Photo Inspiration

For those of you who live in areas where there is not much to take photos of, where do you find inspiration to go out and shoot and what do you find to shoot? I have the University of Notre Dame close by which is good for photos but gets old after i've been there 500 times taking photos. We have a few parks but again they get very old. I have a strong urge to go outside with my camera and enjoy taking pictures but I can't really find anything good to take picture of. I feel a need to get out and spend some time taking photos to have fun to keep me motivated for the weddings I shoot. Any thoughts? Thanks!

I find it's fun to just look for new ways to shoot normal, everyday things. It forces me to be more creative and "think outside the box". Of course I don't come back every time with gallery-worthy shots (it's actually the exception much more than the rule!), but it still exercises the mind as well as the photo skills.

take time to see out of the ordinary, just anything you see that has value that most fail to notice. its an art, takes time to develop ultimately pursuing that perfect moment to get that shot.

We have somewhat the same problem finding things worthy of shooting. But you are one step up on me. You earn money from wedding photography. There is no way I could do such a socially demanding thing. Have fun doing that, earning some money, and the rest will hopefully come with time.

I've been looking a lot at Flickr Explore on my internet-enabled TV. Lots of good inspiration there. Many of those pictures can be separated into different themes like colors, shapes, etc. Oh yeah, I forgot the wierdest theme: just plain lousy photos.

Good luck.

One word, Flickr.

unique one wrote in post #10764750
One word, Flickr.

Tried Flickr...didn't really give much insight in my area either. Most of it is Notre Dame or people taking pictures in their backyards lol.

How about picking a common or garden object before you go out and then go on a mission to photograph as many examples as possible.

Mail boxes are always a good one over here. Doors, gates, windows... You may or may not get any killer shots, but this sort of thing can lead to an interesting body of work when viewed in its entirety. Forces you to confront what are potentially dull subjects and think carefully about how you interpret them.

Another good trick is to stop looking at the big things and look at the tiny stuff - slap a macro lens on your camera and look more closely - textures, colour, corrosion and abstraction everywhere if you look.

If you want to take photos, there is stuff to photograph anywhere and everywhere. It's your job to make it interesting

I started a 365 project back in January with a view to taking better pictures and I live smack bang in the middle of nowhere, 60km to the nearest large town and 10km to the nearest town at all... I do live in an area of beautiful countryside although it is very flat and there are only so many sunsets and landscapes you can take as they all melt into one eventually!

I agree with what a lot of other folks have said and that is think small rather than big, the devil is in the details and I have found endless opportunities in flowers/weeds and insects as well as being a little creative with them... I could not afford a full on macro lens so bought a raynox DCR150 (Ithink they are around 40USD) and that has expanded the variety of my pictures immensely.

Good luck and keep looking

I am running into that problem too. I started my 365 in June and did good for a month and a half. I don't know if the heat got to me or what, but I have totally lost my urge to shoot. I have done the sunrises, the ducks, the swans( I live on a lake), I have tons of Lily, and wild flower shots. I think I am burnt out or what. I look at Flickr Explore nearly everyday, and see some really interesting shots, but for most, I think, I don't a model, or supplies used in the photo. Entrefoto, South Bend is my home town, and I only live 45 minutes away, maybe we could meet up some time.

Creativity, nature/nurture Two pages of posts on the subject. Read them all!

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