4 Ways Local Photo Stories Grow Your Photography Skills

Episode 147: 4 Ways Local Photo Stories Grow Your Photography Skills

Shownotes: ConservationVisuals.com/147

(Digitally transcribed, please forgive any typos)

Jaymi Heimbuch:
[00:00:00] Jaymi Heimbuch: Hey there, and thank you so much for tuning into this episode of Impact the Conservation Photography Podcast. Now, you know here on this podcast, we are all about how to get these awesome images that are not only amazing to look at, but can also really inspire people to care more about nature and about the wild spaces around them.

[00:00:20] Jaymi Heimbuch: And if you are just starting out in this field of conservation photography, you might be dreaming of traveling to these far flung places to capture exotic, endangered wildlife or exotic amazing ecosystems.

[00:00:33] Jaymi Heimbuch: But what if I told you that powerful stories. Are waiting for you right outside your doorstep. Wherever you are in the world, right outside your door is a fascinating, important conservation photo story, waiting to be told, local photo stories can be a goldmine for aspiring conservation photographers.

[00:00:56] Jaymi Heimbuch: So today we're exploring four reasons why [00:01:00] local photo stories are so smart to focus on as an aspiring conservation photographer, now making a genuine impact as a photographer is all about really leveraging what's readily around you. So here are my four top reasons why I would love for you to focus at home for your conservation photography, especially when you're getting started.

[00:01:22] Jaymi Heimbuch: And first up is accessibility. Now you know that park that you jog in every morning or that creek that you pass by on your daily commute, they're more than just familiar scenery. They are the perfect, easy to reach starting points for your conservation, photography, adventure.

[00:01:40] Jaymi Heimbuch: Now, more than likely you've got some place that you see every day. It might even be your literal backyard or a green belt that you walk past somewhere inside the town, the city, the county that you live, that you think of as really just familiar territory. Well, [00:02:00] you can look more deeply at these locations and find really cool photo story ideas that can inspire the people around you to appreciate that area, that green space in an urban environment, or the animals that live around that creek and need it to stay clean and free of pollutants.

[00:02:16] Jaymi Heimbuch: And you know, conservation photography doesn't always revolve around wildlife or wilderness. It revolves around us humans and how we use the resources on this planet, or how we live healthier lives. So consider that community garden that you pass by every day, or the bustling farmer's market every weekend.

[00:02:36] Jaymi Heimbuch: These aren't just ordinary places. They are your easy to reach. Cost effective launch pads into the world of conservation photography, you would be amazed at the stories that you can tell with just your camera and a bit of imagination inside a familiar place or a familiar scene like that. Now, what if you documented the journey of food from farm to table?

[00:02:59] Jaymi Heimbuch: You [00:03:00] capture. The early morning mist on the local farm and the vibrant colors and the busy chatter of the farmer's market, you capture the hands of a local chef preparing a meal, and finally maybe a family enjoying that locally sourced dinner. All of these images are a series that tells the compelling story about sustainable living and the importance of local produce all shot within your hometown.

[00:03:25] Jaymi Heimbuch: Now, how cool would that be to create, there is no need to shell out all these funds for travel and have this limited time to create a photo story based on how long you can stay in the field. You live right where the action is happening, and it's incredibly accessible to you now for reason number two, and that is familiarity. When you're familiar with your subject, your images become more intimate, more authentic, and by focusing on your local environment, you have the advantage of understanding the behavior of local [00:04:00] wildlife, their daily routines, the challenges they face. So, for example, you might notice that there is a particular bird species that visits your backyard every day.

[00:04:10] Jaymi Heimbuch: At the same time, capturing their activities over time can weave a really fascinating story about their habits, their survival techniques that can draw people in to being curious about the wildlife in their own yards. Or maybe even making changes to the landscape to encourage their local wildlife to thrive in their yard.

[00:04:30] Jaymi Heimbuch: How amazing would that be for you to be able to create that kind of reaction in your own community, all by focusing on what you're already familiar with? And in fact, one of my students in conservation photography 1 0 1 has been doing exactly this with her photo stories. She's focusing on documenting the American lawn as a broader topic and then zeroing in on stories inside of that topic.

[00:04:55] Jaymi Heimbuch: One of her first photo stories that she ever got published, she [00:05:00] focused on showing how people in the suburban area could help out pollinators by not mowing their lawns in the month of May. It's part of a movement called No Mo May, and her story was published in the New York Times. Better Homes and Gardens, Sierra Club's blog and more. And she did it all by looking locally, getting super familiar with the concept. Lawns and pollinators, and that meant that she noticed ideas, she noticed characters, she noticed events that could all lead to more stories.

[00:05:33] Jaymi Heimbuch: So working locally basically makes you an expert in an area, and that means that you see a lot of impactful photo stories right there for you to make. Now, reason number three, uniqueness.

[00:05:48] Jaymi Heimbuch: Your local environment is a world of its own. It is home to unique ecosystems, species, environmental dynamics. You might think that it's common [00:06:00] because you're so familiar with it, which is, hello. Reason number two, to work on these stories. I. But your audience might not be. And so people in other parts of the state, the country, the globe, are going to think that your area is really something special.

[00:06:15] Jaymi Heimbuch: So by focusing on the highly unique things about your local wildlife, local habitats, communities, events, and so on, you end up bringing delight narratives that are often overshadowed by global or more exotic stories. So for instance, You might live near a wetland that is home to maybe a rare species of dragonfly.

[00:06:38] Jaymi Heimbuch: A photo series documenting these beautiful iridescent creatures and the home that they live in could actually reveal their sort of hidden world, overlooked world and highlight the importance of preserving local wetlands, not only this particular local wetland for this particular species of dragonfly, but it sparks a catalyst for [00:07:00] really caring about local wetlands as a whole.

[00:07:03] Jaymi Heimbuch: So your unique wetland could resonate with people everywhere. Because the uniqueness draws people in and makes them think about what's special to their area. So this could be a game changer in raising awareness about conservation issues that might otherwise fly completely under the radar. And that's not bad for a day's.

[00:07:24] Jaymi Heimbuch: Work with your trusty camera, right? You know, going down to the local wetland that you are so familiar with and realizing how unique it is, and then in telling the story of that unique place, seeing how it actually connects people to their own unique places. Now for reason number four, and that is community engagement. See, local stories have the power to engage your community in a way that these distant, more abstract environmental issues might not.

[00:07:54] Jaymi Heimbuch: When people see their immediate surroundings, the parks that they visit, the animals that they share their [00:08:00] environment with, through your compelling photos, it becomes very personal. They see the familiar in a new way and someone else Showing them why it's important helps people to really buy into that concept that it is important and it's important in ways that they probably never considered before. It can create a fresh sense of like, kind of like pride of ownership, though. I know that that's not the best way to put it, but like a sense of responsibility and protectiveness because it's their community. So, for example, a photo story showing the impact of plastic waste on local marine life.

[00:08:39] Jaymi Heimbuch: Life that your community members embrace as part of their community can inspire your neighbors to reduce their plastic use or images of local forests. Changing landscape due to climate change can actually motivate your community to take action because this is a forest that they hike in that's part of their community, and they now [00:09:00] realize why it's so important to protect something that they love.

[00:09:03] Jaymi Heimbuch: So by sparking recognition and empathy, your local photo stories can inspire real change starting right from your backyard. So as you delve deeper into the world of conservation, photography, and you get all fired up to make images and to put them to work for a positive impact, don't underestimate the power of local stories. They are accessible, they're familiar. You're already an expert because you know them so well, they're unique because they are happening in your area and your area alone. Yet they can connect to a broader feeling of familiarity with other people, and they have the power to engage communities, your community, to take action. So as an aspiring conservation photographer, these local narratives can really be your stepping stone to making a meaningful impact at home.

[00:09:56] Jaymi Heimbuch: And then if you'd like, a meaningful impact on a broader [00:10:00] scale. So let's take a moment to kind of visualize these elements all working together. Imagine capturing a series of images depicting the life of a Fox family in your local woodland. So imagine you're out and about with your camera. You're capturing the day-to-day of a fox family in your town.

[00:10:18] Jaymi Heimbuch: You're getting shots of them hunting, of playing, of just kind of doing their foxy thing. Now, when you share these photos and these stories with your buddies and your neighbors, something cool happens. These foxes aren't these distant abstract creatures anymore, those kind of that species living out there

[00:10:34] Jaymi Heimbuch: now, these particular foxes, they're part of the neighborhood with their own little lives, their own families, they're individuals now. And that connection, it can make folks think twice about how their actions actually impact these little critters. But here's the kicker. Your photo project could also spotlight the challenges that these boxes face because of us humans.

[00:10:57] Jaymi Heimbuch: Maybe it's losing their homes to new [00:11:00] buildings or dodging cars on busy roads, or losing some of their food sources. When people see this through your lens, it hits home. It gets them talking about how we can do better, how we can live more sustainably, how we can give these foxes a break.

[00:11:16] Jaymi Heimbuch: And it might start with wanting to protect the individual foxes that you are photographing, but it then broadens to people thinking about every fox that they see, and then maybe not just the foxes, but all of the species that are in their urban environment. And the best part is this is all happening right here in your backyard.

[00:11:35] Jaymi Heimbuch: It's not some far off issue. It's real. It's immediate. People in your community, seeing these foxes while they're walking their dog or heading to work, might just motivate them to step up. Maybe be part of a local initiative to protect the Fox's habitat or campaign for wildlife friendly roads.

[00:11:52] Jaymi Heimbuch: So there you have it. This local project, like focusing on one little Fox family It isn't [00:12:00] just fun and fulfilling, which obviously it very much is as a nature photographer, but it's also a very powerful way to connect folks in your community with wildlife to raise awareness, to inspire action. So if you are feeling all fired up to create local photo stories that make an impact and you want some detailed steps in how to do it, some strategies and actually how to identify some local photo stories, I am holding a live masterclass on how to find local conservation photo stories. So you can go to conservation visuals.com.

[00:12:37] Jaymi Heimbuch: Slash local and choose a time, sign up and save your seat. There's three different times that I'll be holding this, so you can choose which session works best for your calendar and simply save your seat. It's completely free. And again, you can find that@conservationvisuals.com slash local. Now remember, your local environment is a [00:13:00] treasure trove of stories.

[00:13:02] Jaymi Heimbuch: Waiting to be captured. So grab your camera, step outside. Start exploring. You are going to be so surprised at what you find. And again, if you want some extra help in exactly how to find those stories, some strategies that you can use to identify some great stories. Head to conservation visuals.com/local and grab a free seat at my live training.

[00:13:25] Jaymi Heimbuch: It's gonna be so much fun, and I hope to see you there now. Until next time, keep shooting, keep exploring, and most importantly, keep telling those photo stories and I will talk to you again next week.