A problem that affects both the novice and the professional when it comes to photography is the simple task of establishing new and interesting ideas for photographs. Much like the aspiring writers ongoing struggle with writers block, even the most talented photographers run out of ideas now and then. Though the world an interesting place in the minds of many, a grey street full of traffic and rain, may make you think otherwise and wonder is there to photograph that has not already been witnessed by somebody else’s lenses. The facts however are that that street need not be the one you live on and if it is, you are bound by no law to photograph it as it stands. I have had the most success with simple means of inspiring myself when inspiration appears lost completely. I will now outline them for you.
Travel
Whether this be the grand scale of continent hopping or simply an excursion to a near by destination that you have not frequented recently, few things can possibly spark more inspiration in a photographer than finding themselves in surroundings that they have not experienced before. Though the simple act of travel and seeing new things means that you will have new things to photograph, it is not just the environment that changes when we travel but ourselves. One of the enemies of the photographer is the fact humans are essentially programmed to block out or at least barely notice what it is that we are overly exposed to. You may find yourself coming up with innovative means of taking new photographs of things that are also in your home town but that you just didn’t see in your home town. Travel opens your eyes.
Alter Your Environment
One of the key things to remember about photography is that though we are constrained to what is within our environment, we are by no means forbidden from altering it. Though for many props are a simple and minor element used to enhance existing photograph ideas or help a subject feel more comfortable, for others props are the photographs themselves. Your environment if looked at correctly can be little more than a canvas and you are free to add to it and subtract as you see fit. An ordinary scene with a single object that is completely out of place will radically change a potential photograph to the point that it is capable of transforming the mediocre to the unforgettable.
Learn the Difference between Plagiarism and Inspiration
Many witness spectacular photograph ideas and there first thought is that they wished that they had thought of it. There are few phrases other than I’m not going outside that could limit your photography abilities and the size of your portfolio more. Just because somebody thought of something before you that does not mean that you can not improve upon it or offer your own personal twist on it. Had inventors and entrepreneurs had the same point of view, the state of our cars and computers and our very lives would be very much different. Research online, find the most beautiful photographs that you can and put your own spin upon them.
In closing I would simply like to say that all that has been said is but pure theory. Though the outlined methods are more than capable of driving trucks through any current inspiration blocks you are experiencing, without actually being exercised they are just words on a page. Inspiration cannot be found in these words alone, they must be combined with a camera and an open mind. You need to find your photographs yourself.
