Suburban Photography

Working full-time with a family makes it hard to get away to interesting locations for photography practice. So, what is time-crunched learner to do?

Well, my answer was to make use of what’s around me, namely, my neighborhood.

But let’s be honest, the average suburban neighborhood is one of the most uninspiring places on earth. In mine, there are exactly three models of homes. So, as you walk down the street you see House #1, House #2, and House #3, followed by House #1 again. And of course, I also live in a community with an HOA. If you’ve ever lived in an HOA neighborhood, then you know that “distinctive” and “interesting” are concepts generally frowned upon. All of that to say, there’s not a lot of interest to photograph.

But, there is one mode of creative expression available to neighborhood homeowners that even the strictest HOAs usually allow…Lawn Sculpture.

So, camera in hand, baby in stroller, I set out on my daily walks with the goal of photographing the various lawn ornaments I came across. I decided that for this project, a black and white film look would be best. I switched between a Fujifilm JPEG simulation designed to emulate Tri-X 400 film, and a personal preset I made in Lightroom for edits. Here are my results so far.

First up is this happy turtle holding up his flower. I'm using the Viltrox 75mm f1.2 on my X-H2.

Followed by a majestic elephant hidden under a bush.

These two siblings sheltering under an umbrella caught my eye in the early morning. Their position is precarious however. Someone should really re-center that fountain!

This young couple was much more secure in their placement.

Finally, hidden behind a brick wall was this Angelic harpist. Her rabbit friends seem to be enjoying whatever song she's playing.

I’ll probably continue this project in the future, as it gives me something to keep my mind occupied on my daily walk. Plus, it encourages me to explore parts of my neighborhood that I haven’t seen before as I hunt for more sculpture.

How about you? What do you photograph when you can’t get out and about? I’m always looking for new ideas!