Having trouble getting inspiration for a winter project

[fjrabon]

Now that the busy season at my photography studio has wound down, and I'm shooting more like 20 hours per week instead of 50 hours per week for them, I have some time to shoot on my own. I'd really like to get a project going to maybe have something I could set up a small scale show around come spring. I have my ongoing Atlanta cityscapes thing, but Id like something else, but just can't get inspired.

I dont really know what the point of this thread is, I guess suggestions though I dont know how anybody could give me actual suggestions for what I want to do, more just to throw it out there and discuss whatever anybody has done with winter projects before, and how people have gotten through this sort of photographic malaise.

Since I've been shooting around 50 hours a week for the past few months, I still get excited about photography... until I go out to shoot. Then it's just like nothing seems all that appealing in the viewfinder right now. I guess I've gotten so used to being told what to shoot, that that part of me has gotten a little rusty.

How have you guys fought through that feeling in the past?

I guess another issue is that Im really trying to stay away from the cliches, like general foliage pictures (i'll of course take those, but not as some sort of major undertaking). WHich makes a lot of potential ideas I have seem like they're way overdone.

 

[runnah]

When I am out of ideas I will force limits upon myself.

Shoot with a prime lens only.
Stick a really small memory card that only allows for 50 or so photos
Take photos in a extremely small area. I do thing like 100ft radius from my front door.
Pick a particular hour of the day and stick to it and only shoot during that time.
Try a subject you've never shot before
recreate a photo you see online that you don't know how they did it.

and last buy more expensive toys.

 

[MLeeK]

I have the same problem in the winter. I always switch to drawing for a while because of it. With fall sports just ending I am busy as hell right now with portraiture, but it's a WHOLE LOT less demanding of my time. I find myself on here more and shooting a lot less. Kind of because I am pretty tired of it for now. Come December winter sports will hit and I'll be shooting more and running with our wrestlers non stop, so it's HARD to get myself into something FOR MYSELF! I keep saying I'll do it... then... nothing.

 

[tirediron]

I just put out a challenge on MM - TFP shoots for whomever, but the catch is, they have to tell me exactly what they want. Come up with a couple of real challenging ones so far.

 

[Mike_E]

If you can't do for yourself, why not try doing for others?

Pick someplace like Agape or a shelter in your area and do portraits so that your subjects will have something to give or send come Christmas.

I wouldn't use this as a 'show' simply for the crass factor but you might get some great ideas of places you wouldn't have otherwise known about right in your own neighborhood.

 

[fjrabon]

If you can't do for yourself, why not try doing for others?

Pick someplace like Agape or a shelter in your area and do portraits so that your subjects will have something to give or send come Christmas.

I wouldn't use this as a 'show' simply for the crass factor but you might get some great ideas of places you wouldn't have otherwise known about right in your own neighborhood.

Hadn't thought of doing something like that. There's a humane society literally next door, perhaps I'll see if they need pictures.

 

[skieur]

Muskrat, deer, caribou, fox, falling, blowing, and melting snow; icicles, large chunks of ice near shore, skiing, snowmobiling, skating and ice hockey on the lake, hot apple cider around a wood stove on the lake, community winter festivals, ice sculptures, the ice hotel, motorcycle races on ice, ski jumping, dog sledding, horseback riding, large winter and Christmas decorated windows, children playing in the snow, dogs playing in newly fallen snow, the visual results of unusually heavy snowfalls, cars being pushed by people to get them moving...etc. There are all kinds of subjects to shoot in the winter time.

skieur

 

[Mike_E]

If you can't do for yourself, why not try doing for others?

Pick someplace like Agape or a shelter in your area and do portraits so that your subjects will have something to give or send come Christmas.

I wouldn't use this as a 'show' simply for the crass factor but you might get some great ideas of places you wouldn't have otherwise known about right in your own neighborhood.

Hadn't thought of doing something like that. There's a humane society literally next door, perhaps I'll see if they need pictures.

Good idea and when you go to animal shelters you loose the "crass factor" too.