Completely Uninspired

So I haven't shot in at least two months and I have no idea what to take pictures of. The last couple of times i have taken the camera out i have ended up with no keepers. I'm kind of a at a point where I can critique my pictures better than i can take them so i delete everything. So how do you guys keep shooting and finding good shots?

 

How long have you been shooting?

I have gone through something similar. I had to find something that inspired me. At the time it was the beach so I took a trip in the middle of winter to the beach and all I did was photograph. Three solid days. I just got lost in the photography.

You need to find what inspires you. What makes you want to shoot? Do you have a passion for a place or sport or activity? Find one of those and go shoot it, it should help you to get lost in the shooting and find your creative self again.

 

I just love photography. But if you're having "photographers-block" pick up a few photography magazines. They can be full of inspiration.

 

Take a walk through a local cemetery. The statues found in some can be quite thought provoking and beautiful. Also because most are white, they can provide quite a challenge for proper lighting. I recently went to a very large cemetery that had lots of large statues, some were more than 12 feet tall; getting unique angles plus fighting lots of sky [blue or overcast] or statues that were up in the trees made for a very interesting afternoon.

 

Just move the critique of your images from the computer to the viewfinder before you release the shutter.

It's hard to be productive if you don't have a plan or a shot list when you go out to shoot.

 

I totally agree with this. If you don't know what you want to shoot, you end up with a lot of snap-shot looking images and very few keepers. I tend to see a lot of images I want to take (especially now that I'm between cameras) when I'm either walking or driving around. I also like just walking around the city and shooting, but you do end up with a lot of bad photos. I definitely find that my favorite photos I've taken usually have a lot of thought behind them. It's also good to write down your ideas and maybe throw sketches together of the composition.

You can also find inspiration in other peoples images. Browse flickr, find what photos are really compelling, figure out why, then try and replicate it. You don't necessarily have to copy someone else, but if it allows you to actually get out and shoot.... then by all means, I'm sure nobody would be offended.

 

I tend to agree with the others on a couple of points. 1) looking at the work of others can be good for getting new ideas and 2) having nothing new to look at tends to exaggerate the problem rather than give your vision a break.

In the past, I got burned out when I was not doing anything that I wanted to do. I was just repeating what others had done because I though that it was what I should be doing. Only after I abandon that and began to explore my own ideas with no regard what so ever to what others might think of them did I really get back into photography.

Even now I have difficulty if I can't get to the places that I want to photograph (which is often), and that's when looking at the work of others really helps. It may sound contrary to what I posted above, but when I see what others have done it occasionally gives me an idea for a new way to approach something that I've been thinking about for a while but have not found the right way to approach.

This does not help me in the least, but some people seem to have good results when they try to follow set subject assignments. Try going to the local photo club web site to see where they are going or what they have chosen for subject matter. If it sounds interesting try going on one of their trips, or if you're like me and don't do a lot socially in this regard, try assigning yourself their subjects for the month. Like I said, this does nothing for me, but some people do find it helpful.

Regardless of what you do, don't not do. Get out and photograph whatever you think might be interesting. Then come back and browse what you've done. Before you dump everything and write it off as a loss, go through each and every image and think about it for a couple of minutes. Try to figure out what you don't like about it now. Think about what you thought would be interesting when you tripped the shutter. Think about what would make that interesting if you could go back and shoot it again.

Activity is the key here, at least for me. When I'm idle I'm stalled, but when I'm active, even if I don't get anything that I like, I'm still moving forward, even if the pace is slow

- Randy

 

i had this happen to me a while ago. but now that i'm in photography school, i'm forced to look at photography, and forced to be inspired, which is a good thing. above all, magazines, and just looking at online gallery's is a great way to find inspiration.

 

Been through it too, almost to the point of selling everything. Just dont force yourself. Dont try to make nice images out of nothing objects, even though some people have a knack for doing it. I take far less photos these days than 6 months ago because I wait til I find that nice scene or subject first. Taking photos of everything and getting bad results is only going to make things worse. Pick your battles behind the camera. I know practice makes perfect, but sometimes it can have an adverse effect. The desire will come back, and when it does, slow down, take your time.

 

You can take "effect" lenses, like ultra-wides or lenses with really large apertures and make interesting looking images out of nothing. It can actually be a crutch in my opinion, but can help you at least become more confident. It's a lot of fun, but certainly not a good way to fill up a portfolio with anything worthwhile.

In that sense, I agree with you. Overly forced work is always missing something.

 

i was seconds away from buying a fisheye or a macro but figured it would be fun for a month and then i would be out of subjects again

i want to take some really good photographs from my kit lens to prove to myself that i have some photographic and compostional skill, and then spend more money on gear and such

does that make sense?

 

Well I can pretty much find something to shoot, unless you are staying in your own neighborhood. Actually my fisheye has helped alot I forgot how much fun they are to shoot with. There are times I soot the same things I have shot before but at different times of the day and, during different conditions. Are you shooting one specific thing or are you trying different subjects? SHooting something you dont normally shoot is good too.