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Photography: Beach Camping

A few weeks ago, I went camping with family. Our campsite was surrounded by large bushes which attracted birds, we spent an afternoon at the beach, and I hiked up some big sand dunes.

Although these might be some of my favorite photos, it’s hard not to beat myself up because I’m not writing. I made an attempt at working on my middle-grade novel recently, and it was rubbish. And although I’ve sold over 100 books, more than I thought I would, I can’t seem to get people to review it. My mind tells me it’s because people don’t like the book, which is fine, but the small hopeful part of me is a bit sad. But you know what? Two local bookstores carry my book and I’ve been selling about three copies a month in store, from people just browsing and liking it. That needs to be celebrated. As I’ve always told my kids—comparison is the thief of joy.

So, let me brush this all off and say, I’m not writing currently, but I’ll be back at it soon. In the meantime, enjoy all these photos. And as always, let me know if you have a favorite. Have a wonderful day!

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Bonus photos:

I’m in love with Superman (aka kindness).

Converted the back of my van into a sleeping area with fun lights.

My hiking buddy.
  • These photos were taken with an Olympus OM-D and edited with ON1 Photo RAW.

49 thoughts on “Photography: Beach Camping”

      • You’re welcome, Bridget. My last book didn’t get on Ingram which I was shocked about and I lost some steam after that. It’s frustrating a challenging. I’m hopeful this will get done sooner than later but I feel ya! 💕

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      • I’m thinking perhaps your book not being on Ingram was a formatting issue. I’d pay someone to look at it and resubmit. It’s usually either an ISBDN number, meta-data or formatting issue (from what I’ve been told). Don’t give up on your book. 🙂

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      • I’m hoping my publisher will handle it or find someone to do it and she’s going to try but it truly is not what I envisioned. Up to know she has only done Amazon. It you have any leads as to who could do this, please let me know. It’s quite frustrating. 😒 Thanks for the encouragement! 💕

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      • I don’t know anyone who does formatting, but there are a lot of wonderful videos online that walk you through the process. Hopefully your publisher can figure it out. Your words deserve a wide audience.

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    • Awww! Thank you for such a kind comment. You made my day. Yeah, I’ve been working hard on not comparing my journey with others my entire life. No two creatives journeys look the same, just as no two people’s lives look the same. We all do the best with the hand we’ve been dealt. Taking pictures and looking back at them helps me keep things in perspective.

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    • We’ve camped at Bodega Dunes since my kids were little. They don’t really want to go right now (being 18 and 20), so it’s fun to experience it again with my sweet nephew. It’s a lot of work, but once you’re set up, it’s so enjoyable. I recently figured out how to take the seats out of the back of my van and I slept in there, with lots of pillows, and it really made the entire trip a lot easier on me. Thinking I might even do a solo camping trip in the next year.

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  7. Wow, once again Beach visited photography. The great photos. Overall all photos Gorgeous 🥰. I much like 3,5,6,10, ,17 & your photo wit superman. Congratulations you written the book

    God bless you, Bridgette 👏

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  8. You do take some great pics Bridgette – I think #11, the greenery blending onto the bird’s back – what’s the bird, do you know?

    I’m halfway through your book, taking it slowly to concentrate properly on each story. I’m astonished it hasn’t sold more. Reviews are the key and I’ll certainly be giving it 5* when the time comes. The book industry is cut-throat, especially for new authors. And short stories generally tend to struggle. Don’t measure your talent by sales.

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    • Thank you so much, Roy. #11 is a kind of hummingbird, super fast wings and hard to capture. I took a bunch of photos of them, but only a few turned out in focus.

      Also, thank you for not only buying my book, but reading it! You have no idea what that means to me. Really. I’m glad you are enjoying it and I’m trying hard to relax about sales/reviews. I just want to know if people have a favorite story. Maybe I’ll put out a specific call for that kind of feedback. It’s just weird having it out there without any discussion…you know? And yeah, I’m aware that nobody really buys short story collections unless the author is well known. The best thing to do is work on my next projects, which hopefully I’ll be able to do soon.

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  10. #22 because I love hummingbirds. I’ve been seeing the Anna’s hummingbirds fighting over the feeder someone put up in the community garden I tend, and thinking about how such tiny birds can be so fierce. If birds indeed evolved from dinosaurs, I wonder if hummingbirds’ ancestors were the velociraptors!

    I hope you don’t think my not writing a review of your book (which I haven’t finished, due to too many demands on my schedule lately) is a comment on the quality of it. The stories I have read so far remind me of Ursula Le Guin and Angela Carter, two of my favorite writers. I don’t write reviews very often however: some years ago I criticized online a highly popular writer and her fans savaged me, threatened to doxx me and my family, and hunted me all over social media. I had to shut down my Facebook and Twitter accounts and go anonymous. The irony is that this writer’s reputation has taken a turn south and now people are attacking her. It’s why I loathe the internet as a space for self expression, even though it’s a necessity for writers and artists to self publicize. It doesn’t matter how balanced and thoughtful your opinions are, offend the wrong group and they come after you like hornets. Anyway, I realize that doesn’t help you at all, but your book is so far a wonderful read, and I am kicking myself for not bringing it with me as a beach book. I will try to pass it along to my friends and family who care about good fiction!

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    • You made me crack up about hummingbirds being related to velociraptors, but I can totally see it. They are crazy territorial. The ones at the campsite were coming and going so quickly they didn’t seem to have time to fight 🙂

      Also, you’ve seriously made my MONTH with your comments about my book. Wow. Thank you. Yeah, it’s this weird dichotomy of needing to publicize my work, but also just wanting it to speak for itself. I’m so happy you bought it AND are reading it! That means the world to me. I’m so sorry you had such an awful experience reviewing a book. YIKES! That sounds horrible. I’m so curious who the author was (if you want to DM me on IG, I’d love to know more). I appreciate you passing it onto other readers and being willing to leave a review. That means the world to me.

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  11. They are each beautiful and special in their own way. 📷👏🏻 I can’t possibly pick a favorite but I am celebrating with you! 📖 I’m also inspired by you and our writing brains need breaks, too. 🦋

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  15. Photos: #’s 1, 3, 10, 11, 16 & 17. The dog looks very like one who lived with us when I was in high school.

    Book reviews: I am reading your stories sandwiched between other books. I had been waiting to have 10 under my belt to publish an initial review, but I’m close and I think I’ll just jump that gun. Then I’ll either update that review or write another. Questions: I was going to write it on my blog, but wondered if there is another I should use instead (or in addition). Also, what’s the best way to link to your book?

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    • So glad you liked these photos, they are some of my favorite I’ve taken lately. How sweet that Duke reminded you of a dog you used to know. Hopefully it’s a fond memory.

      Thank you for being willing to review my book! That means the world to me. I’d love if you could leave a review at Goodreads and possibly Amazon. That’s where most people stumble across reviews…I think. As for the best way to link it, feel free to either use the book page on the blog (https://bridgettetales.com/watering-words-52-short-stories/) or link it to Amazon (it’s probably the easiest way for people to buy it).

      Thank you sooo much! I hope you are liking the book and I can’t wait to find out if you have a favorite story when you finish.

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