Why Local Photography Might Be the Best Thing You Can Do to Improve?

I used to believe that outstanding photographs needed grand locations. The type of scenery you fly long distances to get to. Mountain ranges, glaciers, and untamed coastlines. Then I began to find out what was at my back door. That made all the difference.

In his newest video, photographer Nigel Danson puts an impassioned argument forward for how local photography is not only convenient. Rather, it is necessary. He shows examples, skills, and photos from a decade of photographing within a short distance of his home. And if you believe your locality is dull, this may well convince you otherwise.

[Related Reading: Five awesome things revisiting the same location can do for your photography]

What Makes Local Photography Convenient?

Taking pictures of your own neighborhood does not only save time and money. It gets you used to seeing things in a different way, which remote travel cannot. You begin to recognize how a location shifts. You get the impact of weather, light, and season. That ability carries over to each new place you go.

Nigel attributes this exercise to doing more good for him than any overseas journey. I am the same way. The more I tour around familiar ground, the more I tend to surprise myself.

[Related Reading: How the pandemic forced me to shoot local and fall in love with my country again]

How Familiarity Can Kill Creativity?

The greatest challenge of local photography is getting past what you already believe you know. When we look at the same tree, park, or road day after day, we no longer see them. Our minds gloss over the details. That is what kills creativity.

Nigel speaks of “forgetting your memory.” That is, releasing your assumptions. Attempt to look at the place as though you are encountering it anew. This little change can open up so much opportunity.

The Power of Repetition and Return

Excellent pictures are seldom about happenstance. They are a product of perseverance. Returning to the same spot repeatedly allows you to appreciate changes in light, texture, and color. Suddenly, that mundane hill is a canvas for fog, snow, or golden light.

Nigel’s photograph “A Moment of Quiet” was three years in the making. He waited for ideal foggy weather in a wood near his house. The result is minimalist but breathtaking.

[Related Reading: This is why you should photograph your local landscapes more often]

Examples That Make the Point

He mentions a few local spots in the video that he has taken repeatedly:

1. Alderley Edge (The Edge): Previously thought to be uninteresting, it now features a favorite tree that he goes back to in varying light
2. The Cloud: A low hill which showed him how familiarity can stifle creativity
3. The Roaches: A tree captured in fog, snow, and golden hour
4. Shutting Slow Barn: A winter favorite subject
5. Padley Gorge: Shot in the early morning to capture less intense light
6. Ball Hill and Surprise View: Famous for heather flowers in late summer
7. The Gathering: A pre-arranged composition, shot in perfect fog
8. A Fresh Covering: A mundane scene transformed by snow

What all these illustrations have in common is neither drama nor size. It is timing, waiting, and familiarity with the terrain.

Weather and Seasons Make All the Difference

The same scene appears entirely different based on time of day, season, or weather. Fog creates suspense. Snow reduces complications. The rain intensifies color. Heather changes an emerald hill into a purple sea.

This is what makes local photography so strong. You can go back often. You can hang around. And you can photograph a scene at its best, rather than relying on getting good conditions during a short visit.

Use Maps and Satellite Tools to Scout Near You

You do not need a guidebook to discover photo locations. Nigel recommends using tools such as Google Earth and Ordnance Survey maps to scout out from your office. 

Look for:

1. Isolated trees in pancake-flat terrain (such as regions of Germany and Ireland)
2. Woodlands with diverse tree species
3. Crops or abandoned barns
4. Trailheads around forests or lakes
5. River deltas or fog-threatened areas (such as Fort Myers, Florida)

After you have found something worth seeing, go back to it regularly. Flag it. Observe it. Photograph it under all circumstances.

Local Photos Document Change

One of the subtle strengths of photography is that it can stop time. A photograph you take today could capture a tree that next year will come crashing down. A clump of fog that never reappears. A five-minute moment.

They become documents of something that might never appear in the same way again. It is important. It makes even the most mundane landscapes significant.

The Truth: “Boring” Places Are Just Untapped

If you think your neighborhood is dull, you are likely not observing closely enough. Nigel demonstrates that repeatedly in his pictures. So do a lot of the world’s greatest landscape photographers. It has nothing to do with discovering more spectacular locations. It has everything to do with looking deeply.

[Related Reading: The Ultimate Guide to Landscape Photography]

And that only comes with experience.

Final Thoughts

I have been going to one little park repeatedly this summer. At first, it seemed flat and uninteresting. But there was one morning when a low fog passed through. The light caught one of the trees at the perfect angle. And in the peaceful moment, it all fell into place.

Local photography has taught me more than any road trip ever could. It’s slowed me down. It has made me see better. And it has made me see the place I live in, again, not just as a photographer, but as someone who is paying attention.

You do not have to run around after perfect scenes. You simply must look at where you are. Keep showing up. Your best picture is perhaps closer than you realize.

[You’re Looking in the WRONG Place for Great Photos]

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