Have you ever found yourself in a creative rut, unable to decide what to photograph? These 7 tips will help get your creative juices flowing.

Every photographer and their dog has a few tips and tricks in their bag, for whenever they find themselves stuck for ideas.

I don't have a dog, but I do have my very own list of favourite things I like to do to prime myself for a day of street photography.

1 - Go Where the People Are

If I was to ask you what you imagine to be the most common sight at an airport Arrivals terminal, you'd probably recall those scenes from the movie, Love Actually.

Happy people waiting at the airport for their loved ones. Tears in their eyes, anticipating the moment when a familiar face appears from behind the sliding door. Lots of laughter and crying, and plenty of hugs. If your school assignment was to go out and capture photos of happy faces, this would be one of the best places to visit.

When it comes to street photography, one of my favourite things to start with is to think of a mood, and then go where people of that mood are most likely to congregate.

I'm usually in a happy mood, so walking around public areas of interest (parks, along the river, near pubs) is usually a great place to start.

Serious, stoic-looking people are often found in and around cafes. Reading their newspapers or working on their laptops; sipping their lattes with a heavily focused look on their faces.

Want to capture some stress and anxiety? You are most likely to find anxious people near bus stops, train stations, or at traffic lights.

So think of a mood - the stranger, the better - and try to figure out where you might find it, and how to tell the best stories with it.

2 - Go Where the People AREN'T

Street photography doesn't actually need a human subject at all. It just needs is an interesting subject in an urban setting.

Look around you and see what catches your eye. Anything will do, as long as it is able to hold your gaze for more than a few seconds. There is always a reason why something caught your attention, so find it, and figure out how best to photograph it so it still holds your attention as a photo.

Look for areas of high contrast, such as objects illuminated by bright sunlight against a dark wall, for example.

Perhaps there is something of a striking colour which looks very much out of place in a scene. Find a way to make it look out of place in your photography as well.

Symmetrical objects are always interesting subjects, as our eyes are drawn to balance. Find a way to capture this symmetry and frame it.

3 - Shoot With a Smile On Your Face

This one sounds ludicrous, but happiness and laughter are both contagious. If you're walking around with a smile, people will not be able to help themselves and will often smile along with you, thus making for some really positive and uplifting photography.

On top of that, when you are feeling happy, the pre-frontal cortex of your brain (the part responsible for creative thinking and ideas) will also become more active, thus making it easier for you to see something great to photograph.

You can easily hack your 'happiness centre' by forcing a smile to yourself. Try it - it works.

4 - First Find Your Background, Then Work the Scene

Similar to the first and second points, if you're stuck for ideas, look around for a striking background, and wait for something interesting to happen in front of it.

It could be something as obvious as a brightly coloured wall. Wait near it, until a person with a clashing colour walks by.

Or you could find some graffiti, or maybe a drawing of a giant bird or an angel with wings. Whatever you think may work. Work the scene until the right kind of subject walks in front of it.

Look for juxtapositions, irony, humour, contrast - anything that makes you feel even a little bit creative.

Many famous photographers had their favourite default locations which they would visit every time they went out to shoot. They were intimately familiar with these spots and knew the best time of day or even year to capture the best photos.

5 - Start a Project and Keep It Going

This one goes back to my early school days.

Our teacher took us into the city on a photography excursion, and each of us had to draw a topic out of a hat. Nothing complicated or restrictive. Each topic was very open to interpretation.

Suits, Contrast, Hat, Broken... you get the picture.

My topic was Yellow.

That's it. No further instructions, just the word 'Yellow'.

So I went out and started shooting yellow things. Dandelions, a taxi, a friend's hat, my yellow Pokemon Gameboy, and a really blurry selfie reflection that I shot in a mirror.

All of my photos were crap and unoriginal. However, I tried to explain to my teacher that it wasn't just about the subject of the photos, but about the photographer who shot them. Photography was pretty new to me, and thus the last photo was of someone who was also 'yellow'.

It didn't help my final grade, but I felt a bit proud of myself nonetheless.

My point is, prepare a list of subjects, topics, or ideas ahead of time, write them on scraps of paper and put them in some kind of container. Then, when you find yourself creatively stuck, draw an idea out of the container, and make it the key subject that you're going to photograph that day.

It doesn't have to be exclusively that subject, and it can be something that you 'collect' as you go about photographing other things.

When I began shooting around Melbourne many years ago, I remember challenging myself to photograph trams whenever I got stuck. To this day I will always come home with at least one tram photo, regardless of what else I was shooting that day.

6 - Photograph Anything You Find Beautiful

This probably already happens in the background without you being consciously aware if it - so make yourself aware of it, and actively seek out beautiful subjects to photograph.

People, buildings, animals, anything that makes you feel happy and positive inside, and makes you want to capture the subject from different angles.

It goes without saying that you shouldn't be creepy about it, so leave that zoom lens at home. Instead, follow my popular guide on How to shoot street photography without looking like a creep.

Alternatively, you can always approach your subject and ask if they wouldn't mind being photographed. Some may say no, but those who say yes, will instantly put you in a better mood and make you feel more creative. It's also a great way to build your confidence for future encounters.

Couple this with the third point (Shoot With a Smile On Your Face) and you will come away with a bunch of uplifting photos which you can use to help you get motivated to go out and shoot again.

7 - Shoot For Contrast

In the early days of black and white photography, contrast was king. Photographers didn't have the luxury of capturing the colourful vibrance of a scene, so they learned to see contrast instead.

One of the most popular ways was shooting during the midday, or mid-afternoon sun, when shadows were harshest or longest. This made for some striking images, and it's a style that has endured to this day.

Of course, it doesn't mean that you should only shoot in black and white, but you can if that's what you're into. The point is that if you only go out when the light is soft and beautiful, you will miss out on the experience of shooting in harsh conditions.

When you shoot for contrast, colour takes a back seat. In fact it is often a hindrance as shadows are already doing the heavy lifting for you. As such, embrace any harsh, long shadows falling over sunlit buildings or sidewalks, and try to capture the interaction between the two extremes instead.

If the photo doesn't feel like it's working because of there being too much unnecessary colour in it, then make it black and white in editing. You will be surprised how doing so, can transform the mood of a heavily contrasty image.

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Happy shooting!