I hope that everyone reading this is doing well during these unprecedented times. It’s certainly going to be a rough road here for many photographers in the short run yet the creativity and caring I see coming from those I know and those I don’t, is going to help weather this storm. We are all in this together. A huge thank you to everyone in the medical field working on the front lines which I know has to be very stressful and demanding. Plus all the grocery store workers and delivery drivers, and everyone else doing what they can to help keep things going. It’s truly appreciated!

While we like to dream about all the places we would love to be flying and driving to in order to experience and photograph, this is definitely a time to reflect and think about photography in a different way. Not only on what we value most as the world changes during this pandemic, but also asking ourselves if we need to always be running far and wide to capture the next scene on our camera.

We have all heard the saying the best camera is the one you have on you. We could also say the best option for nature photography might be the one nearest to you. I mean in your city or town, not some drive many miles away. Additionally, while garden photography and other man-made elements can be great to photograph I am talking more specifically about places that give the look of being natural or “wild”, and not regularly manicured or maintained. Scenes that are hard to discern whether they were taken in a city park or some remote wilderness area.

I believe almost all people live near these options even if they don’t think they do. It will likely take more effort to create compelling photos yet they can be found. Even if you don’t ultimately capture a keeper simply going through the process that forces you to look different or harder than you might see in more common locations is a good thing in the long run. Spoiler alert; all the photos in this video were taken in the Portland area not far from my home yet were made pre-pandemic.

It’s important to mention while I talk about photographing locally near where we live I don’t endorse anyone doing things they shouldn’t be doing at this given time. Rules on what we should be doing during the pandemic vary based on location and change frequently. Please reference your local restrictions before venturing off even locally. It’s important that we are able to allow social spaciousness between other people, proper sanitation, avoid the many trails and parks that are closed, and not put ourselves in a situation that can increase the need for medical or search assistance. It could mean the best option is simply staying home. You will see more about this in the video yet I wanted to touch on it here. I hope everyone reading this is able to stay healthy and safe which is the first priority since the focus on photographing locally is just as much of an option even once we get past the pandemic.

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