When I'm out on a photo walk, I usually start by looking at the big picture and waiting for something to catch my eye. This could be a panorama, a landscape, a skyscape, building, or tree. At some point I also turn my eye towards the small things around me...

It could be a flower, a bug, a texture, or some other thing that would be very easy to overlook. I notice that I start walking slower, my other senses perk up, and I engage with my surroundings in a different way.

Equipment tip: rather than invest in a (very expensive) macro lens for getting close-up shots, I acquired an inexpensive macro converter (a magnifying glass, in essence) to coordinate with my telephoto lens; equally effective, but affordable and a lot easier to carry around. Here's an example, (click) sold by Olympus.

Here's a small collection of "little things" that have brightened by my day over the years. Try the exercise for yourself, and take pleasure in the little things!