It’s that time of year; we are burnt out, uninspired, feel like we are lacking that magical creative spark or plain old feeling stuck. With New Year resolutions around the corner don’t feel as though you didn’t accomplish anything this year because you did! Perhaps you learned to shoot in manual, worked with off camera flash, shot your first wedding, took more detailed photos, took more photos of your kids (or pets), nailed your macro shots… this list could go on forever but regardless it was a great year even if you didn’t meet your desired bookings/income you grew in knowledge somewhere. Don’t beat yourself up about the things you feel are missing or frustration from not knowing how to do something, it happens to all creatives.
Below are my ideas for refueling that creative spark:
- Read. I’m a bookworm but perhaps you like to read blogs… find blogs that inspire you (not ones that will make you feel down about not doing that perfect styled shoot) maybe there is a blog that is not even about photography that you enjoy. There are a lot of great books out there aimed to creatives that I have found incredibly helpful; my favorite is currently “Big Magic Creative Living Beyond Fear” by Elizabeth Gilbert. For a great inspirational read I am currently reading “The Happiness of Pursuit” by Chris Guillebeau and so far I love it!
- Challenge yourself to go off the beaten path and photograph things you normally wouldn’t. A few examples: patterns, shades of a color, architecture, macro images of things, times of day, silhouettes, night photos, details of your lifestyle (your desk, food, etc). Make a daily routine you want to start and photograph the details of it… blog it with your progress/struggles.
- Go out for a walk. This is my favorite. I went to a new location for a hike with only my phone and a notebook I saw so many images in my mind that could be done there and that’s precisely what I did. I took shots with my phone and then went home and made my shot list with all the gorgeous spots (almost an itinerary if you will) then when I had an amazing couple to work with I went there and it was my best shoot to date. Sometimes we need to see things without our lens to really gain an appreciation for it.
- Go on a road trip/vacation and document it. Write a journal, do a photo journal… be a tourist! Nothing wrong with taking photos of your food… do enough of it and you will gain a new perspective for your attention to details. Or don’t bring the camera just leave it and bring a good bunch of books. It’s good to let your mind unwind with all the thousands of thoughts that go through it in a day.
- Watch a movie… here’s the dorky part I do though. I study the lighting in scenes, the body language, and I can’t help but drool over every amazingly shot golden hour scene. What style relates to your work, what inspires you.
- People watch… not in a judgemental way but in an intriguing way. For example; sit in a Starbucks and see how many people order an Americano vs a really long list of drink ingredients, how many are dressed in suits vs athletic wear or maybe a different idea of observing people. Sounds weird but maybe you will come up with some new shoot idea or at the very least maybe your observation will make a blog post when you have nothing else to blog about.
- Bake or cook and take photos of the ingredients and outcome.. be sure to take 5 different angles of each photo or an angle you have not taken before. Or if you are like me and aren’t the greatest at either go out to a local little café sit by a window and have a little photoshoot with your food and details of the presentation.
- Be open to the things you fear and get out of your comfort zone. If nighttime photography scares you… go outside for a fun shoot with a friend (just don’t waste a paying clients time on something you aren’t confident in yet).
Regardless of which you choose it is always a great idea to keep a notebook on hand (I keep one in my car at all times) because you really never know when a great idea will come to you and you want to be able to trace back to that inspirational moment and really go with it! Sometimes taking a new perspective is really all it takes to get those ideas flowing! I hope you found at least one way you can get back on track and fall in love all over again with your photography.
Thank you for posting this!