Okay, you’ve subscribed to two or three photography magazines, taken a class or two, and read a dozen photography books. Why aren’t you excited about your images anymore? It could be time to take things to the next level. I think people miss things every day. Let’s face it, we are all busy. We get stressed or distracted. But by now, you should have the skills to change all of that. You now have the ability to see things in a new and different way.
Looking back; And remembering my first award-winning shot, I was told to think outside the box, to do something that was totally different for me. Note that he was in high school at the time. Most of what I shot in high school was: sports and girls, drama and girls, Pep Assemblies and girls. In other words, “people” was my main theme; more specifically, the girls were the main thing. At that time, things were definitely not my thing.
So I went out and took a picture of a mushroom. For me, a lot more could be done with nature shots. There was framing, main lines, color and all that. But eventually, I started to get into the rut (again). Actually, I got really depressed, because there were so many other shots of nature that took your breath away. I was jealous of those National Geographic photographers who had lenses so large that you could take a portrait of a bighorn sheep from a mile away. I knew my footage was good, but so were the other 100 million photos of nature that most photographers take when they start out.
For the past 30 years I have been a US Army Photographer, Wedding Photographer, Portrait Photographer, Newspaper Photographer, and Nature Photographer. Like most of us, I went through each of these areas without thinking about what I had learned in other areas of my life. That is the secret to becoming the best at everything you do. Each has different experiences and skills, in addition to photography. Whose try to separate that from what you are doing now. All the photography tips in the world won’t help you unless you get excited about what you’re shooting! If you like to hunt, dance, sing or whatever, use what you already know to give your shots that special creative touch. No knowledge is wasted, unless you refuse to use it.
Developing a creative eye does not mean that you I have to try something totally different every time you feel a routine approaching. In fact, what I often suggest to students is to go further than ever. If you like basketball (for example) shoot the players and the game, that’s a given. But also photograph the audience, the entertainers, the ball boy, the coaches, the locker room, the scoreboard, the backboard, the reflections from the ground, the ball leaving the fingertips, the ball right on the edge. of the hoop. Shoot looking down at the game, drop to the ground and shoot looking up. Try to pass a player at eye level to give the illusion that you are in the middle of the game. Take all the facts you know about the game and find out how to fire a shot that tells a story.
Keep in mind that many people do not read or do not want to take the time to read. What that means for those of us who work in photography is that every shot (or every series of shots) must tell a story. If you know how to knit, take so many shots that someone can learn the whole process just by studying your images. Include all the details you would need to know. Get close-up shots of how the thread is attached to the needle. If it takes ten shots for someone to understand a certain point, then go for it. The biggest test any photographer can undergo is being able to show something to someone who knows absolutely nothing about the subject. Once you’ve learned to pay as much attention to detail, new projects will seem to appear faster than you can create them.
On my own website, I decided to add a section on Photoshop Tips. I’ve been using Photoshop for at least ten years, but I really had to step back to make it visual. To say (in words only) click here; pull this menu down, or open this dialog was not going to cut it. I had to go back and create images that would show where these tools were and what they would look like when used correctly. It was much more challenging than I expected.
Each person is unique; each soul walks this earth to experience different things. Some people love nature and natural things. Some people love sports and adventure. Some people love people and some don’t. Your job is not to change how people feel about things, but to accept how you feel about those things. Being creative is not a class you take once and suddenly realize that you have arrived. It is a way of feeling, seeing and discovering; it is being open to new ideas, new perspectives and new ways of looking at life. Remember: being creative is not a destiny; it is the journey that we undertake along the way to discover who we really are.