Everyone hits a point in their photographic life where you can start to feel like you’re stuck on a complete plateau. Everything you take feels the same and you can’t seem to find inspiration anywhere.
It's a frustrating creative block, but it’s not as hard as you think to motivate yourself through it. Here are a few things that you can try:
Start a project
There are so many projects online varying from week-long photographic quests to year-long missions. These can be a great way of presenting you with unusual subjects and making you think outside the box. A project can also help you to develop a routine for shooting and bring it into your every-day life.
Join a club
There are so many opportunities to join photographic communities, be it in person or online. They can offer a great platform for you to meet new people, try different techniques or go interesting places. This environment is great for you to think critically about your own work, and give feedback on others’ work, too. Hearing other photographers’ constructive advice about your images can offer you a wealth of new opportunities for seeing things from an alternative point of view.
Take a trip
With anything, a change of scenery can be refreshing – photography’s no exception. Doing this can offer you a new situation with a completely fresh outlook, coupled with the excitement that travel always brings. It’ll offer a world of different culture for you to capture and, you’ll also appreciate the small details that can be overlooked when you’re accustomed to a place.
Try a new subject
Much like a location becoming stagnant, it’s easy to feel like your subject can get stagnant too. If you’re a landscape photographer, try shooting a series of portraits, and vice versa. You can also try to capture things that you wouldn’t usually, like if you do a hobby, take your camera along and shoot it. You can get stuck shooting the same thing over and over, or editing something in the same way every time – make a conscious decision to try things you’ve never done before.
Explore new forms
For me, when I feel like I’m stuck in a rut, I always dig out my old Canon AE-1 and shoot film for a while. Film feels like a completely different art and can stop you feeling like you’re working and more like you’re playing again. Completely changing how you shoot can offer a whole different experience, and alter the way you think about taking your images.
Use some new gear
There’s nothing more exciting than unboxing a new piece of kit that you just can’t wait to get out and use. Treating yourself to some new gear can spark your lost enthusiasm for shooting, and it can allow you to try out some alternative techniques with what you’ve bought.
Shoot memories not great shots.
It’s easy to get caught up on always getting the perfect shot – we all strive to capture the most photographically perfect image possible, but sometimes this can really attribute to our rut. Photography is a means of recording, so take a step back, and only capture memories for a while. Use your camera at home, or at a party and shoot images of family and friends that you’ll look back on in years and laugh or smile, rather than getting held up on minor details and technicalities of your photos.
Remind yourself why you do it
Once upon a time you were motivated to pick up a camera and start shooting for the first time - getting back into it will never be as hard as that again. Think back to why - why do you do this? Why did you start? What do I achieve by this? How does it benefit my life?
Taking your mind back to the purpose of why you started shooting, can often be a great way to make you want to start again.
. digitalrev.com2017-5-15 03:00
