The exotic photo location maybe in your backyard

The Roswell Presbyterian Church Youth take the Child Development Association kids for a day of fun at the Chattahooche Nature Center located in Roswell, GA.

This year Roswell Presbyterian Church in Roswell, GA is doing a mission project locally with their youth.  They are calling it The Well.  The high school youth are staying in town and working with the local mission partners.

There seems to be a theme I am picking up with my friends also this year about doing things in our own backyards.  Here is my friend Gary Chapman's blog post about his coverage of a mission group here in Atlanta. 

What I was really enjoying about this missions project is it is all about being someone's friend. I think the one thing many folks forget about in missions is it isn't about our building buildings and digging wells--it is that we are doing these things to have a relationship with people.

The best part about shooting something like this mission trip that I did with my church locally is the investment you put into this project doesn't have to be a one time event.  You live near these people and can go back and maybe even develop a larger package.

The best part for those doing something local is you get to build on a relationship.  Each person you get to know can be someone you might just develop a lifetime friendship with and you don't have to wait till you travel again overseas to see them again.

I just love this moment with the small girl and the older teenager.  What do you see when you look at this photo?  Write me a comment below and let me know.

She is letting the little boy know where she lives and he is telling her where he lives on the map of the Roswell area.

I love taking walks in the woods.  Here I think the canopy of the trees is like a cocoon.  The teenagers are bonding with the toddlers and together they are having fun.

I want to encourage you to find something near you that you can go and photograph this summer.  Some of the best opportunities are in your backyard.  Can you tell me some of your projects that you are doing in your community?  Post your ideas below, you may just inspire all of us to do something we haven't thought of before.

Stop shooting from standing height only to improve your photos

Getting low not only gave a different perspective, but let me tie the people in the foreground to the signage in the background to help give context to what is going on with them.

Most of us all take pictures from standing height. It's convenient more than any other reason.

So few people vary their shooting position relative to subjects, so that when you do your photos have stopping power. There are basically 2 approaches that I recommend trying every time you photograph a subject: 1) bird's eye view and 2) worm's eye view.

I put the camera on the floor for this photo.  This takes some practice to be able to shoot this low and compose.  I have worked on this and can see what I am getting without always looking through the viewfinder.

Get as low as you can and shoot up to the subject. This is called the worm's eye view for obvious reason.

At almost every Chick-fil-A grand opening, the first 100 customers arrive 24 hours and camp out to get Chick-fil-A for a year for free.

Get up above the subject to help give us the overall perspective. This is called the bird's eye view.

To get the birds eye view I rented this crane for me to go up above.  I like using helicopters for this, but the helicopter would have created such a down draft of wind on all those tents it just wasn't worth risking it.

When you get low and high also vary the lens you choose. Shoot a wide, standard and tight shot from each perspective of low and high.

If you do this regularly you will find that as you explore the subject you may discover the unique angle not only has stopping power, but also may give you a decisive moment and perspective that tells the whole story in one photo.

Remember if a subject made you stop and take a 2nd look with your camera it most likely stop other folks as well—if you work at it to find the most interesting perspective.

Photos used by permission of Chick-fil-A