Sometimes I can go for what seems like weeks, without feeling like taking a photo. I know Im not alone, plenty of photographers go through this. Writers call it writer’s block. I’m not sure if there is a term for photographers, maybe “shutter block”? Who knows. The good news about it though, is that there are easy ways around it. Here are five simple ways to get you out of that rut.
1. Shoot something new. If you are always photographing the grandchildren, you do the same thing all the time. Why not point that lens at something else: A sunset, people on the street, flowers in your garden, or even skateboarders at the park. You may discover new ways to use your phone that you never would have thought of before. You will be surprised how your new subjects will help to re-ignite that creative flame.
2. Shoot a daily project. Every year in Instagram, Facebook and other social medias, there are always 365 projects. The idea is that you take a single photo everyday, then post it into the group. You will be amazed how the self imposed pressure of shooting everyday will help you out of the rut.
3. Shoot with people. Join a photography group. In almost every town, there will be a photography group/club. In most cases, you don’t need to take a DLSR to these groups. Just ask to come along, the photography community is generally pretty friendly, so you shouldn’t have any issues.
4. Go Somewhere New. Like most people, I watch YouTube videos of travel photography and wish I was looking at some wonderful mountain range or a white sandy beach. It can leave you thinking, I will take some more photos when I go to the “X” location. We tend to become familiar with the things we see every day. So we can struggle to see the world creatively when our environments feel routine. We can’t all afford to go on holiday on a whim, so we need to look outside the square. We are all creatures of habit, so to help find new subjects, we need to break habits. That building you walk past every day, what’s behind it? Those same stairs you walk every day, is there another way to get there? If you drive to work every day, get off at the exit before the regular one and take a back road. Every day we are within minutes of seeing things we haven’t before. So take a look.
5. Buy or loan a photography magazine. Imitating someone’s idea is the most sincere form of flattery. Even though we are shooting from a phone, the concepts of photography really don’t change too much between the platform we shoot from. The idea here is to look for subjects to shoot. You’re looking for inspiration.
