Creative ideas?

cherrymoose · Jan 31, 2007

Okay. So.
I live in a suburban area of Berkeley, California.
And it can get very, very, boring.
Being only 14, I don't often have my own free time to wander the streets of Berkeley, as much as I would like to.
I've been obsessed with photography for a year. But finally, it seems like there's nothing else to take pictures of. I've done flowers, and trees, and street signs, and millions of objects inside my house, but lately whenever I find the urge to photograph something, I find that I've done it at least 3 times before. I also only have one brother, who does not enjoy portraits, and neither do my friends, so also always find the urge to take photos of people.

So.... does anyone have a list of good, cool looking, ideas [inside/outside] for photography?

Thanks.

mysteryscribe · Jan 31, 2007

I wouldn't recognize a cool idea if I fell over it. Sorry I can't help.

tr0gd0o0r · Feb 1, 2007

I've ran across this problem myself a while back, though it could arguably be because I am interested in photojournalism, and "artsy" photography doesn't interest me as a photographer (i do enjoy viewing it). One suggestion I would make to help this would be to start a project and set some goals. For example, pick something you really enjoy visually and do a series on it. Spend a lot of time setting things up, and controlling lighting and stuff like that.

cal_gundert05 · Feb 1, 2007

Off the top of my head...

I can think of 3 things that let you take different photos:
subject, equipment, and technique.

The subject is probably the most obvious thing to change in order to get different pics. But as you said, you've taken photos of just about everything you can get your lens on. So let's move on...

Different equipment often yields different results. One type of equipment is lenses. There are fisheye, wide-angle and macro (and maybe more) lenses in addition to "standard" lenses. Different types of lenses are usually associated with different subjects, but I see no reason why, for example, you can't take a portrait with a fisheye lens (as woodsac has recently done). Equipment goes beyond lenses, too. For an interesting look, try shooting things through a magnifying glass or something else (preferably transparent :mrgreen: ).

"Technique" may not be the right word for what I'm going to describe, but oh well. You can change aperture to get a different DOF, shutter speed to freeze or show movement. For instance, try to make an inanimate object look like it's moving (is that even possible...I don't know). Mess around with how you frame a subject and the angle from which you shoot from. You can shoot in color and black & white. You can make a pinhole camera if you want.

I guess my point is that everything is worthy of a photograph, but there's no right way to take that photo. If you let go of these ideas of what and how something "should" be photographed, there isn't enough time in the world to let you photograph everything. That's why this hobby of ours still exists after a century, and will exist long after we're gone.

Good luck.

cal_gundert05 · Feb 1, 2007

Oh yeah, one more thing under technique. Lighting. Not only are there different types of lighting configurations, but most lights have a different color temperature, giving a different feel to the shot. One fun project would be to go into a dark room in your house with a flashlight, and (without using your camera's flash) use it to light your subjects.

I think ^^^ was my longest post in this forum. :mrgreen:

cherrymoose · Feb 1, 2007

Thanks so much. I will be taking all your suggestions into consideration [except, of course, the one with the lenses, seeing as I am a poor kid and can't even afford anything but a old compact digital camera (oh! and that awesome toy camera you suggested to me that came today...:mrgreen: )].

I'm definitely going to be trying those different lighting techniques, since I always have trouble with lighting.

For instance, try to make an inanimate object look like it's moving (is that even possible...I don't know).

Mmm, I've done it. After all, nearly anything's possible with photography.

And framing. I love framing stuff in different ways, as well with a pinhole camera.

Also, I adore black and white already, so it won't be a problem doing that.

I'll try this stuff out tommorow, then!

Haha, this is also my longest post ever.

Oh. And thanks!

craig · Feb 1, 2007

Again. Having a project or theme and exploring it helps. Like you said anything is possible... Creativity and all that happy stuff comes from inside. Dig deep and enjoy.

Jazz · Feb 1, 2007

I agree with Craig. Einstein said "Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life's coming attractions."

My suggestion is to feed your imagination, and daydream about what comes out. The answer will come.

Let's see, you said you like b&w. Know any old folks who you care about, or who care about you? I'll bet, if you ask in a clever manner, they'll say yes to a b&w portrait, and might even be flattered. If you practice some, by the time you're 18, people will be coming to you asking for portraits. Things change. Good luck. :thumbup:

cherrymoose · Feb 1, 2007

Thanks for the suggestions.

Let's see, you said you like b&w. Know any old folks who you care about, or who care about you? I'll bet, if you ask in a clever manner, they'll say yes to a b&w portrait, and might even be flattered. If you practice some, by the time you're 18, people will be coming to you asking for portraits. Things change. Good luck. :thumbup:

Sadly, I don't. I'm very short on people willing to have photos taken of them.

Mike_E · Feb 1, 2007

Hi there, you show a lot of talent. I find that when I have run low on inspiration I can recharge by looking at the works of other people - and the better they are the better the inspiration.

There are a lot of Great painters whose work you can see on the net. If you can get to a museum and see the paintings and sculptures in person you can even see how the light effects the art work. How the brush strokes pick up the light coming from different angles to highlight different parts of the work and to even make it look different at different times of the day.

Sculptures are good for studying the light in a 3D way, how it wraps around a body or makes a new angle in something more abstract to show hidden relationships.

Follow the light and you will always be warm. :wink:

mike

Jeremy Z · Feb 1, 2007

Hi cherry,

What times of day are you shooting? I assume you're shooting in the afternoon & evening mostly?

Try getting up at dawn. Things look different then.

Go someplace. Take a bike ride somewhere different, at those magical times of day.

cherrymoose · Feb 2, 2007

Hi there, you show a lot of talent. I find that when I have run low on inspiration I can recharge by looking at the works of other people - and the better they are the better the inspiration.

Haha, thanks....? :mrgreen:

Hi cherry,

What times of day are you shooting? I assume you're shooting in the afternoon & evening mostly?

Try getting up at dawn. Things look different then.

Go someplace. Take a bike ride somewhere different, at those magical times of day.

Yeah, I'm shooting mostly in the afternoon, from 4:00 PM-5:30 PM.
I would get up at dawn, but lets just say I'm not entirely a morning person. :lol:

But thanks for that idea-- I love riding my bike, so I think I might. Even a new neighboorhood would have different, unique things. Thank you!

Oh, and everyone can call me Emma.

(Ghastly) Krueger · Feb 2, 2007

Hi Emma,

Couple of suggestions: find about local events like sports meets or fairs. I've found people love havin their pics taken while competing.

Antoher (this comes from another member, but unfortunatelly I forgto whom): Pick a dictionary and select a random word. Try to get a pic related / inspired / signifying that word.

Jeremy Z · Feb 2, 2007

Emma, (does that mean we're your homies now?) regarding getting up at dawn, here's how a rational person does it.

For me, it is no sweat, because I'm up while it's still dark every day of the week for work. For others, especially photographer types, we know that the golden hours are around dawn & dusk. So get up before dawn and get up there. I know it's hard, but it is worth it. This is good on weekends. Then go out and shoot until the light turns to crap. Then, come home and take a 3 hour nap in the middle of the day, and wake up in time for the next golden hour!

Mike_E · Feb 2, 2007

Emma,

When you go out shooting, may I suggest that you start right away on getting organized?

First make sure you have what you will need and haven't left any thing. -camera, batteries, lens brush, extra memory if you think you might need it, water and energy bars if you might be gone that long and whether you are going to hike the Grand Tetons or even if you are just going to the next neighborhood over Always tell some one where you are going and when you expect to get back. Cameras are valuable and you never know when some one is going to want yours badly enough to knock you out for it (I am NOT trying to scare you but I am hoping that you will be cautious. You should be a Great photographer, If you pay attention to the details.)

Any way, have fun and check out some of the photo journalism sites because there are usually 3 or 4 stories in every face you see.

mike