Five or six years ago, I embarked on a series of what I would call "epic" photography trips to very famous photography destinations around the world. I remember lying in bed the night before each adventure, absolutely buzzing with anticipation. ‘‘I'm going to capture hundreds upon hundreds of incredible images! I'll have content to share for months, and then, when funds allow, I'll book another amazing trip.’’

My reasoning for this mainly came down to feeling like I had to compete with photographers on instagram, they were flying all over the place, sharing photos from other worldly locations, and gaining immense traction because of it. Looking back, the way this mindset hindered my photographic progress is now glaringly obvious. Firstly, the reality was that I wasn’t rich and also held a full-time job that kept me rooted at home. It wasn't as though I was a globetrotting photographer with endless time and money to dedicate to my craft.

Instead, I pinned all my hopes on two or three short but "significant" trips each year, thinking they would be enough to catapult me up the social media ranks and help grow a catalogue of stunning images. Consequently, I began to lose interest in photographing my local surroundings, despite already residing in one of the most picturesque regions of the UK with beaches, forests and pretty towns all around me.

I certainly wasn't at the skill level where not going out with my camera at home for 6 months, while I planned and waited for my next trip to roll around was productive. I wasn’t practicing enough, plain and simple. So, I’d head off on these trips with huge expectations only to be met with disappointment. It didn’t matter how grand the location, my photos still lacked vision.

For one particular trip I even specifically invested in a drone as another believe it would help me get better photos, which brings me to my point: we cannot simply buy good photographs. Journeys to far-flung corners of the globe do not guarantee top tier images, just as upgrading our camera doesn't instantly give us 10x the skills to capture them.

The notion that better gear equates to better photos is, I believe, fairly well-established now. But let me focus on the travel aspect for a moment. I'm sure most of us have a desire to explore and photograph new and exciting locations regularly. There's absolutely no shame in that; I certainly do! However, we cannot rely on booking a trip to solve issues with our photography or a lack of fundamental skill.

I recently came across a comment on a photography video filmed in Japan. It went something like, "Man, I wish I lived in Japan; I can't even do photography to my full potential at home." My immediate thought was, if you're not achieving the results you desire in your own familiar surroundings – the place you know best and which arguably offers you an advantage – what makes you think a trip or relocating to Japan will magically transform your photography and solve all your problems?

That’s easy for me to say now, knowing what I know. But flashing back to those trips I booked in a desperate attempt to ‘level up’ - I can understand how easy it is to get trapped in that negative space, without even realising it’s counter productive.

There are crucial elements to photography that no amount of money can directly buy. Consider the development of your photographic eye, this isn't a piece of equipment we can add to our basket; it's cultivated over time through observation, experimentation, and a deep understanding of what we even want to achieve with our photos.

We can’t purchase the ability to flush out, develop and execute a photography project with history and meaning behind the body of work. We can’t order photographic problem solving skills on Amazon to prepare us for all situations, and we certainly cant buy our own voice. That’s not to say you can’t develop all those things while travelling the world, but very few photographers are actively travelling around the world day in, day out.

We can be present in the most breathtaking location with the most expensive camera, but without the ability to see a compelling image, to frame a scene effectively, or to spot and capture a fleeting moment, the resulting photograph will likely fall flat. This skill takes countless hours spent behind the lens and if we fail to put the time in while at home, in our local area, then the chances of progression being slow is very high.

The emotional connection we forge with our subjects is also worth mentioning, whether it's a landscape, a portrait, or a street scene, the connection to the photo is utterly invaluable and entirely un purchasable. The reason I have travelled little and shot more than ever in recent years is down to how connected I am to photographing the ruins on my doorstep, the people of the coastline round the corner.

Again, there is absolutely nothing wrong with travelling, upgrading our gear because we can or fancy it, is also not a problem. But the fact of the matter is, while the pull of a new over seas destination or the promise of better equipment can be exciting, the development of your vision is the only way to guarantee we keep improving, and it’s free, we can do it anywhere.

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