Technical but not Creative?

BONUS PHOTO CHALLENGE | Can you nail those technical compositions we’ve been practicing, while also infusing your creative eye into the final image?

What do you do if you have good technical photography skills but lack creative skills?

These images are easy to pick out from the crowd. Technical photographers can tell you the tiny minutia of the camera (settings, lighting conditions, equipment speeds, etc) but their images often fail to tell the story about the scenes they capture. At the end of the day, photographers with good technical skills and underdeveloped creative skills feel like they are doing everything right, but don’t quite get the desired results. Even if you have technical strengths, the solution is exactly the same: systematic practice. When practicing, shoot from different angles or using techniques like the rule of thirds and symmetry, shoot in different lighting conditions. Look at the images, then go back and shoot some more, just like our photo prompts encourage you to do.

One of the key things a creative photographer has going for them, is often their attention to detail. By noticing distracting details, pops of color, a shift in composition, and a relationship with their subject, creatives have the upper hand in how their eye can process the minutiae.

Here are some things to look for to improve your creative eye:

• DETAIL | It goes without saying, but I’m going to say it anyway. Details are forever and always the most important thing to pay attention to. If you’re hired for work, you’re hired to document things that often matter to your client, and the details of their effort is vital. Beyond that, details help to bring a story together, they show observation, a sense of being present, and support the primary shot you were after.

• PASSION | Nothing will push you further than a passion for what you’re doing. It can be challenging and exhausting, but if your heart is in it, you’ll find a means to get where you want to go.

• INFUSE YOUR CREATIVITY | No matter what genre of photography you’re exploring, you can make it however you want. Just because the status quo shows product, branding, or portraits in a certain way, doesn’t mean you can’t niche down and follow what interests you.

• ASK QUESTIONS | Whether you literally ask others questions, or you take to looking up things online, or even asking yourself–always ask questions. I’m careful about who I ask and what I other photographers, but I search for any and all things online, and I’m always LOOKING first at a scene, then asking myself, “What do I see here?" before actually taking pictures.

• LATERAL THINKING | When you do what comes naturally to you (whether more creative or technical), you’re often thinking in ‘linear’ terms. Lateral and linear are two methods of thinking that use different sides of the brain. Thinking in a lateral way involves a more indirect, unobvious approach. You have to focus on the solution or goal you’re trying to achieve, then let your mind wander off in different directions until you get to the answer you need.

• PATIENCE & PERSISTENCE | It never fails that the primary means of getting better at anything, is to practice. Shoot everything, try new and different things, think through the technical things while infusing your creativity. Decide what you like best and build a brand around that. Then you just keep going, always learning and improving.

• EDITING | Learning to edit well and consistently takes time, of course. Just like having an ‘eye’ for shooting, you also need to have an eye for color, light, and creative adjustments as you edit your photographs.