Creativity Block

[LarissaPhotography]

What are some practical ways you guys usually bring back the creativity when you feel like you can't think of anything to do except the same exact pose / design / layout that you've done a hundred times before?

 

[JerryPH]

- Visit flickr... tens of thousands of pictures there.

- Visit a museum and look at old oil paintings

- Visit the websites of other professional photographers in my field of interest

- Visit the websites of other professional photographers outisde my field of interest

- Take a break from it all and come back later once doing something else for a while

 

[freeflydive]

Go on a vacation (local or far)! Always forces me to dust off my camera when I'm in need of a muse!

 

[bhop]

I don't shoot the same exact pose/layouts.. I just walk around the streets and shoot whatever I think is interesting at the time, so I guess that keeps me from getting bored.

 

[Overread]

I think Jerry listed most of the options - the only one i would add is to get a new lens with a different appliaction ot what you currently have. Maybe get a macro lens and play with macro; or a dedicated widerangle lens for some landscapes (or interesting closeups); maybe a set of teleconverters or a decent macro filter?

try new and different things - or go somewhere new.

 

[abraxas]

What are some practical ways you guys usually bring back the creativity when you feel like you can't think of anything to do except the same exact pose / design / layout that you've done a hundred times before?

Is there an elephant in the room here? Let's bust it out. Smoke a joint.

 

[Joves]

Maybe go out and shoot something you normally dont.

 

[Atlas77]

The best thing i can say is chill out! Theres no rush to do anything amazing. think about your shots and how you could change them, try different angles you've never thought of before. And do stuff you just havent thought of as a photographer. Think about how many things there are in this world. theres never ever nothing to shoot.

 

[JerryPH]

Maybe go out and shoot something you normally dont.

Yeah, but my girlfriend would shoot me if I started taking pics of naked women in public places?

Ok, after much thought, it would hurt, but I could be inspired!

 

[jlykins]

Yeah, but my girlfriend would shoot me if I started taking pics of naked women in public places?

Ok, after much thought, it would hurt, but I could be inspired!

Sounds like you need a new girlfriend... :lmao:

I go to the Art museum, or Flickr

 

[Lu_myself]

make a big mess in your kitchen and start snapping away...

go to a crazy house party, and bring accsesive amounts a alcohol and once everyones passed out..start snapping away..

go to like starbucks and drink a wicked amout of coffee and red bull, once your body starts to crash your mind will kick into depression mode and once you feel in ****...start snapping away

one of those should work lol

 

[ksmattfish]

- Visit a museum...

That's one of my favorites.

Last night I attended a lecture given by an art museum photography curator. It was "The Aura of Object: the value of art in the age of mechanical reproduction". It stoked my fires.

 

[Overread]

make a big mess in your kitchen and start snapping away...

go to a crazy house party, and bring accsesive amounts a alcohol and once everyones passed out..start snapping away..

go to like starbucks and drink a wicked amout of coffee and red bull, once your body starts to crash your mind will kick into depression mode and once you feel in ****...start snapping away

one of those should work lol

with the latter two it might be an idea to also experiment with a cheap disposable camera too (face it in the last one you won't know you shutter speed from your ISO! ).
for the first - make sure you eat first - otherwise what you eat after the big mess might not agree with your stomach

 

[Big Bully]

Yeah, but my girlfriend would shoot me if I started taking pics of naked women in public places?

Ok, after much thought, it would hurt, but I could be inspired!

:lmao::lmao:Yeah Jerry, some of the guys on the forum would be beating down your door to see those photos too!! :lmao:

Try going to the assignment threads section. It might help.

 

[AlexColeman]

I started taking pics of naked women in public places!

Ok, after much thought, I am going to post them in their own thread!

That would get some inspiration!:lmao: Have you tried shooting something you usually don't? Also, I usually take a song, poem or chapter from a book, and photograph my impressions of it, trying to tie it all together to make a reinterpretation of the media.