Finding places to photograph near me

Earth Day musings from the PhotoHound team

Here’s a round up of our morning musings on Earth Day which we’ve simply called “finding places to take photos near me”. 

If there’s one thing that living through the current COVID19 pandemic is teaching us, it’s that we can no longer take this planet for granted. It’s forcing us to shift perspectives, ask difficult questions and re-prioritise. It’s also making us appreciate simple pleasures and our immediate surroundings more than ever. This morning the PhotoHound Team came together to discuss some of the frustrations facing photographers right now and how we plan to use PhotoHound to help each other once we emerge from the current crisis. We side-tracked a little and started to discuss how we’re getting through lockdown in our respective countries. One thing we have in common at PhotoHound is that we are all continuing to take photos as a form of relaxation and escapism; we’re learning to find places to take photos nearer to where we live and to appreciate our local surroundings much more in the process.

Luka Esenko (Co-founder) – Ljubljana, Slovenia

“I’m spending lockdown with my wife and children on the outskirts of Ljubljana. I count myself lucky to be within walking distance of the capital city but also in striking distance of nature. Our daily walks can take us out onto the marshes and we are never far from a view of the Julian Alps, which I consider to be my second home. Life in lockdown is forcing me to look much more closely at places closer to home; I never would have discovered this unexpected view of Smarna Gora with the distinctive pink church on the Rožnik hill in the foreground otherwise. A short walk in the other direction towards the city centre brings me to Trnovo Church, the perfect spot for a quiet blue hour shot.”

Jules Renahan (Co-founder) – Twickenham, London

“Balancing working from home, homeschooling two children and trying to keeping everyone on an even keel has been challenging at times over the last few weeks. Although we live close to the city, we’re lucky to be able to walk with our dog into Bushy Park, one of London’s most incredible royal parks, so it’s not too difficult to find places near me to take pictures.  When my Harry Potter-obsessed 11 year old daughter asked if we could go on a photography walk one evening, we used the opportunity to explore a small woodland area nearby in our local park and experimented with some magical portraits to help her to make some positive memories during these strange times.”

James Billings (PhotoHound Pro) – Ely , UK

“I’ve been dabbling with astro photography for a while now but have never experienced skies so clear – I suppose that’s one positive to take from the current lockdown. From my back garden I was able to capture this shot of the somewhat controversial Starlink satellites launched by Elon Musk last week. Here I used a camera mount that tracks the rotation of the sky to capture 40 of the satellites and stacked them in Photoshop using the Lighten blend mode. Astro photography certainly gives you perspective on your place in this planet at a time like this.” 

Mathew Browne (Co-founder) – Carmarthen, Wales

“When I look out of my window it’s not immediately evident how much the world has changed in just a few short weeks. The village where I live is usually calm and peaceful and for the main part it remains so, but with my wife working all hours on the frontline as a GP and me looking after our 3 year old son whilst working on the PhotoHound website, I’m trying to find moments to escape the ‘crazy’ and am finding walks with the camera a therapeutic way to do this. How lucky am I to find this out of this world photo spot near me – just 10 minutes walk from my house! It’s actually the Great Glasshouse at the National Botanic Gardens.” 

Anton Averin (Co-Founder) – Berlin, Germany

“I’ve been working at home now for 6 weeks and am missing the daily connections that going into the office brings. I’ve been combining my early morning daily cycle ride in and around Berlin with some photography and have been making the most of the best light for cityscapes. Whilst it’s a photographer’s dream to have clear views of a city’s key landmarks and buildings, there’s something quite eerie and sad about an almost empty city. I’m looking forward to the lockdown restrictions being gradually eased over the coming weeks, but will keep these unusual images of Berlin in my head for some time.”

As we unite across the globe to celebrate the 50th Earth Day today, it’s clear that huge challenges are facing our planet. For now let’s learn to appreciate and nurture the familiar and the local as much as the new and exotic.  How are you getting through the current pandemic? Are you also using photography to help you get a sense of perspective and calm? Show us your images with the heading “Finding Places To Photograph Near Me” – we want to see how you’re documenting your lockdown.