I have had a few people ask me recently where I get my inspiration and how I keep learning new things when it comes to photography. With my boys changing and growing every day, there is always something to inspire me. Taking images of them will never lose its appeal, but my creativity definitely ebbs and flows. The photography community online is so amazingly supportive and there is always someone to talk to or something new to explore. In particular I am part of a small group of photographers that I now consider some of my best friends, and a few of them led me to some ebooks last month, both of which were big inspirations for me. So if you’re looking for something to spark your creativity or a gift for the photographer in your life, check out the links below.
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Week 45:
I tend to avoid harsh light. I don’t feel confident shooting in such harsh situations because I don’t ever think the light provides enough detail for the story without casting harsh unforgiving shadows on my subjects. In November I purchased two photography related books which kind of sparked a bit of creativity in me. One was Everyday Composition by Karen Osdieck, and she really got me thinking about lining up my shots, using my environment to frame, and the way your eyes travel through images to read the story. Now Gryffin follows Archer everywhere, and Wilf is usually not far behind. When I saw them all sitting in this patch of harsh light my instinct was to leave it and not grab my camera, but then I saw the lines, the way they were frames between the door and the counter top, and how the shadows fell off to the right, and I went for it. Are they spectacular images? No, but it was a first step out of my comfort zone.
Literally all I have been seeing after reading Karen’s book is lines, frames, reflections, and compositions. Our Monday night routine at the arena was not a let down…
Week 46:
Another book I read in November was Stories of Home by Kate Densmore, and one of her exercises was to try to tell a story in one image, and then in a set of 5-8 images. So one morning while Gryffin was napping and Archer wanted to paint (in his underwear, obvious, because that’s how he rolls), I gave it a go.
The story in one image:
And the story in 7 images:
One of my goals for 2017 is to be more intentional when shooting, and capture more variety in my image sets. This exercise from Kate really inspired that for me..
Well anyway, I hope that answered some questions for a few people, and if it was boring, at least the eye candy wasn’t too bad, right? 😉
Cheers,
B
