Why You Need a Local Place

Should I go back to XZY location or should I explore a new place today? It is a question that we have undoubtedly asked ourselves at some point as landscape photographers. There is nothing like the feeling you get when you explore a place for the first time. Sometimes it may be a destination that is once in a lifetime and other times it could be a few hours’ drive from home.

In this post, I explore why you should have a local spot that you can revisit.

Finding Your Local Spot

Some people are blessed with living in an area that is inherently pretty. Having lived nearly 15 years in the mountains of Colorado, I can attest to being surrounded by amazing scenery that just begs to be photographed. Even now in North Carolina, there are a half dozen waterfalls within a 30-minute drive from my house. However, not everyone is lucky to have mountains, oceans, or waterfalls close by.

So, how do you find a local spot? The first thing I recommend doing is to drive around your town with a photography mindset. Are there city or state parks, lakes, golf courses, or a nature trail that runs along a river? Live out in the country? What about a country road? Windmills, trees, and barns can be great subjects. Where my parents live in Nebraska, I love this grouping of trees in the middle of a pasture. In North Carolina, one of my local spots is a state park that is 30 minutes away and another is a lake that is only 15 minutes. If you do not get out there to explore your local area, you will never find a local spot.

The Benefits

Reduce stress and pressure to get that perfect shot. Seldom are we lucky to have the “perfect” conditions the first time we visit a destination. There are numerous mobile apps and websites we can use to help us predict good weather conditions, but with the weather, it is subject to errors. When you have a local spot that you can revisit there can be less stress since you can come back again when the conditions are more favorable, which can also increase your odds of getting that perfect shot.

Find new compositions. When you revisit a place multiple times, you can take the time to explore and find new compositions without the stress of trying to get it perfect the first time. Each time you visit the conditions will be different, you will become more familiar with the terrain and location, and you can start to pinpoint when you may get the most favorable conditions for what you envision.

Nikon Z6 at 55mm w/ 10-stop ND filter: f/20 , 10 sec, ISO-100

Practice new techniques and try out new gear. When I received my neutral density filter in December, I headed to my local spot to test it out. It was great to have a low stress opportunity to try out long shutter speeds with my new ND filter without the pressure of getting it right the first time because I knew I could come back again.

Hopefully, you found this post helpful and inspired you to find a favorite local spot if you do not already have one or to get out there to revisit your favorite local spot.