roving
n.n. a style of photography or reporting where you move around freely to find interesting subjects. It is often used to describe a way of working that is not planned in advance.
n. a style of photography or journalism characterized by spontaneous, unstructured exploration of a subject. Often used to describe a method of observation or documentation that lacks a fixed itinerary.
The photographer used a roving style to capture the city's hidden corners.
The journalist spent several weeks on a roving assignment, visiting different towns to report on local elections.
The documentary employs a roving perspective, following the subjects as they navigate the shifting landscape of their daily lives without a predetermined narrative arc.
From rove + -ing
From rove (“sliver of wool or cotton”), late 17th century, possibly from obsolete Middle English rove(n) (“to draw out, pull off”), itself a dialectal variant of rive (“to tear, split”).
See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.