Are you (like me) one of those folks who find themselves traipsing around the Upper Delaware River region, capturing its countless natural charms with a digital imaging device? Have you discovered that the more one looks, the more one sees, as nature reveals her wealth of endless wonders?

“The camera is an instrument that teaches people how to see without a camera,” said renowned American documentary photographer and photojournalist Dorothea Lange.

One of my favorite outdoor activities is to roam without restriction on a photo ramble, shooting everything from scenic landscapes of incredible beauty to macro images of mysteriously abstract insects. On such forays, I typically launch without a hard-set plan, to allow for serendipity and chance to enter the exploration.

In the process, I am often gifted with unanticipated glimpses and insights that evolve from within.

“To know ahead of time what you’re looking for means you’re then only photographing your own preconceptions, which is very limiting and often false,” asserts Lange. To that end, simply get behind the lens and go, remaining open and winnowing wide.

After gathering your images, don’t let them go unappreciated. Showcase your “captures” by submitting them to any of the several upcoming photo contests highlighted in the photo captions within this column.