lacking creativity

what to do?

have been thinking about this for a few months now.

i'm struggling to get any really nice shots. (i'm talking about landscape, buildings etc) when i see some great pics on here i'm thinking - why didn't i think to take that picture when i was there...

so now i'm sort of looking at pics on the web for ideas and thinking of going for a similar type of look/angle etc on my photos. one example is the standard sun-set over the lake/sea etc - i've load of these type of shots, dramatic colours etc but they're boring - then i saw a picture on here - similar except with a little fishing boat in the foreground - which made the picture much more interesting. so i'll be on the look out for something like this next time i'm taking a sun-set style shot.

did you guys ever have this problem or are you all just very creative?! do you just spot the photo and take it, or do you sometimes have a style of photo in mind befoe you leave the house?? do you ever get ideas from otehr peoples photos - like the one i mentioned above about the boat??? or does this just mean i've no original ideas, i've to resort to copying others?????? any comments would be very welcome. thanks for taking the time to read.

superflyninja

Im going through a drought at the moment. I just cant seem to get good shots.I think its just a phase so Im taking the opportunity to PP some of my older better shots!!

trooney

what to do? wrote: »

...Did you guys ever have this problem... do you just spot the photo and take it... do you sometimes have a style of photo in mind befoe you leave the house... do you ever get ideas from otehr peoples photos...

Yes - All of the above!

rymus

smack yourself about the head with a plank of wood... Its a well known fact that all great art is born out of pain and suffering.

CabanSail

Gunns have a special on Creativity at the moment ..... if you buy 2 bags they will throw in a third one for free. You can order some on eBay from Hong Kong but it not genuine & is a cheap copy, so not really good Creativity.



Seriously, I don't think anyone is completely original. We all learn from each other. Even if you go out to copy a shot you will still learn from the experience. Then when you see another opportunity you can pull that technique from your bag of tricks & apply it.

The other thing is that your own shots generally don't look as good to you as other people's images. You have the disadvantage of having been there & know that the shot you had in your mind is still not what you ended up with. Other people only see the finished work as it is.

elven

If you're looking at other stuff and think it's great, it'd help to start pulling apart why you think it is. You already said that about realising a small detail made a shot much more interesting. Can you see any other things that make you like it more? Think about composition - shapes, lines, depth of field, scale, that sort of stuff. Take a look at your pictures, a similar one if you have one, and see if you can see what you've done right and what you've missed by looking for the same things as you saw in the other one.

It might be worth 'working a scene' more when you're out shooting. Try lots of different angles, focal lengths (or zoom with your feet), cut stuff out of the frame, put things closer to the edges or closer to the centre and see what difference it makes. Get right up close to something and shoot with it dominating the foreground, see how you like that. I think there's a book about this sort of stuff that a few people swear by, ah yes here it is:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Learning-See-Creatively-Brian-Peterson/dp/0817441816/ref=pd_sim_b?ie=UTF8&qid=1198922679&sr=8-1

You might also have to re-think your subject matter. I desperately wanted to shoot beautiful, breathtaking, sweeping landscapes but i failed miserably at it. I found flowers work much better for me, so i concentrated on them instead and i've enjoyed it much more since.

rymus

that all sounds very complicated. Go with my suggestion.

elven

rymus wrote: »

smack yourself about the head with a plank of wood... Its a well known fact that all great art is born out of pain and suffering.

That explains it... you're going out with me to drive yourself to create great art, aren't you?

rymus

****.. caught. I'll go back to the faceplank thing so.

Dragan

elven wrote: »

That explains it... you're going out with me to drive yourself to create great art, aren't you?

I think perhaps this theory might explain the increase in quantiy and quality of my girlfriends work! lol

OP, as already said, you seem to have an idea as to what is, to you, a great shot! So maybe work of these parameters when you are out shooting next? Make the decision to take a specific shot, as opposed to just a shot.

sNarah

What I found is that some of the best shots I have came out of pure coincidence... Just happened to have to camera with me (I try to make a rule out of that) and then you spot something nice/interesting, and click! And the other hand, also have had photo's when first looking at them, didn't like them at all, but then, so many months/weeks later rediscover them and think "oh that isn't bad at all"...

Also, some photos that you think are great, I might find horrible or uninterstin, or the other way around... It's personal taste isn't it!

What I also discovered, is that my "creativity" (don't really like to use that word in all fairness...) sometimes 'kicks back in' after neglecting the camera for a certain time and then going out with it again... A Greec seeing says "You'll appreciate your art better if you abandon it for a while", and that's what I'm trying to say here.

And as far as the "copying" goes... as CabanSail said, we all learn from eachother and get inspiration from things we see and hear, and it can only help you evoluate as a better photographer!

Why not try to go and take some pictures out of your comfortzone? If, let's say, you mainly shoot landscapes, try some portraits or streetphotography!

Anouilh

Wishing to break out of the coccoon of "yet another pink rose", and given that there are no roses in bloom out of doors at the moment, I tried this.

Mixed results. I have some nice street light photos and have been able to blog about an interesting new experience:

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?threadid=2055473788

I have little interest in being uncomfortable and have never found that it has helped creativity. Discomfort may add to life's experiences, however.

AnimalRights

sNarah wrote: »

What I found is that some of the best shots I have came out of pure coincidence... Just happened to have to camera with me (I try to make a rule out of that) and then you spot something nice/interesting, and click!

This is how I tend to operate.

Out of all the things I've learned I do always appreciate that I seem to have an eye for a Photograph....even when I do my gig shots I always know straight away which ones are keepers.

sNarah

AnimalRights wrote: »

This is how I tend to operate.

Out of all the things I've learned I do always appreciate that I seem to have an eye for a Photograph....even when I do my gig shots I always know straight away which ones are keepers.

Did this already occur in your "early" stages of taking pics or is it something you discovered later?

AnimalRights

Doing Photography 12 months now and would say as early as 4-5 months I started getting your method and then it just got easier/stronger.
As for Gig photography basically from the beginning, I put that down too as I used to film gigs b4 I shot them.
I now find myself filming gigs the way I photograph them...if you know what I mean.

Calina

OP,

helps sometimes to go out with other people just to get another eye on things.

but yeah, everyone hits a point where they feel they are going nowhere, getting nothing particularly great.

GhostInTheRuins

I'm in a bit of a drought at the moment as well. Apart from one or two planned evenings I just haven't been doing anything on the spur of the moment lately. It happens from time to time and not wanting to speak for anyone I'd say it happens to most people at some point as well.

sheesh

what to do? wrote: »

have been thinking about this for a few months now.

i'm struggling to get any really nice shots. (i'm talking about landscape, buildings etc) when i see some great pics on here i'm thinking - why didn't i think to take that picture when i was there...

so now i'm sort of looking at pics on the web for ideas and thinking of going for a similar type of look/angle etc on my photos. one example is the standard sun-set over the lake/sea etc - i've load of these type of shots, dramatic colours etc but they're boring - then i saw a picture on here - similar except with a little fishing boat in the foreground - which made the picture much more interesting. so i'll be on the look out for something like this next time i'm taking a sun-set style shot.

did you guys ever have this problem or are you all just very creative?! do you just spot the photo and take it, or do you sometimes have a style of photo in mind befoe you leave the house?? do you ever get ideas from otehr peoples photos - like the one i mentioned above about the boat??? or does this just mean i've no original ideas, i've to resort to copying others?????? any comments would be very welcome. thanks for taking the time to read.

weel its been raining alot so that might be it cloudy days are not good for photography
I've noticed my self that I have not been out much too I am assuming its the weather its cloudy or really cold

Anouilh

A diopter is useful for indoor photography at this time of year.

https://us.v-cdn.net/6034073/[/IMG]

what to do?

thanks for all the replies.

i've read books on theory and composition etc - i understand what makes a good shot - i know when i look at a good shot why i like it etc - i just dont seem to be as creative in taking the good shots myself.

i'm going to try rymus's advice:eek:. cheers mate.

galwayfotogrfr

I hear that. that happens from time to time.
Once I went and did some boring city scapes but at night with a tripod and got some of great work. the city looks so different at night. google, night time photography and you will see what i mean. there is plenty you can work with by a river or on a regular street. its great at this time of year as its night time quite a lot.
Best of luck

what to do? wrote: »

have been thinking about this for a few months now.

i'm struggling to get any really nice shots. (i'm talking about landscape, buildings etc) when i see some great pics on here i'm thinking - why didn't i think to take that picture when i was there...

so now i'm sort of looking at pics on the web for ideas and thinking of going for a similar type of look/angle etc on my photos. one example is the standard sun-set over the lake/sea etc - i've load of these type of shots, dramatic colours etc but they're boring - then i saw a picture on here - similar except with a little fishing boat in the foreground - which made the picture much more interesting. so i'll be on the look out for something like this next time i'm taking a sun-set style shot.

did you guys ever have this problem or are you all just very creative?! do you just spot the photo and take it, or do you sometimes have a style of photo in mind befoe you leave the house?? do you ever get ideas from otehr peoples photos - like the one i mentioned above about the boat??? or does this just mean i've no original ideas, i've to resort to copying others?????? any comments would be very welcome. thanks for taking the time to read.

YeahOK

Get outside your comfort zone a bit. Push yourself to do something different. If you do landscapes a lot, try portrait for a while. It makes what your comfortable with seem all shiny and new when you do go back to it. This is what I've been trying to do a bit lately...

YeahOK

CabanSail wrote: »

Gunns have a special on Creativity at the moment ..... if you buy 2 bags they will throw in a third one for free. You can order some on eBay from Hong Kong but it not genuine & is a cheap copy, so not really good Creativity.

That's funny!:D

Simplicius

YeahOK wrote: »

Get outside your comfort zone a bit. Push yourself to do something different. If you do landscapes a lot, try portrait for a while. It makes what your comfortable with seem all shiny and new when you do go back to it. This is what I've been trying to do a bit lately...

This is very good advice.....

sheesh

John o connor told a story of how he really wanted to be a short story writer but could not get a handle on it. So he copied out one of his favourite ones word for word just to get his mind into the habit, he claims it worked


So I say find some pictures of things that are local and copy them to get the creative juices flowing you never have to claim them as your own just as a practice it might be effective.