5 Ideas for Photography Inspiration

Photography Tips

Finding inspiration is sometimes a major challenge. As strange as it seems, going out, camera in hand, and finding a subject is often more difficult than the actual process of photographing. In this video, Chelsea Northrup shares five tips on how to inspire yourself and find subjects to shoot:

1. Find a muse and keep at it

Monet loved gardening and he painted more than 250 images of the water lilies in his garden. It shows that even if your subject is as trivial as the water lilies in your garden and you keep shooting them, over the years your work will improve and you will produce some of your best creations. Just like Tony Northrup did with his favorite lighthouse in his home town.

The three images show Tony Northrup’s progress as a photographer over the years.

2. Shoot what you love

Many photographers complain that they don’t get to shoot the kind of images that they love to shoot. If you love shooting something go ahead and find a way to do that. Don’t think about whether you’re getting paid or not. You get the chance to build your portfolio as well as the gratification that you’re doing something you love doing. Plus, if you do a bit of free work now and then, like a brochure for your town or a few pictures for your son’s school, you’re bound to get noticed sooner rather than later. One more thing, don’t take rejections in a purely negative way. Look at them as chances to improve your work.

3. Be a copycat

Being a copycat isn’t always a bad thing. Especially, when you’re trying to copy the work of a master. What you can get is an in-depth understanding of how the work has been put together. You learn about the lighting, the composition, the mood, the expressions and how everything comes together in the picture.

4. Master a new technique

Pick any technique that catches your fancy and practice it over and over again. Experiment and research the hell out of it until you become an absolute master in that technique. You can pick anything you want: long exposure, panning, high key photography, etc. Soon you will find in a situation where you’re the only photographer who has come prepared.

5. Study an artist and appreciate them

Pick an artist you like and research them. Find out where they’re from, their background, upbringing, the challenges they faced and how they became the photographer that has come to be admired. It could be a fascinating journey into a world unknown and a chance to be inspired by a true life story.

So, what’s your favorite trick to get inspired?