Drawing from a photo gives you the luxury of taking your time. i really want to use the water colors and I find getting detail a challenge. Using micron pen is helpful and I like this combination. I really noticed the textures in the photo, soft feathers, glossy leaves , rough bark...I'd like to be able to capture that feeling.
I hike frequently and love to observe trees, wild floowers and birds. I find that I have a lot of questions about what I am obseving. The idea of a nature journal is very appealing as a means of documenting what I see and then researching more about it.