Lack of Inspiration

[onesaint]

Originally Posted by josealb

Hi,
I've been taking shots for about a month since I first got my D40 and I'm starting to find my pictures boring. It probably has to do with the fact that i've lastly had a lot of work to do so I couldn't dedicate much time to photography but it im running out of ideas of subjects to photograph in my sorroundings...

I get the same way. my trick is to follow the advice of geotography, study technical (about your camera or composition) then i get a bit inspired. But, i need a subject (other than my wife and kids).

so then the next step. follow what laepelba says. go out and shoot assignments. looks for a certain subject (trees or doors). then shoot it. make it a week of only shooting that thing or the next 2 times you get to just go out and shoot. it will make you think more in the "i am looking for good shots," then you will start looking at everything like its a picture.

after that the cycle starts all over...

[junesix]

Third the idea of giving yourself assignments. Pick a color or a number and for a month, take your camera everywhere and anytime you see a large block of that color or you see three of something (if you picked 3), take a picture of it. Go for variety. Don't worry too much about the settings on your camera. Just pop off a few shots from different angles and have fun. Resist the urge to download them to your computer - keep them on your card and look at them from time to time. Don't be afraid to self-edit but try to fill your card. I noticed many of your shots are wide-angle. Try the opposite: get in close and take shots of the same subject with most of it out of frame.

I thought your "Breaking the Ice" pictures were great. Make a series out of it and look for things that have cracks in them - sidewalks, walls, glass, worn leather - or things with a similar random spirals pattern - spider webs and lace.

You seem to like the night trail shots. What about doing the same thing but in a slightly more trafficked area where people might start and stop like at an intersection. You should get a nice effect with some "ghosts" where people stand still for a few seconds. Or places where people smoke should produce interesting spots of light.

Since my iPhone has a camera, I've started taking daily photos with it. Since it's just a wimpy camera with no settings, it's been fun and challenging trying to compose a quality photo. I've found that imposing limitations can generate really interesting results.

[Major_Small]

Assignments are good, but for true inspiration I generally look at other artists or art forms, or even sometimes dreams. For example, my latest project idea is actually a bit of a surreal or fantastic image, sorta like something Jerry Uelsmann might have done. I've always loved his work, and this will give me a chance to experiment and play, will help me expand my PP abilities, and drive me to shoot several different things, some of which I've never attempted before.