Why I Love To Go Off the Beaten Path for Photography

Regardless of whether I am doing rural, urban, coastal or woodland photography, or whether I am close to home or travelling to a new location, I tend to enjoy going off the beaten path for photography.

In cities and towns, I will wander down alleyways or go to less visited, perhaps more ‘run down’ places to look for potential images.

In rural landscapes I will park my car and walk away from more frequently visited areas to discover what I might find down country lanes and byways. Similarly in woodlands, I love to discover hidden paths with their less photographed subjects waiting patiently to be found.

A quiet coastal path leading away from main populated beaches or a hidden cove that is not visited by many people are usually my ‘go to’ places for finding coastal photography images.

I often ask myself why I like to go off the beaten path and I have come up with the following reasons.

1.   Off the beaten path is where I can make more unique images

What do I mean by unique in terms of photography? I don’t mean that I will take truly original images that could only be taken in that place at that time. Truthfully, with phone cameras we can all do that at any time.

What I mean by unique is that these images will be special to me. They will have a deep resonance for me; I will have a connection to them because I deliberately chose to go somewhere different to find them.

An example of this was on a recent visit to Lake Garda. The iconic images might be of a tranquil lake at sunset but what I remember most are images I took while wandering through the backstreets of little lakeside towns, on the lookout for something that would catch my eye. For me, these are the truly unique photographs in my collection because they were my choices of location and subject.

2.   Less photographed locations offer more challenge

When I stand at a well-photographed location and take the iconic shot, I often feel nothing for the resulting image. When I go off the beaten track it’s harder to find a pleasing image, but that’s where the challenge lies, and I love a challenge in photography. When I am forced to work harder, look more deeply, make more decisions about how to turn a seemingly ordinary subject into a worthwhile image, I experience what, for me, is the real joy of photography.

3.   Taking the ‘less photographed’ route provides an abundance of new photographic opportunities

When I have taken the less photographed route, regardless of the type of photography location, I have never failed to find an image that I wasn’t expecting to find. Whether it’s a tiny, uncommon flower that I discover with a macro lens, an interesting old or abandoned building that no one even notices any more, or an image telling a story of our human footprint on the environment, I will find them when I go off the beaten track.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Going off the beaten track is not for everyone. Many photographers love the busy streets of cities and towns, and they don’t have a desire to venture any further. Others are drawn to the amazing scenery in iconic locations or to getting their own unique perspectives of well photographed subjects and locations. These are all perfectly valid types of photography, and I love them also.

But sometimes I love to venture sideways, away from the centre of activity to the quieter, less frequented, often more mundane spots just to see what I’ll find there. And I’m always pleasantly surprised in terms of photography.

N.B. You don’t have to go far off the beaten track to discover new opportunities in photography, but it is important to make sure that the area you choose to go to is safe and that someone knows where you are. No image is worth compromising your safety.

Be safe and enjoy some photography off the beaten track.