When You Live In a Boring Place

Finding cool things to photograph where you live can be the ultimate level up for your art. As someone from out of town coming to your dull village I would probably find it quaint and interesting. I would see stimulating details that are refreshing to shoot.

Where I live can be dull and boring and I don’t like “going out and shooting something cool”. But I know that every time I try I become a better photographer. The best way to get your brain in the game for this task is to pretend that you have been given an assignment from a publisher and an angle to shoot from.

Some examples could be; find the best bakery, or small mom and pop restaurant, find the best AirBnb or kitschy motel, find the craziest car or truck someone has mod-ed. You could also do the traditional photo class route and hunt shadows or lines. Find reflections and color contrasts can strengthen your eye.

Another way to challenge yourself is with your choice of gear. Try a telephoto with small and large depth of field. Or a wide-angle and see how close you can get to people. You can also focus on lighting people with window light or open doors.

The most important thing you can do is shoot everyday. Making your boring corner of the world the next Instagram hotspot can be a skill in your back pocket for the rest of your life.