WRAL photographer: 'I like lunch'

I like lunch. Don’t get me wrong; like most of us these days in the news business, lunch for me is a seldom-seen thing. That’s why it’s so important to enjoy lunch when I can get it.

This summer, I’ve been producing the Summer on a Budget series. I’ve been traveling, looking in the nooks and crannies of the Old North State, finding ways families can spend a summer vacation without spending a lot of cash. The Summer on a Budget stories gave me chance to really enjoy my mid-day break.

See images of Richard Adkin's favorite lunch places.

I generally pack my lunch each day for work, because you never know where you’re going to end up. On my Summer on a Budget shoot days, I make sure I pack a lunch that  I can sit back and enjoy while I take in the scenery.

Most day, a good lunch for a news photographer is portable – and able to be eaten at 65 mph. An experienced news photographer has learned to drive while steering with their left knee, balancing a cheap plastic container in their lap and using both hands to eat without spilling it all over themselves. Salads and sloppy joes are generally not on the menu.

But to use an over-used cliche, sometimes you have to stop and smell the roses. Sometimes you have to force yourself to take a break, to look out from behind the viewfinder, and enjoy the view you have found.

I like to take pictures of my “lunch spots” and email those pictures back to coworkers stuck in cubicles or running down criminals. I like to twist that knife just a little bit and let them know I’m enjoying my lunch.

Although I do like to bring a picnic lunch, on those times when I have to buy lunch, I like to try the local fare. I like to spend my money with the local restaurants. I can get a Big Mac anywhere, but I only get a Hatteras Flat on the Outer Banks.

The thing is, there are so many little nooks and crannies of this state, so many places to steal away and take a few minutes for yourself, to clear your head and calibrate your compass. There are many places to take advantage of the view.

You just have to keep your eyes open and know when to grab those moments for yourself.