On Finding Inspiration
PHOTO CHALLENGE | Look for light around you and see what looks different because of it and challenge yourself to find the beauty worth documenting. Consider moving around and taking several shots of a subject to challenge your perspective. Lastly, attempt to get a shot of you in the frame somehow.
See On Taking Self-Portraits for more inspiration.
With most of us still not venturing further than work and home these days, creativity and inspiration can be challenging to find, especially when nothing feels new or exciting. Here are a few tips to shake things up:
If that’s you at all, take this as a time to experiment with new techniques, practice editing, and find ways to push yourself outside of your comfort zone and routine. It’s all too easy to pick up your camera and do the same things you always do, but it’s time to see things differently. The best part is that if something doesn’t turn out, you can always try again.
Push yourself when it comes to the photo challenges. I know I’m quick to go out and just document a few quick things to check each task off my list. But if instead I dedicate time to walk around, to set things up, to look around, to try something new, I’m often rewarded with more than I set out for.
Find the light and let it inspire you. I don’t know what it is about natural light, but it can turn something ordinary into something truly beautiful. Turn off the lights in your home, or go for a walk outside, and seek out the light in your space. Watch how the light plays around you, and see if you can make an ordinary space or object stand out.
Change your perspective. As you go about your day, constantly challenge yourself to think through your perspective in order to create a more intriguing image. Can you move around, up, down, further back, move in close, get a unique angle? Think about how you can turn an ordinary scene into something that feels memorable, what does this space mean to me, what do I love about this? In the photos to the left, I wanted to document my favorite roses in bloom as well as be in the frame somehow.
Get in the frame. Whether it’s you or a family member, get someone in the frame. Showing “signs of life” is key in photography, whether its a person or a plant or a cup of coffee left in the scene, you want to show that there was something there that represents life.