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creatively crising


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<p>Hi,</p>

<p>On this forum and most other forums the dominating discussion is over technical aspects of photography. Do not get me wrong, I do find i fascinating debating different lenses or Nikon vs. Canon. Obviously Nikon!</p>

<p>My problem is different though. I have got stuck creatively. I bought my first DSLR last summer, less than a year ago. At first, I developed at the speed of a BMW with xenon lights approaching from behind on the autobahn (seen in the rear view mirror) at the speed of infinity. However, now I find myself stuck. I do shoot about the same stuff over and over (as you may very well see in my portfolio). Whenever I try something different, I am not happy with the result and return to what is familiar to me.</p>

<p>I do need a kick in the butt. Have any of you felt the same and how did you get to the next level. I am considering signing up for expensive workshops etc.</p>

<p>Please share your experience!</p>

<p>Thanks,</p>

<p>Jonas </p>

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<p>Go to new places<br>

Force yourself to use unfamiliar equipment<br>

Put restrictions on yourself that keep you from falling into habitual actions.</p>

<p>Better yet, consult Brian Eno's and Peter Schmidt's "Oblique Strategies":<br>

<a href="http://www.ultrapasty.com/oblique-strategies/">http://www.ultrapasty.com/oblique-strategies/</a></p>

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<p>This comes up a lot. I guess we all have the symptoms from time to time. One remedy is to get some books on art or photography that discuss creativity or composition. Usually lots of examples to consider.</p>

<p>Otherwise, write down on paper what you want to photograph and think of all aspects of that, that interest you. Build a few photo projects in your mind. Ernst Haas went out on an empty stomach and wouldn't come back in until he had gotten the images he wanted. Shoot things you very rarely do. If you normally shoot nature or very documentary things, shoot instead abstract images (details, out of focus, camera movement during half second exposure, odd viewpoints, low camera position, high camera, etc.). If you shoot sports, shoot flowers or kitchen utensils. Copy a photgraph of a well-known photographer (like Kertesz's woman on a couch in highly angular arm and leg stance, like Man Ray's portrait with little beads as tear drops on the face of a person). Then try to modify that with your own approach. Try flash as a secondary light source. Vary the flash exposures. Shoot portraits of persons from behind, or overhead. Plant objects in scenes to modify the mood. And so on.</p>

<p>You'll soon be on track. Either that or you will need to give it a rest for awhile. No problem. Read a good book. Go out for a beer with friends. Come back and let those experiences motivate you. Don't worry about the "shutterbug block". Everyone has been there.</p>

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<p>That was pretty good advice from all of you. I´ll go out and try some more tomorrow.</p>

<p>About the Oblique Strategies, I believe they work fantastic when applied to geniuses (Bowie Low) than to average guys like myself. </p>

<p>Thanks!</p>

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<p>I think the Oblique Strategies is simply a tool to derail the creative process and get you headed in a new direction. That can apply to average guys like us :)<br>

Try shooting things that you are passionate about.... hobbies, people, places, etc. Seek out people that interest you that you would want to photograph. I find myself bored if I'm shooting something that might be beautiful or yield a beautiful photograph, yet has no pull for me emotionally or conceptually.</p>

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<p>In addition to the other excellent suggestions (particularly Paul's suggestion to shoot subjects about which you are passionate)...</p>

<p>Buy something cheap that is completely different from the equipment you use right now, and don't let yourself use it for photographing the same old stuff in a different way. Maybe extension tubes for macro photography. Maybe $200 for a Zenitar 16 fisheye. Maybe some unusual filter (e.g. an ND400). Maybe even do something with film. Buy a Holga or an interesting antique camera! Playing with new stuff often sparks the imagination.</p>

<p>And then try totally different approaches. Ever play around with motion blurs? They're often dramatic and fun. Try dragging the curtain and using 2nd curtain sync in flash photos. Try panning moving people/animals/objects.</p>

<p>Just play. :-)</p>

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<p>That is one of the reasons I went back to black and white film. The effort of developing is not much compared to the effort of getting to interesting places and composing the images. Goofing off with different films and developers and exposures gived the same stuff a few years worth of experiments. </p>
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<p>Do you walk about thinking about your she laces. How to tie them.<br>

Take a break from thinking about equipment..<br>

Exercise your imagination with the skills you have. Shoot confidently with the tools you know.<br>

If you are shooting the same thing ...over and over..you know that the level you have achieved (in your mind) is not good enough.</p>

<p> </p>

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<p>Well, start with the beginning: ask yourself if this is what you really want to do. Have you taken up photography because it is cool like all your friends bought digital cameras and have fun shooting or you have something to say, something to show to the rest of us. It is usually something inside you that makes you take a camera and shoot as a way of life; it is usually a deep feeling, a thought or a state of mind that you want to convey when people look at your pictures. A good exercise is to look at pictures made by famous photographers and figure out what made them do it, what was the drive behind those pictures. Read some interviews with established photographers; many explain what their philosophy is and give information about their technique. You get to understand what makes their art unique. We all have low moments, just take a camera and get out, look around get inspired and shoot.</p>
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