Looking for Idea's - DPChallenge Forums

03/26/2015 12:52:40 AM · #1

Hello All

I have been an avid lurker for some time and have found some amazing photographs from fellow photographers on here that have given me idea's on new things but lately I have felt a little...well bored of photography.

I think the problem is I have had bad panic attacks for so many years that it limits me to how far I can travel and take pictures so I am stuck in my safe haven around my little town and have taken so many pictures of the same things over and over again that I need more inspiration.

So I thought I would ask here, how do you all find or come up with new idea's on what to photograph?

I have looked on here, the internet and in magazines, lately I came across Lego photography which has boosted my interest but I am just a shutterbug and in no way a professional so my budget and gear is limited.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Message edited by author 2015-03-26 04:55:40.

rooum

03/26/2015 01:00:43 AM · #2

I always think a good thing to do is instead of thinking in terms of individual photographs start looking at series of photos and photo essays. Choose a subject and then take a length of time, a week, a month, a year, and work on that subject and see how it grows over time and how the images work together and connect. The subject can be anything of course. I'm currently working on a long standing project on the old quarry near where i live. The subject can be technical for example - slow shutter speeds, square crop, whatever.

Jules1x

Fujifilm X-T1

Fujifilm XF 23mm f/1.4 R

03/26/2015 02:09:47 AM · #3

Great suggestion Clive. I've been trying to wrap my head around doing one of those, but I keep making the mistake of thinking I'll wait till life slows down. Haha, life doesn't slow down.

Chris, have you played around with setting up scenes/shots on your dining room table? (In the US we have 'Dollar Stores' where everything is a dollar and sometimes the craziest photo can be created with junk from there, or food, or candy. My only light is a SAD light (winter light for to replace vitamin D that winter makes hard to find, also called a happy light). That light along with a headlamp or flashlight can work in interesting ways to light a dining room scene.

Tamron SP 24-70mm f/2.8 Di VC USD Canon Mount

03/26/2015 03:17:35 AM · #4

Wow as always on DP you have all been amazing with idea's, Thank you.

I have attached my latest instalment of idea's but I will certainly take on-board your idea's and I thank you for trying to help me out.

//www.dpchallenge.com/image.php?IMAGE_ID=1145278

Mike

Canon EOS-5D Mark II

03/26/2015 04:59:12 AM · #5

macro is always a good choice for photographing in a confined area, even if it is self imposed.

Tiny

Apple iPad mini 4

03/26/2015 05:02:39 AM · #6

This may seem like a silly idea but maybe you could enter a challenge here ?

A lot of the time ther is no need to travel far and it's fun.

Don't worry about really skilled people like myself, just go with whatever you are happy with.

nygold

Nikon D5000

Nikon AF-S Nikkor 50mm f/1.8G

03/26/2015 05:15:25 AM · #7

Great idea Tiny.

The stock photography challenge is perfect for an indoor shoot.
You could probably enter a lego image as long as we cant see a brand name.

BrennanOB

Canon EOS-1D Mark II

Tamron SP AF 28-75mm f/2.8 XR Di for Canon

03/26/2015 12:09:08 PM · #8

Granted the advice always given when you get bored shooting is to get out somewhere exotic and start shooting, but you can just as easily stay home and start thinking differently about shooting stuff close at hand.

If getting out of the house is a difficulty, cast a new light on what you have there. Literally cast a new light. I am wiling to bet you could use stuff in you home to set up a nice table top studio and instaed of focusing on having an amazing subject, work on making a straight forward subject be amazingly well lit.

A few desk lamps, some white paper to bounce light off, and you can begin.

Add some higher intensity work lights, some aluminum foil snoods, a few pieces of dark fabric to eat the light where you don't want it, a hand mirror to shoot a bit of light into a shadow, and the game just goes on and on. Sure buying a full set of studio lights and softboxes would make it more time effecient and look more "pro", but you can make light do anything you want if you have the time and are adaptable.

Do a bit of research on key, fill and rim lighting. Find a shot that you want to emulate, and reproduce that lighting setup on your table top. My current obsession is getting "Vermeer light" in my windowless garage using work lights and cardboard boxes to direct the light. It can get frustrating, but it is not boring.

tanguera

Nikon D750

Nikon AF-S Nikkor 17-35mm f/2.8D IF-ED

03/26/2015 12:24:12 PM · #9

I was also going to suggest giving "studio" photography a try. Not models necessarily, but learning about shooting stuff indoors, where you're comfortable. You can do anything - macro, abstract, pets, portraits, etc.

Yo_Spiff

Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark III

Olympus 12-100mm f/4.0 M.Zuiko ED IS PRO

03/26/2015 04:15:01 PM · #10

I've found that simply entering the challenges on this site makes me look at familiar areas in new ways.

I thought at one time I was being lazy by using the Fort Worth Stockyards (the local tourist trap) as my go-to spot for interesting photos. But what I eventually realized is that I have explored this fairly small area in ways that people don't usually see going up and down the main road. Every time I go there I am looking at it a different way for a different challenge topic. It also paid off when I led a WW Photowalk there and I was able to steer the group to unique spots they didn't know were there.

Message edited by author 2015-03-26 20:16:22.

vawendy

Sony Alpha 1

Sony FE 200-600mm f/5.6-6.3 G OSS

03/26/2015 05:26:59 PM · #11

I joined this site simply because I kept doing the same things over and over and felt I was in a rut.

Enter every challenge that comes around. It forces you way out of your comfort zone and gets you thinking in ways you've never thought of before.

Nikon AF-S Nikkor 28-300mm f3.5-5.6G ED VR

03/27/2015 04:15:29 PM · #12

Thanks again everyone.

I am able to get out of the house, thankfully my panic attacks haven't kept me housebound like some so I can travel around town and down to the river which is good, I will certainly look into entering some of the challenges here even if it's just to get valuable advice.

NikonJeb

Nikon D850

03/28/2015 06:19:22 AM · #13

Originally posted by AussieChris:

I can travel around town and down to the river which is good,

Rivers give you a myriad of subjects......time of day, angles, reflections, ripples & currents, flora & fauna......