How to Find YOUR INSPIRATION For Photography

Getting bitten by the photography bug is great, as it opens up our creative minds to a world of endless possibilities.

When everything falls into place, photography becomes a wonderful, dopamine-releasing high which activates the ‘flow’ state like nothing else; turning hours into minutes, and letting us get lost on whatever creative journey our brain decides to take.

However, as is often the case, unless we constantly challenge ourselves with fresh and new ideas, we run the risk of turning our passion into a chore, and something that begins to feel more and more like hard work.

Remember that dopamine is something to which we develop a tolerance over time, requiring a bigger, or different ‘hit’, in order to reach that same level of satisfaction again.

Think of the last time you really enjoyed doing something only to start getting discouraged, because you had stopped making any meaningful progress, or it became too hard and was thus no longer fun.

Without constant stimulation and positive and meaningful progression, it’s easy to lose the desire to pick up our creative instrument of choice. It becomes a lot easier to look for reasons to do something else instead.

It doesn't matter what you shoot with. It only matters that you have fun while doing it!

So as a photographer, how do you find the inspiration to pick up your camera once you feel that you may have lost that creative spark?

I definitely can’t answer that question for you, as everybody’s photographic journey is different. I can however speak from personal experience, and give you a bit of an insight into what I like to do to stay motivated. I’m also quite sure that you’ll be able to relate in your own way.

For me, the solution took a bit of time and introspection, but in the end it hit me with an “aha!” moment. I simply realised that I needed to challenge myself with something that I’ve always been meaning to try, but felt that I wasn’t ready, or good enough.

So what does that mean?

Think back to the reasons which made you enjoy photography in the first place. I’m willing to bet that it was probably thanks to all the new and exciting potential you felt the very first time you picked up a camera.

You had no real starting point. You just imagined yourself going to new and exciting places, shooting awesome vistas, epic sunsets, beautiful weddings, breath-taking long exposures, discovering new insects or flowers and having them named after you - whatever – all at once.

Taking your camera to a local wildlife park can provide a great opportunity to photograph creatures which are a little more difficult to spot in your local suburb.

Over time, you tried out some, or all of these ideas, and slowly began to gravitate towards a select few which brought you a little more joy and satisfaction than others.

In my case, I gravitated towards street photography, because of the instant rush it gave me. It was also because I felt that I was naturally more comfortable with it, and possessed more knowledge and skill in that area at the time.

The key observation for me were the words “at the time”.

A lot of time has now passed since I first hit the streets with my camera. In fact, I was still shooting mostly film, as digital photography wasn't yet a thing.

I had obviously picked up many new skills since then. Photography is great, in that many of the skills picked up in one area, will often transfer across into another.

As such, you may be surprised just how much new knowledge you’ve gained while shooting one particular style of photography long enough. Knowledge which you can now apply to whatever genre you may not have enjoyed before.

Be it due to a lack of skills, opportunities, not possessing the correct gear, or simply for lack of trying it out long enough to see if it sticks.

Remember the first time you ever picked up a camera, and the entire world of photography was up for grabs? Every shooting style and every genre was within reach. You didn’t yet know which way your skills would take you. You just rode a certain wave, fell into the zone, and became ‘good’ at taking a particular path.

Now is a great time to question your own biases and try a new path. One which may not have been your first choice, but one you’ve always felt simmering away in the background.

You don't need to travel far to take nice photos. Your own yard (or your neighbour's) will often suffice.

Here are some tips to get you started.

Check your social media platform of choice, and see what kinds of accounts you follow, which happen to specialise in a genre of photography that is different to yours.

For example, are you a portrait photographer, but your Instagram Recommendations are strangely full of epic landscape photography instead? Perhaps there’s something more to that.

Take a look through your accumulated photography gear. Is there a piece of kit which you bought recently (or many years ago) that has been patiently waiting for you to use?

Maybe you once bought a macro lens but never really tried it beyond the initial ‘wow’ moment of seeing an ant, but realising that only its head was in focus.

Today might be the day that you realise you now know how to get the rest of it in focus as well!

I bet that like pretty much everyone else who ever upgraded from their first kit lens, you have a ‘plastic-fantastic, nifty-fifty’ lying around.

Unfortunately, you never really saw the appeal of using a prime lens, and quickly went back to using a zoom instead.

Maybe today is the day that you finally go out with the 50mm and see what you can shoot with it. I guarantee that you’ll be pleasantly surprised.

I don't think it's actually possible to take a 'bad' photograph in Tokyo.

Are you a working professional photographer who is stuck in a rut, but may be too busy to invest the time to practice a new skillset?

Try these.

If you’re a landscape photographer. You could try cityscape photography, and swap grand vistas for epic cityscapes instead. All of the rules are pretty much the same.

Studio portrait photographers could give street portrait photography a try.

Since you’re already comfortable with talking to people, you could ask interesting strangers if they would like their picture taken by you. If nothing else, it’s a great way to unwind and meet potential new clients.

If you’re a street photographer, you could try urban photography. It’s essentially the same thing, but on a larger scale. You’d still be capturing candid photos of strangers, but instead of street scenes, you’d be framing them against slightly larger perspectives and urban locations. You might also come away with fantastic new photos of your home town which nobody has taken before.

If you’re a macro photographer, you could try product, still life, or landscape photography.

You probably already know how to focus-stack, and naturally possess the patience needed to work on the perfect composition. As such, many of the skills you’ve picked up shooting close-up subjects are easily transferrable to these genres.

Concert, or event photographers can always sharpen their skills with street photography after sunset. You already know how to capture great moments in substandard lighting conditions. Why not challenge yourself by swapping the stage for a busy street instead.

These suggestions are obviously just the tiniest tip of the iceberg, as the list of potential ideas is pretty much endless, and completely unique to your own photographic history.

I would love to know what other tips you may have. Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below.

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Happy shooting!