Explore your local neighborhood.

I’m in Santa Monica at a hospital I probably walk past twice a week. I’ve passed this place hundreds of times, but I usually stay on the same route.

This morning I decided to walk a little farther in.

I found this whole garden area I had never seen before. There are pathways, roses, trees, and a statue. All of this was sitting just a few hundred feet from a route I walk constantly.

That’s the power of photographing your local neighborhood.

You don’t always need to travel somewhere new to find something new. Sometimes you just need to walk another hundred feet, turn down a different street, or explore a place you normally pass without thinking about it.

I think photographing locally has been one of the most important things in helping me discover who I am as a photographer.

There’s no pressure to create something incredible. I’m not trying to justify a trip or come home with a great photograph.

I’m just walking around, paying attention, and documenting things I like.

And somehow, even after walking the same neighborhood hundreds of times, there’s always something I haven’t seen before.