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Local parks are great places for anyone who wants to practice their photography. The reason being that there are so many different photo opportunities available without the need to travel too far away from your home. So here are 8 reasons why your local park is a great place to visit to improve your photography.

Easy and quick to get to

The first great thing about your local park is that it’ll be close to you and so it is easy and quick to get to. This in itself will ensure that you are more likely to actually get outside and take photos. Often one of the big barriers to anyone wanting to improve their photography is the effort that it takes to get somewhere to practice. If you have to get up in the middle of the night and walk for a few hours, it becomes a lot less motivating than driving somewhere even for a few hours in the afternoon to practice your photography.

You can photograph people

Photographing people is one of the things that amateur photographers often struggle with. Shyness prevents them from approaching people to take their photos. There will often be people in parks walking, exercising or even just on family days out. So this provides a great opportunity to practice photographing people. There are other advantages of photographing people in a park rather than in the street as well. For one, people might not be in as much of a rush in a park than say if they were going to work somewhere else. You will also have the added benefit of less clutter behind your subject than if you were photographing them in a street.

Just make sure you use some common sense and for example, you may not want to photograph someone sunbathing without asking permission.

Flowers, fauna and insects

For those who love photographing close-ups or are into macro photography, parks are great places. The array of flowers and plants mean there will be plenty to photograph. For those who want to capture macro shots of insects, again parks might be the best location for it. But the other great thing about parks is that the plants and scenes will change in different seasons. This will give you a great opportunity to visit at different times of the year and in different conditions.

Great for wildlife

While you may not exactly get the big 5, local parks will have some wildlife and birds that you can photograph. Again, this type of photography is tough to master. So if you want to maximise your chances of capturing great shots when say you are on a safari, get practising in your local park first. You can iron out the mistakes so that when you are somewhere more exotic you don’t miss out on a shot.

Sport photography

Any type of action photography or sports photography can be really difficult. For amateur photographers, it’s actually pretty hard to just practice this type of photography as you can’t just turn up to a sports stadium with your kit to practice. Most stadiums and arenas won’t even allow you to take your equipment in and of course, even then you will be sitting among the crowd and not pitchside. So a local park can present the best opportunity to photograph sports. It will allow you to experiment with settings and composition but also the tricky part of being able to nail your focus on moving subjects.

Even if sports photography isn’t your area of interest, it is still good practice and will help you, in the long run, to be able to capture moving subjects.

Dealing with contrasts

Depending on the kind of park that you have near you, there may be wooded areas where on a sunny day you get harsh shadows and contrasts. As the sun shines through the trees, it will mean there will be very dark areas and very bright areas. This can be tough to photograph and especially to expose for correctly. By getting your practice in when you are at a local park, it will mean that when you are at a location or even a shoot, you will have the knowledge and the skills to be able to take the shots that you need to take.

Try out your equipment

Even if you are an experienced photographer, when you get a new camera or accessory, it’s important to test it before actually needing it. This is not only so you know how to use it properly and get to know all the features of it, but to actually test how it performs. For example one of my tests, when I buy a new camera, is to check how it performs at high ISO settings. I need to know at what ISO there will be an acceptable level of noise. A park is great as there will often be low light areas. I simply take a load of photos at different ISOs keeping the shutter speed and aperture the same. When I check the images on a computer, I then get a good indication of how high I can set my ISO and still have an acceptable level of noise.

Experiment with different techniques

Let’s be honest, no photographer will want to risk trying something completely new when they are shooting something for a client or are at a great location. It can be daunting trying out an untested new technique when you have one attempt at taking the shots that you want. But your local park is a much better and easier place to practice this sort of thing. Because it’s somewhere you can get to easily, it means you won’t be as afraid of missing out on a shot. When you are happy that the new technique you are trying out works well, you can use it in other places with more confidence.

Local parks provide a lot of opportunities for photographers of all levels without the need to travel far. So why not head out to your local park and practice some of the things that you enjoy photographing. You never know, you might actually end up with some amazing photos.

Wherever you live in the world, you are sure to have a local park near you. Parks are fantastic places to photograph and importantly practice parts of your photography that you may be weak in. Besides the array of fauna and flowers, there are also people to photograph, wildlife and even sculptures and art. The great thing about parks is that you will often find people interacting with each other and nature. There might even be some people playing sport. All of this can lead to some great photos. To help you on your way here 6 tips for photographing local parks.

Use the right light

Light is vital in any sort of outdoor photography. Parks are no different. To capture great photos of parks aim to take your photos early in the morning or late in the afternoon. The soft golden light will enhance shadows and give the scene a warm glow. If you really want to improve your park photos, learn how to utilise this light creatively by for example backlighting your subject or creating sunbursts. The other advantage of photographing early morning is that you may also get some mist which will enhance the scene further.

Know what the rules are

Some local parks will be clear about what is and isn’t allowed when it comes to photography. For example, in some parks, tripods or drones might not be allowed. Or some may only allow photos for non-commercial use. For example, some of the Royal parks in London allow photography for editorial use but not commercial. The majority of the time if you are not intending to use the photos for commercial purposes (i.e. they are just for yourself) you will be fine and should have no problem. But it’s worth checking the rules and also using common sense. For example, taking pictures of kids or people sunbathing might get you being asked some questions. Also, pay attention to things like opening and closing times. You don’t want to end up being locked a park.

Look for stories

Parks are a wonderful place to practice your storytelling photography. There are so many different situations happening that the possibilities are endless. It could be someone walking their dog or people enjoying ice cream. Including people in your photos is a great way to tell these stories. These photos can often give you the unique shots that will make your portfolio stand out from the crowd. They are everywhere to be seen, you just need to keep your eyes open to capture them.

Shoot a few great photos

One of the great things about photographing in parks is the sheer volume of subjects that you can capture. From flowers, trees, lakes and animals to statues, wildlife, bugs and even people, they all offer great opportunities for photos. Instead of trying to photograph everything do some research to try and find what that park is famous for. Then just focus on capturing that part of the park. You may not end up with as many photos, but the ones that you have will stand out much more. Remember it’s far better to have a selection of fantastic photos than a whole load of mediocre ones.

Don’t forget the details

Photography allows us to photograph and see the little things. Often these small details Are missed by the naked eye. So instead of always trying to capture the wide-angle views, step in closer and capture those small details that you notice from time to time. It could just be the beautiful bark of a tree or the leaves of a plant. Not only will these types of photos give you a variety for your portfolio, but they will also provide you with wonderful abstract images. So don’t be afraid to experiment by getting in closer. You never know, you might be surprised by the result.

A close-up photo of the shell of a turtle.

Take your time

As with any form of travel photography, often you have to be willing to be patient and wait for the right moment to capture your shot. So if you spot a scene where you think it could be improved or the light isn’t right either sit and wait. Or come back later in the day. The key is not to cram too much into your shot list for each day so that you enough sufficient “waiting” time.

Parks are a great place to practice any form of photography you are interested in. Most often they are easily accessible and with the plethora of subjects on offer to photograph, it means it is easy to hone your skills. Just do your research beforehand and if time permits even scout the park out. Just make sure you pay attention to the rules.

8 Reasons Why Your Local Park Is A Great Place For Photography