As summer approaches in many regions, it often signifies vacations and travel for numerous individuals. The influx of stunning travel photographs showcasing beautiful destinations, remarkable sights, and fascinating people on social media can feel overwhelming at times. It is natural to experience a touch of envy, longing for the opportunity to explore those incredible places and witness such wonders. However, have you ever taken a moment to wander your surroundings and observe extraordinary aspects of your own world with a fresh perspective?
It is human nature to want to put the most exciting thing we photograph on our social media page. I know I do, I put images of our trips - large or small - on my Instagram and Facebook feeds. I want to share the fun and wonder of the things I see. However, I don't get to travel often and my daily life is pretty normal. So how do you make everyday look wonderful?
Several years ago, I found a self-study course on making normal day-to-day look exciting. The instructor showed how she showcased small areas of her home, yard and locale in small vignettes. Taking a picture of a mailbox in early morning light, or a section of fence with flowers growing in front of it.
The course really helped me to slow down and look for the amazing things in my home and yard. I now do this often when I am feeling a little less than creative. I wander around with my camera in hand and take pictures from different angles of the things I love and have in my home, yard and places I go. The exercise of looking for intimate details has helped me refine how I photograph and lets me see things in a way that makes a nice photograph.
We all have things we love about our home, maybe it's window light on a chair at a certain time of day, or that favorite little gnome in our front flower bed. The nice thing is we can capture what we have and make it look awesome. Finding treasures is an enjoyable way to spend a quiet time in your space.
Take your camera or phone with you to the grocery store and capture the things you look at along the way. I try to think of showing someone from another area what my world looks like, maybe try to "sell" your neighborhood. It is likely that you take the same route often so you will see things along the way that you look at every time you go. Is there a picture there?
All of these photos I am sharing are from my home, yard or neighborhood. It is fun to make something simple like an irrigation pivot look pretty.
My tips are:
- photograph in nice light - early or late sunshine
- look for small details and capture only part of the object (this can add mystery to your image)
- take time and wander through your living space, yard and neighborhood
- everything is or can be fantastic and beautiful to someone
- give yourself grace with this - it takes a little practise sometimes.
- have fun with it
