Local Guides Spotlight is a Connect series that celebrates members of our community who are making a positive impact.
Local Guide Arthurious is a designer and photographer based in New York City, but mostly, he enjoys hitting the road less-traveled. **“**I love walking around a new neighborhood or town and meeting local makers and people who create new culture,” he told us. “A sense of discovery is my drug.”
On both Google Maps and on his blog, Arthurious shares his experiences exploring different neighborhoods in the U.S. and the photos he takes there.
“When I started traveling more, I realized that each town and neighborhood is different from one another. There’s a sense of local visual culture that you’ll hardly read about in travel guides: everything from the size of windows, to the shape of doors, sidewalk textures, the typefaces that local shop owners use for signs—all of these define what we feel about the place,” he said. “Why do some neighborhoods feel warm and welcoming while others don’t? A big part of is defined by the visual culture of that place.”
Learn more about Arthurious and his passion for photographing places in our interview with him below.
What are some things you look for when you explore a new city?
Not every city is the same and it would be unrealistic to expect as many design hotels in Cleveland as there are in New York City. But there are three cultural markers I look for when I first arrive to a new place. First, it’s coffee culture—the fastest way to make me feel at home is with a good shot of espresso (a hard thing to do even in most of New York City). Then, it’s bookshops: a vital cultural hub and the best place to meet local bohemians. Finally, I would want to know where the local cultured class gathers: workshops and maker spaces, co-working spaces, art factories or underground music venues. If none of the above is present, I start plotting my next destination pretty soon.
Tell us about one of your favorite places. What makes it special?
There’s a tiny bookstore with a bar and cafe in Brooklyn called Molasses Books. It feels like a set from a Woody Allen movie—a perfect place to spend a whole evening mixing drinks and culture.
How and when did you first become interested in photography?
Sometime in my teenage years when I started traveling around, I realized that I couldn’t remember the name of a new coffee shop I had discovered. I started taking photos the way others use their notebooks—to document what I see and to help me understand the world.
What are some of your favorite things to take photos of and why?
I enjoy capturing the everyday details—on the street, the architecture, at my home. There’s something intellectually stimulating and inspiring in creating the story line on-the-go and trying to isolate and celebrate details that are otherwise overlooked.
I also love to photograph creative process: to see a craftsman at work, using their skills to do something they are good at. I can’t think of a more beautiful scene than a furniture maker or an illustrator at work.
When did you join Local Guides? What inspired you to sign up?
I joined a few years ago to track and document my travels and places I discover. Since then it’s become absolutely vital in my work and its integration with Google Maps is very helpful.
How do you hope your contributions on Google Maps will make a positive impact for others who see them?
I hope that my photographs allow people to better understand a place or a venue they are trying to visit. I know how crucial it is for example to understand the “vibe” of a coffee shop through photographs. Some coffee shops are great to meet friends while some are a perfect spot for a quiet afternoon spent reading. A photograph should be able to convey these nuances.
What advice do you have for people who hope to improve their photography skills?
Photography is a communication skill and, much like all other communications skills, it gets better with practice and analysis. Beyond technical skills, it’s also about play and wander: think of your eye as a lens, not your camera. Give yourself tiny exercises: for example, to look for and photograph a specific object all around town.
You share tons of amazing photos on Maps, but I particularly love your interior shots of shops around the city. Do you have any advice for effectively capturing what makes a store special?
A good store tells a story so the goal is to capture the story of the space. Sometimes a wide-shot tells the full story but sometimes you need to spend time and walk around to focus on the exact angle that conveys the story line. Unconventional details help to build up the picture: whether it’s a handmade signage, a unique piece of furniture, or the store’s branded shipping bag.
What do you wish other people knew about photography?
It’s your eye that’s taking the photograph, not the camera.
Do you have any tips for finding your niche as a photographer?
Don’t wait for inspiration. Get out there and shoot, shoot, shoot—one subject a day. Eventually, you may become the world’s most admired photographer of door knobs.
What places do you seek out when you visit a new neighborhood? Tell us in the comments below!
