Finding beauty in your very own community {Delight & be Savvy}
Often we look around where we live and get bored, or maybe you just dont like where you’re living because its not “pretty enough”. You probably see all those gorgeous places from your favorite photographers and you throw your hands up and say “Ill never have photos like that, theres no cliffs or waterfalls near me.” At least I know I do that far too often. But hey, if you have cliffs and waterfalls near you, I’m still jealous. ;)
I promise there is beauty everywhere, sometimes you just need a fresh perspective to see it. I’ll give you a few tips to finding beauty just about anywhere near you.
1. Go exploring, take a walk or a drive somewhere new, go down back roads, that side of town you never go to or just go somewhere you never would think would be photogenic, maybe the old part of town. Take your camera and a friend to be your Guinea pig and don’t be afraid to get dirty. I LOVE fields, random woods, rivers, mountains and old neighborhoods. I promise you, even your boring small town or crazy big city is capable of magic.
2. Go at different times of day. We are artist of light, so locations at different times of day can drastically change the way it looks. My favorite time of day is the infamous “golden hour” which is about an hour or two before sunset. Although some locations are better in the early morning or afternoon. I remember one time I went location scouting and I really loved the way this painted brick wall was, I brought some clients to it for an evening session and the wall was just NOT the same, the sun shone harshly upon it and it had weird shadows in the places it didn’t. I wished I had a better knowledge of the light beforehand. Know your light and learn how to use it to benefit you even when it’s not ideal.
3. Try something new. Try looking in those places that you never thought could be usable. Surprisingly enough you can shoot in Libraries, Laundromats, Coffee shops and sometimes art museums if they are nice. Always ask before using a private property and make sure you look into the permits in your area when shooting in public.
4. Contact a vendor. Sometimes a local wedding venue in your community is really pretty for a portrait session, reach out and ask if you can shoot there on a weekday when they don’t have anything wedding related going on. In my case, they usually say yes and appreciate the mention in a blog or Facebook post!
This photo was taken in the desert, I live in what some people would say is one of the uglier spots of southern California, But with a little evening light and some magic you can see beauty anywhere.
Moral of the story, you can shoot anywhere, I once used a dumpster as a background and it was awesome. Work with what has been given to you and rock that camera!
