Photography Friday: Inspiration for Your Imagination

I went to bed AND woke up this morning with my husband. I wanted to experience the night and morning as he does and so I took 2 Tylenol PM in order to be able to go to bed at 9:30 and woke-up with him at 5:30 a.m. I’m not so sure I’ve ever in my adult life woken up before the sun for no other reason than just because. It’s been nice sitting around this morning drinking tea, watching Oprah and catching up on emails. And, of course … it’s week 2 of Photography Friday! : )

Enjoy…

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The imagination exercises a powerful influence over every act of sense, thought, reason … over every idea.  [Latin Proverb]

I think as photographers we are always looking for our inspiration amongst other photographers. We’d be crazy not to learn from one another, but if it’s only from one another that we’re learning then we are doing ourselves an incredible disservice.

As artists we live, yearn and thrive off inspiration. What inspires us kicks our imaginations into gear. So, how do we consistently keep our imaginations fresh? How do we keep new ideas circulating (ideas that are ours)? How are we to walk into an open field with camera in hand and create art?

For myself, I am constantly trying to feed my imagination. It’s what I’m paid to do for a living. I have created a sort of library of ways to keep it reeling easily, spinning madly, and circulating freshly. I thought it might be helpful to share some of those with you today.  : )

[1] Music … It is the air I breathe. I like to listen to the harmony, melody and words and create movie-like scenarios in my head. I might listen to a hip-hop song and imagine a girl dressed funky, romping around a colorful downtown square. I might listen to a singer-songwriter sing about her favorite café in France and I imagine a couple sitting  over coffee enjoying the simplicities of life. I listen to a country song and I imagine an open field with tall grass, wildflowers and the sun set low. These things help me create scenarios so that when I’m actually brainstorming a location for a client I already have a library of ideas in my head. All I need to know is what kind of look and feel they are after. From there my ideas are endless.

*If ever you’re in need for a little music inspiration make sure to check out my actual blog (not through your RSS feed). I always have new tunes playing every week*

[2] Movies … If you do not have the money (or desire) to learn photography from an actual photographer then simply pay attention to the details in a movie. Watch how they frame shots – close-ups and wider shots. Close-ups to capture the eyes, the lips, the raw emotion. Wider angles to tell a story. Watch how they frame more than one person and how they use depth of field to guide your eyes to exactly where they want them to naturally rest. Pay attention to how they angle their camera. In each shot where is the subject? You can learn so much by watching just one 90 minute movie. Here’s a clip from Shall We Dance? with the best of two worlds … a story being told, scene by scene with a delicious song sung by Peter Gabriel [The Book of Love]. Warning: This clip has a tendency to invite tears out.

[3] Magazines … Here is one place where I wholeheartedly study the work of other photographers. The difference is I’m not studying the work of other photographers in my genre (or at my level – very important!). Instead, I’m studying usually simple shots that give me great ideas on how to utilize lighting, how to place my subjects, location ideas, and other creative ways to capture a scene or emotion. I subscribe to Elle, W and City and am constantly ripping out pages left and right. I also find loads of inspiration from J.Crew, Anthropologie, Sundance and Mini-Boden. Next time you are leafing through a magazine notice the ads. Note how they used light, how they placed their models and the locations where they did the shoot. You’ll be amazed at how much inspiration for your imagination can be soaked up with just one good magazine.

A few of my recent favorites spread across my living room floor…

[4] The Earth … Ahhh….isn’t she stunning? Everywhere I go every waking day I have my eyes peeled for a little kick in the imagination. I was at a park walking my dog on Tuesday and I was stunned by the lush green all around me. It is the same park where I did this shoot last fall…

…but now with the spring air and new foliage the green is bright and rich and clean. I was aching for my camera.

Likewise, I am always looking at the sky and the sun and where the light is falling and how it is affecting everything around. It‘s a great way to study the shadows the sun creates and how to best utilize the sun at different parts of the day (I’ll save this whole rant on lighting for another ‘Photography Friday’).

I am also constantly studying buildings – their shapes and sizes, colors and angles. I have a note on my phone with a running list of cool places to one-day do a shoot at here in Cincinnati. Many of my clients have their own ideas, but if ever they don’t I am ready!

[5] People … I love looking at people … how they carry themselves, interactions they have when they think it’s just the two of them, faces she makes when she doesn’t know anyone is looking. I like to watch people sit and read, drink wine, stand in line at the grocery store. I know I probably sound like the biggest stalker/weirdo, but I can’t help it. ; ) And, honestly – I usually only need one, 3-5 second look for my imagination to gets it’s jolt. I also get inspiration from what people wear – colors and layers, jewelry and hairstyles. I’m always getting ideas on what colors look good in what settings. Whether my client’s need the help or not, I have ideas. : )

I hope some of this will help you guys think of ways to give your imagination a good dose of inspiration!

xoxo,

jc