Day 9

The term microadventure was popularised by Alastair Humphreys and the idea is simple: you don’t need extreme expeditions or expensive travel to experience real adventure. You just need to step slightly outside your normal routine.

For a photographer, that shift can be transformative.

A micro adventure might be wild camping in the Lake District. It might be hiking for sunset after work. It might be sleeping in the car for a sunrise shoot, heading out in poor weather, or exploring a location you’ve always ignored because it felt inconvenient.

The key is this: it’s out of the ordinary, but within your capability.

Why It Works

When you add a layer of adventure to your photography you become more alert without trying. You discover new places, see things in a different light, and it shifts the value of photography from simply going out to take a picture, to experiencing a transcendent moment where the pictures you make reflect this new level of immersion.

Expanding Your Comfort Zone

A micro adventure does not demand recklessness or extreme hardship. It is about doing just a little bit more than you normally would.

Each time you step slightly beyond what feels easy, your comfort zone grows. What once felt challenging becomes manageable. What once felt daunting becomes routine. And as your comfort zone expands and your fitness increases, so does your creative range.

The Fulfilment That Lasts

The physical effort fades quickly. The fulfilment does not.

A roller coaster is cheap fun. It’s exciting at the time but it quickly becomes meaningless. Doing adventurous things is not always easy, but you make memories that will last a lifetime and you will be all the better for it.

So take that first step out the front door and go on a micro adventure.