Over the last few months, I have taken an interest in what I call ‘everyday’ landscape photography. To me, this involves taking photographs in my immediate landscape, wherever that may be.

It’s not a specific genre that I hear much about, and it’s hard to define. Some might call it ‘casual documentary photography’, others might just use the term ‘general photography’, but whatever the name, I believe that there are numerous benefits to doing this type of photography, both on a personal level and in terms of our photography.

Here are 5 benefits that come to mind for me. You might think of some more.

1.   Everyday landscape photography broadens your photography horizons

We can often allow ourselves to become pigeon-holed as photographers. When people ask what type of photography we do they usually expect an answer such as landscape, street, coastal, woodland, portrait, macro, etc. They are asking what type of photography we specialise in.

I have always had difficulty answering this question as I love to experiment with all kinds of genres and not specialise in any genre.

One of the main benefits of doing everyday landscape photography is that it spans all genres, and it can be done in all locations. It can involve wide vistas or intimate landscapes. It can include rural, urban, coastal or woodland landscapes. It can involve the natural environment or the built environment.

Everyday landscape photography gives us the opportunity to break out of self-imposed limits and broaden our photographic horizons.

2.   Everyday landscape photography improves your observation skills

Since I began to focus on everyday landscape photography, I have become more aware of my surroundings in all locations and become more connected to the subjects I photograph. I have begun to see photographic opportunities that I would previously have missed and come to realise that opportunities for photographs exist everywhere, and all kinds of subjects have the potential to become good images.

Since observation is key in photography, improvement in observation skills is a key benefit of everyday landscape photography. We become more acutely aware of small details, of ordinary things that have the potential to become extraordinary in a photograph, of simple subjects that are transformed by a good composition.

Everyday landscape photography helps us to look around and to see what others miss.

3.   Everyday landscape photography is a genre for all times and seasons

We often fall into the trap of believing that good photography is only possible during the golden hours, possibly extending to blue hour, but certainly to be avoided in the midday hours or in dull, flat weather conditions. And many believe that autumn, with its abundance of colour, is the optimal season for photography.

Not so with everyday landscape photography, as the purpose is to photograph everyday subjects in normal conditions. If the weather is dull and overcast, we want to convey this mood and atmosphere in our image.

Everyday landscapes do not always provide ideal conditions, but we can find ways to compromise and make the most of the conditions we do have.

By working in less-than-ideal conditions we get to make creative choices such as, should I include the sky to provide drama and mood to the scene or should I eliminate the sky if it is too bright and only serving to draw the viewer’s eye away from the main subject?

Everyday landscape photography gives us more scope for our photography and fewer excuses not to get out with our camera.

4.   Everyday landscape photography gives you an opportunity to improve your photography skills

One of the best ways to improve your photography is to take photos – often!

Everyday landscape photography gives us an opportunity to get out on a regular basis and gives us more opportunities to practise our photography skills.

We can use our time to experiment with different focal lengths, to work on depth of field and motion blur using aperture and shutter speed, to perfect our compositions and to really get to know all that our camera can do.

Getting out with our camera on a regular basis gives us an opportunity to seek out subjects that we like to photograph and experiment with how to represent these subjects in a photograph. We learn about our own taste and preferences, find out about our style and what we enjoy, and discover new directions in which to take our photography.

Since there is an abundance of subjects and potential images available, we have the freedom to experiment without undue expectations.

5.   Everyday landscape photography encourages you to get outdoors often

Research constantly reminds us of the benefits of spending time outdoors, particularly time in nature. Everyday landscape photography brings ample opportunities to get out with our camera and enjoy the benefits of the great outdoors. As we wander in our local environment, we can begin to de-stress and our problems seem smaller and more manageable. In quiet environments we can breathe fresh air and take time to be present in the moment. There is something very relaxing about strolling in nature, feeling no pressure to produce good images, having the freedom to create a photograph just because you want to.

There are many benefits to getting out with your camera in your local environment and just enjoying making photographs.

If you don't already do everyday landscape photography, why not give it a try?