Familiar locations - a photographers challenge

With so many varied landscapes in the British Isles why would anyone choose to continually photograph in a very familair location? Does familiarity breed contempt or is there a real advantage to knowing an area like the back of your hand?

For the last two years I have been making a photographic study of a one mile stretch of the River Deben in Suffolk. It is an area that I explore on a daily basis and one which I have come to know really well. I am familiar with every twist and turn in the river, with every tree and natural feature and with the way in which the area is used by wildlife and humans. I believe that the familiarity that I have with the location and the knowledge that I have gained about the varous habitats has really helped my photography.


In the two years that I have been photographing this short stretch of the Deben I have tried to create as many different images as I can. Using the seasons, time of day and changes in the weather I now have a portfolio of images which I hope give an insight into a truely beautiful place.



Ramsholt Moorings



Sunset over the River Deben
  

 

Ramsholt Quay

 All three images above were taken within 100meters of each other but during different seasons and I hope they illustrate the range of different images that a familiar location can produce.
More of my images from this project can be found in the June edition of Digital Photography enthusiast magazine http://www.digpe.com/