Lacking Substance

[FanBoy]

Think about what you like to shoot; you can be influenced by others' work but don't necessarily go by the rules--it will (and has to) come naturally, like any other art. As you stumble upon your composition you will "see" it and work it.

 

[amolitor]

There is a definite process to inspiration, this article might be of interest to you:

Annals of Science: The Eureka Hunt : The New Yorker

contains almost but not quite step by step instructions for generating Eureka Moments in ones brain.

ETA: They seem to have it behind a paywall. Sorry. I will try to summarize it a bit later one, gotta run and get this kid in bed now.

ETA2: So here's how inspiration works:

1) Think furiously about the problem.
2) Gather relevant information, data, ideas, etc etc.

Run around and around on 1) and 2) for a while. Fill your brain up with your thoughts on the problem, and on material that might be relevant to solving it. Now move on to:

3) relax, let the mind drift. Take a shower, take a walk, take a nap. Consciously walk away from the problem for a bit.
4) gently, ever so gently, gnaw on the problem a little.

Hang around in the 3)/4) zone for a while. A few hours, a few days. Sometimes just a few minutes. If no "EUREKA!" moment occurs, return to steps 1) and 2). What you're doing is filling your brain up with raw material in steps 1 and 2, and then letting your unconscious mind gnaw on it, doing a massive parallel computation, in steps 3 and 4. If you draw a blank, return to 1 and 2 and dump in more grist for the mill.

There are pretty firm neurological bases for this process. It works. Or rather, nothing else works, but this might.

What this might translate into for you is to alternate:

1) worrying about how to make a really GOOD and INTERESTING picture or set of pictures.
2a) looking at other people's pictures and reading other people's writing about how the approach making pictures.
2b) looking at the world of thing you could take pictures of, and things you might want your pictures to say, mean, show, reveal, comment on, etc.

alternated with:

3) nap/shower/walk
4) gently think 'hmm, what kind of a picture should I take?'

If you're lucky, you'll be thinking of something else and it will suddenly hit you what you ought to be doing with the camera.

 

[manicmike]

When I need inspiration for anything, whether it be writing, drawing, etc., I look at other people's work and use that as kind of the base of my brainstorming session.

 

[amolitor]

One item I forgot, as I recall, it might actually be important to work steps 1/2 until you get "stuck". You have to hit some kind of frustration wall and bang on it for a while, or ideally you do, before moving on to the relaxing and letting it go for a while. I forget the details, but I am pretty sure that's a piece of the puzzle.

 

[mishele]

When I need inspiration for anything, whether it be writing, drawing, etc., I look at other people's work and use that as kind of the base of my brainstorming session.

That right there. I search through tons of photos/art to find inspiration. The more I see, the more ideas I have tucked away for later. I might not use them right away. I don't know about other people but my ideas end up rolling like a snowball. =) It starts with just a tiny little reference from someone's work and slowly grows and grows. Exciting when it works! When it doesn't, at least you went through the thinking process. =)

 

[rexbobcat]

That right there. I search through tons of photos/art to find inspiration. The more I see, the more ideas I have tucked away for later. I might not use them right away. I don't know about other people but my ideas end up rolling like a snowball. =) It starts with just a tiny little reference from someone's work and slowly grows and grows. Exciting when it works! When it doesn't, at least you went through the thinking process. =)

Lol I really wish I was like that.

I tend to get faux-inspired when I flood myself with others' work. Like, I begin to think that I have all these great ideas, but in actuality I just wish to copy a photo I saw two weeks ago even if I don't immediately realize it.

And then I get dad because it feels like I don't have any good ideas of my own

I generally do my best stuff when I don't look at any other work for extended periods of time, heh.

But then again, I'm a people-pleaser so it's difficult sometimes for me to stay "true" to myself instead of trying to make stuff all my Facebook friends will like. I think I have a natural tendency to want to sell out, even if that's not REALLY what I want.

Basically my advice for getting out of a rut is walking away from it. Don't look at gear, others' photos, your own photos, or anything for a while. This might not be wholly possible if you make your living from photography, but try to make arm effort to at least distance yourself from others' work for a bit. That night help you to formulate substantial concepts because you aren't putting yourself through the constant bombardment of the creativity of others.

 

[peter27]

When I find things drying up, I let the field lie fallow for a while and get on with other things.

 

[mmaria]

I tend to get faux-inspired when I flood myself with others' work. Like, I begin to think that I have all these great ideas, but in actuality I just wish to copy a photo I saw two weeks ago even if I don't immediately realize it.

And then I get dad because it feels like I don't have any good ideas of my own

I generally do my best stuff when I don't look at any other work for extended periods of time, heh......

Basically my advice for getting out of a rut is walking away from it. Don't look at gear, others' photos, your own photos, or anything for a while. This might not be wholly possible if you make your living from photography, but try to make arm effort to at least distance yourself from others' work for a bit. That night help you to formulate substantial concepts because you aren't putting yourself through the constant bombardment of the creativity of others.

me too

 

[Derrel]

Plateau's are almost necessary; they allow you to refine your craft through practice and repetition, and then after a time, you are prepared for advancement. As you mentioned, what you've learned has been in high school; you have YEARS ahead of you in which to learn. Think of your photo career as if it were a plant; budding, blooming, decaying. You are truly in the budding stage; you have not yet even BEGUN to "blossom" or "bloom"--that's years in the future. You're still learning! You just shot your first-ever wedding, and your skill and experience can only move upward...so, while you might temporarily be on a plateau, you're just preparing for the NEXT LEG of a big, long ascent to the top of the mountain. Think of it as trying to climb Mount Everest...you do NOT just do it like it is a day-hike up some little hillock in the San Gabriel mountains...it's not a journey you can do in shorts and hiking boots and a T-shirt with 2 litres of water and five granola bars.

 

[The_Traveler]

I routinely fall into the doldrums about my pictures ('as well you might' murmur people who don't like street shots.)
And because they aren't the results of just work but work and circumstance, I am at the mercy of where I am and where I go.

So every time I had a bad patch, the plateaus feel slippery , I think I will never shoot a decent picture again.
And, I have a situation different than yours, I am at an age where I have a very discrete future and I need to do now, whatever I plan on doing, so a doldrum without a forseeable end is frightening and needs to be actively fought..

While that might indeed be possible, I take a couple of steps. First, I start looking back through old pictures to reinforce my belief in myself that I can take good shots and then, I make a real, real effort to go somewhere I haven't been enough and spend some time, mining that area for pictures.

(I have an area that I've kept in reserve because it is rich in picture possibilities but it is such a stranger-hostile neighborhood that it was mentioned frequently in the book, 'The Wire.'
That's my next place to go but I'm waiting until the weather is so cold and crappy that no one will be hanging around to give me a hard time.)

That kind of excursion may not work for you but talent doesn't die easily except for neglect and if you have taken good pictures before, there are more to be taken.

Some possible steps

Go simpler, leave most of your kit behind and set yourself a goal to take a good set of images with a particular lens-body combination.
Go somewhere new.
Put away your gear for some period of time but, in that time, start looking at the pictures you've missed. Like sex, forced abstinence makes the urge much stronger.
Start an in-house project, really in the house, and set yourself to take good pictures of where you live with no aim except to exercise skill over mundane circumstance. Exercising skills makes you more alive.

Now, I'm off to the gym to persuade my body that it really doesn't want to go back to bed.

 

[KenC]

A lot of good advice above. I especially favor looking at as many good photographs as possible.

If you want to learn more about composition, you could start with Andrew's self-published book. If you have time and inclination it wouldn't hurt to read Arnheim: Art and Visual Perception: A Psychology of the Creative Eye: Rudolf Arnheim: 9780520243835: Amazon.com: Books

 

[KmH]

The way I spark my creativity is by re-visiting the fundamentals of visual art.

I look at paintings as much as I look at photographs. In particular, I re-visit many of the traditional classic paintings and photographs that helped to formulate today's visual art fundamentals.

 

[Derrel]

The way I spark my creativity is by re-visiting the fundamentals of visual art.

I look at paintings as much as I look at photographs. In particular, I re-visit many of the traditional classic paintings and photographs that helped to formulate today's visual art fundamentals.

When gsgary asked if you had studied the masters, and listed off some very accomplished masters of photography, my mind went to the masters...Da Vinci, Raphael, Titian,Van Eyck, Rubens,Vermeer, Rembrandt.

A book or two on the history of fine art in western culture might give you some insight into "how" and "why" the western language of visual art is as it is today. How space is used in visual image, as well as how scale, color, and design principles are used is the kind of thing you'd learn from studying classical painting and its traditions. Photography is a fairly modern thing. Painting is much older, but it has shaped how we use the visual language.

 

[The_Traveler]

I'm a big believer in B F Skinner and operant conditioning.
If someone is depressed because of specific limited life situation, the best way to get out of depression is not to read books on the nervous system.

This isn't an intellectual issue, a lack of knowledge, it is a depressed feeling when faced with what seems to be failure.
When faced with the actual task of creativity, it is normal to be daunted and sometimes feel at a standstill.

Creativity is a heavy burden because not only do you have to do all the tasks, there has to be a creation as a result.
So, approach the task of creativity sideways.
Do the activity without looking for an achievement, go though the motions but seriously.

Take well exposed, well-composed photos but without looking for a great image.
Just 'do' without expectations and then the doing will be less of a burden.
Along the way, while doing, your creative spirit will be freed from expectation and you can let that wander.

BTW, Nike feels the same way, 'Just do it'

 

[bc_steve]

I find I am the most inspired when I am somewhere new and exciting. I feel like I 'notice' things more, things that I might otherwise pass and think nothing of.

or get up for the sunrise! it is usually beautiful when I am on my way to work, but I unfortunately have a truck full of people and can't keep stopping for photos