location, location, location

People often ask me where is a good place to get photos done? You might imagine that I tell them … the park or a garden or a waterfall. Very pretty places. The thing is … while there is nothing wrong with those places I believe the very best photo locations are simply the spaces that mean the most to you. If that means your backyard or your kitchen or that spot you go to every Saturday for a coffee then, really truly, that is your best photo location. Sure we all like photos of pretty places but to me that is often not what makes for a memorable photo. The kind of photo you want framed and matted on your wall and in your home. The kind of photo that will look good ten years from now is one that captures something specific about you. Right now. 

Where is a place that makes you feel good? 

Where is a place that holds history and memory for you?  

Recently I was asked to take part in a photo portrait project. I was asked to pick a specific spot that has meaning for me. I knew right away it was on the Iron Horse Trail where I ride my bike every day. I knew the spot was where I’d seen a man cover up some hateful graffiti on his own initiative and cover it with something  uplifting. I wanted a portrait done in a place I felt strongly tied to and emotional about. A place where years from now I can also think “That was the place where that guy erased something ugly to make something beautiful”.

These are the things worth remembering.