Here’s why you should photograph your hometown – even if you think it’s ugly

If you’ve lived in the same city for a long time, you probably don’t feel inspired to take photos around it anymore. And if it’s been a while since you traveled and picked up your camera, you need to watch this video from Adrian of Aows.

If nearly two years of travel restrictions and lockdowns have taught us anything, it’s to embrace and enjoy our own cities and countries to the max. But if you’ve spent years in the same city, it may seem almost impossible. We’re so used to the place where we live that it may be difficult to spot photogenic scenes anymore. We just stop seeing our good, old, familiar hometown the way we see new places. Have you experienced it? I know I have.

Thankfully, we can train ourselves to see the beauty in the mundane, familiar, even ugly. In the video, Adrian shows you some videos of his hometown and some of its… well, not so pretty locations. But he also shares a bunch of remarkable photos he took at those places.

“We have to give ourselves permission to create art where we thought there was none,” Adrian notes. “After all, art is everywhere if you say so.” I think that we need to remind ourselves of this even when spending too much time in the “dirty old town” we’re so accustomed to.

If you want to start seeing the beauty in your hometown again, you don’t need to carry all your gear around. It’s enough to have your phone with you. what’s much more important is to look around and be present in the moment. It’s not a mindfulness exercise that will do you good, but you may also end up with some beautiful images. And when you set your mind this way, you’ll be able to enjoy your hometown again and take some gorgeous shots even in the places you’ve visited a million times!

The images in the article are mine and taken in my hometown, some with a phone and some with a DSLR. Feel free to share yours, I’m looking forward to seeing them. :)

[On photographing where we live | aows]