Inspiration...

[FP]

I have a few of cameras (SD550, G10, 7D) and typically use them to take pictures of events and outings but never really spent much time shooting creatively and I find I lack the inspiration.

I have been trying to take a camera out for a few hours each weekend with the sole purpose to take interesting pictures. Anyone have any hints/clues as to how to find some inspiration? I check out photo blogs and such but am looking for a better method.

Thoughts?

 

[Flipped Gazelle]

I feel your pain. I'm not much of a creative photog at all. That said, I nearly always have the desire to shoot, if only because the journey is often as worthwhile as the "goal". My favorite kind of photography is wildlife... in some ways, hauling the camera around is really just an excuse to go tromping thru the woods.

Perhaps if you can make your camera an extension of something else you enjoy, you will find more inspiration. :hmm:

 

[alfa147x]

This is what I do when that time come, I carry my camera everywhere!
Even to class! For me when I have a camera in my hand I get ideas, but just sitting there and looking at stuff won't ever give me any useful ideas.

 

[whoiswes]

My short list:

Wildlife - wife works as a rehabilitator and educator, so I have pretty much unlimited access to birds of prey - call your local nature center and ask if you can take some portraits, most centers I've been to love the exposure and provided you give them a copy for their own advertising/fundraising have never balked. Again, that may be due to my wife's position but it never hurts to ask. Same with anyone who works with wildlife - just this past weekend I went on a hunting trip with a local falconer and got some great shots of his Peregrine falcon and Harris hawk in flight and with a kill. He was ecstatic when I offered him photos and actually was actively trying to accommodate my photography.

Zoos - see above, wife also worked at the KC Zoo for several years. I have several hundred photos, many behind the scenes or extremely close, of a variety of animals. Even if you don't know anyone, many zoos also have photo clubs that sometimes get special access to exhibits.

Weather - honestly, sometimes getting up early or staying out late will provide you with some interesting shots in normally "boring" locations. The landscape lit only by a full moon, clouds being lit from below by a rising sun, dew hanging off blades of grass as the sun is just beginning to rise...all of these things that I've tried or would like to try shooting. Corny maybe but if it sounds fun, do it.

Museums and galleries - anywhere that will let you take a camera, have fun. Many sites do not allow flash, so pack a fast prime.

That's all I can think of - I'm hardly an expert and am not that good but I enjoy shooting and when I DO get a good shot, it's worth it.

-wes

 

[angry hampster]

For me:
http://www.bobbyearle.com/

 

[jpeyton]

Browse Flickr http://www.flickr.com/explore/interesting/7days/

 

[VorpalBunny]

I'm glad I'm not the only one feeling this way. I have an itch to go out and shoot, but I'm at a loss on where to go what to see. Granted it's late Winter here in Northern Virginia and all the gloom isn't helping.

All around us are large wooded parks and wetlands that have been set aside by the county. They are large enough to hold some wildlife, but that wildlife is limited. I also know we have some wildlife refuges in the area. These are larger plots of land, but again, I feel these are hit and miss.

I don't subscribe to magazines, but I have found some UK publications to be inspiring. They come up with ideas that make me want to try out what they're writing in the articles. This is probably my biggest inspiration and best method to expand myself. I have not found any US publications and that's troublesome as the UK publications are a little expensive.

There are also local photography clubs and workshops in my area, and I'm sure you might have the same. They will plan field trips to botanical gardens, parks, wildlife sanctuaries, wildlife management areas, county fairs, etc.

On desperate occasions, I will sometimes pull up google maps and look around my area. But I have also done the online flipping through flicker thing like so many.

I'm not sure if I have answered your question, but I hope I generated some ideas. I've only been doing this for about a year. Good luck.