Begineer can't find the inspiration to go out and shoot, need help finding my "thing"

[K20aCTR]

I have had my Nikon D50 for some time now and took a Photo 1 class at a local community college so I have a basic understanding of how a camera operates and so on. I have recently been trying to find things to occupy my down time over the summer break and I would love to get back into shooting my Nikon but I always run into a roadblock when I try to think of WHAT to go shoot. I have on two occasions just driven around aimlessly and returned home with little to show for. My question to you guys would be, when you set out for a shoot, do you have a goal in mind or do you just head out without direction like I have in the past? I feel like I need to find a "thing"/niche of some sorts that can help me get the creative juices flowing but I have been failing to come up with anything. Any input from some of you more experienced photographers would be greatly appreciated.

 

[inov8ter]

Go to a forest preserve. Take a walk. Go into your town during the day walk around a shoot. Do that same thing at night. Go to the zoo, museums so on. Go out in your backyard. Just a few ideas. Shoot friends, friends kids playing in the yard or at there local park. Take pictures of your pets.

 

[Arch]

This is a problem many people face at times.

Here's something you could try, an old teacher once told me.

-Lock yourself in your bathroom.
-You can take as many pictures as you want, look for patterns and shapes if you can't find any obvious shots.
- you need to end up with at least 5 good images, all from within the confines of your bathroom.

Now go out to the park, or for a drive... how many photo options do you now have?..... many!


The reason behind this technique is to help change the way you see things.

 

[Warren Peace]

I am fairly new myself to photography, but have suffered the same as yourself.
Recently, I will set goals, or personal challenges. I might pick a theme for a Saturday morning and go out and find that. It might be Architecture. It might be a color. Other times I will just grab my camera, and head out for a walk on an early morning, and see how the early morning light rests on flowers, or other objects.

 

[Derrel]

-Lock yourself in your bathroom. Turn on all the lights.
-Look for 'your thing'. Once you have found it, exit the bathroom.
-Procure camera, return to bathroom,and using bathroom mirror and medium telephoto lens setting, snap a few photos to remind you as to where your thing is located. Use macro lens if needed, and use flash if necessary.
-Flip off all lights, leave bathroom, promptly head outside to take photos of more interesting subject matter.

(Sorry Arch, I couldn't resist building a post based upon your old instructor's solid fundamentals; my post was based upon a lousy adult education photography instructor and part-time,thrice-divorced motivational speaker named Matt Foley, who lived in a van, down by the river. [No, not really!] )

In an effort to add something of real value: there are many fine photo how-to books at your local library. I would suggest spending an hour there, looking through books. Jot down seven ideas for photos based upon book samples, and then try and re-create or BETTER those types of shots, one per day, for one week. You might be surprised to try shooting silhouettes in the PM, sunrise shots in the AM, backlight in the afternoon, etc,etc.

 

[sovietdoc]

Look for 'your thing'. Once you have found it, exit the bathroom.

LOL

 

[Skyclad]

Try not to become more inspired; But try to become inspired by more.

I think you are looking at things two dimensionally. Try looking at things four dimensionally (and beyond) and give a go with what Arch and Warren said.

 

[AgentDrex]

This is an easy fix. Do NOT go anywhere WITHOUT your camera!!! If you are in the bathroom...bring your camera...okay...well...maybe that's a little extreme...but toilet shots are kinda cool too. Oh and don't forget to use your camera EVERYWHERE you go...I bought my Canon A3000IS May 14, 2010 and the camera states there have been 6,858 photos taken so far for an average of 145 photos a day...I'm a beginner so I'm trying to focus on nothing but photography...
so just use the camera...you'll find your "thing"...

 

[gsgary]

Leave the car at home and walk without your camera and you will see loads to shoot because you are not under pressure, do this a few times and then go out with your camera you will find lots to shoot, or you could walk to town and do some street photography

 

[KmH]

Why did you take the photography class?

Are you studying Art?

 

[Breaux]

I get ideas from looking at art, including paintings. Just do a Google Image search on some great artist from the past. And don't limit yourself to European art.

 

[Ron Evers]

I suggest you learn to see. Folks go about their daily activities & do not really see what is all about them. For example, you walk across the lawn & see a mushroom growing & give it a kick. Next time stop & look more closely, you may see ants going up & down the trunk of the mushroom.

Or you walk by a bush covered in berries & if you look closely you will find numerous combinations of berries & leaves that offer a photo opportunity.

Photo ops are all around you if you look & see.

 

[dak1b]

I say first take a walk around your neighborhood and take pictures of whatever captures your attention. Then another day go somewhere adventuress like the lake, forest, mountains or city..whatever is closest to you. After shooting for awhile and going on photo shoots...you will narrow down your passion this way. ex...landscapes,,nature, people....etc...

good luck!

 

[white]

I like Arch's idea of locking yourself in the bathroom until you can produce 5 good images. When you can produce something like this, you have arrived:

If you don't regularly look at art, I suggest you start. Study the history of photography. It is fascinating. And then, like others have said, park your car and walk around.

 

[LaFoto]

The bathroom idea is Top of the Pops, so far.

Other than that, giving yourself assignments could help (let yourself be inspired by the Assignment threads here, for example, maybe using the Search button and putting in "Assignments" will take you there?), like going for a specific colour, or going for leading lines, or for graphic detail, geometrical patterns only, or your assignments can be as simple as "capture the beauty of summer". If you're bold and daring, you might go into town and take photos of people in the streets. Or you go for wide-open close ups of little things.

And look at other photographer's photos in book. Go to the library and study all the photography books and the photos put in them. Look at other pieces of art, paintings, study their make, what makes them get depth ... all that.