Creative Photography Exercises: 3 Ways To Rekindle Your Passion

Feature — By travis

creative photography

Taking the leap into photography can be a difficult process, but feeling lazy and unmotivated after years of practice is easy. The thrill of the new camera wears off, everyday surroundings turn predictable and suddenly it’s a chore to go out and take some shots for fun. For me, setting goals for myself is a good way to get things going again. Just like “end of the semester” projects in school that seem scary at first but end up being the most valuable, trying a pre-planned exercise is a great way to gain a new appreciation for your camera. The more time you’re willing to dedicate to rekindling the passion, the better.

1) Take a Picture Every Five Minutes for Ten Hours

Even though this may seem intimidating at first, what do you really have to lose on a boring Sunday with a digital camera and a gigabyte memory card to spare? Usually I don’t fill up my memory card with more than 50 pictures before I run off to upload them. This exercise is great because it forces you to take advantage of your camera’s image storing capability and the potential it allows. No matter where you are—whether your backyard, a park or being driven in a car—this exercise will inevitably produce creative images thanks to the constant demand for new ones. If you happen to be in your living room when the five minutes are up, you will have to think differently. Bizarre angles will be experimented with. Inventive uses of depth of field will come into play. Unnoticed details will come to the forefront. All of these rewards will emerge after three hours, let alone ten.

2) Use Available Light Sources for Night Shots

Spend an evening as a moth by seeking out light sources in your area. While this exercise may seem simple enough, it’s another basic activity that will help spark a new interest in your camera and your surroundings. After I bought a tripod and tried this, I found myself in areas of my city that I’d previously overlooked or never noticed. A clichéd waterfront was then transformed into a superbly noir-feeling dock thanks to green streetlights and the haze of moon through fog. As you get comfortable adjusting your tripod after not using it for so long (shame) you will begin to notice shadows, reflections, and compositions that were unthinkable during the daytime.

3) Stray From Your Comfort Zone

Or rather, stray from your comfort style. Are you a portrait type? A candid person? A landscape fiend? Whatever your natural inclination, completely reverse it. Claiming a type of photography is really claiming what comes easiest and what feels safest. For those like me who unconsciously gravitate towards the predictable hillside and forest-scapes, try calling a friend and taking their portraits in an area they prefer (an urban setting, perhaps?) Or if you like to “let things happen” with as little equipment and planning as possible, try executing a carefully planned indoor shoot with dramatic lighting, a group of people or an arrangement of objects. This exercise may be the most challenging of all, but it will undoubtedly make you reconsider your camera and your relationship to it.

The point of these exercises isn’t to churn out a new batch of cool images—even though you will end up with a few. Remembering the potential of photography, its ability to make you see the world in new ways, is the ultimate goal. Even if I go months without snapping a picture, I know it’s up to me to inspire myself. My problem has always been the fact that oftentimes inspiration must be worked for. To help kick-start this reinvigoration, creating a project for yourself will help you focus on your camera and push you to try new things with it.