’ll fit nicely, and it’ll be a nice reminder of the occasion.

You should be able to find lots of places selling personalized tools and toolboxes online but if your pa’s already got more spanners than you can shake an erm, spanner at, how about treating him to this tongue-in-cheek mug? At just £9.99 it’s another budget friendly option. Alternatively, give him something he can really get to grips with… like a project to build you a new shoe rack or to fix your shower!

Collector

If your dad is an avid collector of souvenirs and unique gift items, then texas gifts based on Texas history and culture will be the best option as your Father’s day present. A specialized store will definitely be your best bet when looking for you unique items. Whenever I want to get a special gift for someone I go to this african store that I know that’s not too far. You should try to find a place like this for yourself as well. So, if you ever see a specialized store like this make a mental note and go take a look whenever you get a chance. It might turn into your go-to for those that like unique and one of a kind items. If your dad collects necklaces or chains, then you may consider surprising him with cuban links. A cuban link is a bold statement piece.

Have you got Father’s Day in hand or are you still on the lookout for the perfect gift for your dad? If you’re still to plan a present will you you be heading to the shops, buying online or making something yourself?