I'm not complaining but it's just my 4th day and I'm already in need of inspiration.
I live in Hanoi. Now it's winter time, the weather is cold and rainy and the sun sets at 5pm. So it's quite hard to take a "correct" picture when you're all day long at the office.
So 365ers, what are your secrets? (especially the ones who post for the day a picture taken the same day)
Find inspiration in the office. A close up of the stapler, keyboard or chair leg. Try an unusual angle of something like the underside of a desk or office plant. Take a shot out of the window on the street below. People in the break room or at work on a project. Take a self portrait (selfie) in the mirror of the rest room or at your desk. Light fixtures, door knobs, elevator numbers .....all good subjects. This should get you started to seeing other possibilities. I hope it helps you and welcome to 365! ;~}
Keep your camera with you ALL the time! Take close up shots of things around your house. Take a picture of yourself, of your meals .... anything. Just take a picture. You'll get through the cold wintery days and find more time.
Don't give up - not every photo is going to be a masterpiece :)
You know, some of the best pics i've seen on here are of really ordinary things (staplers, toasters, mugs of coffee) just photographed exceptionally well! You could do an office theme and find cool ways of photographing every day things at the office in really cool ways...otherwise you can not worry about your dates (I never have) and take enough pics on the weekend to last you thru the week!
I like to browse arould the site for inspiration, see something I want to try, or maybe attempt to tackle the weekly theme. Most of the time, if I start snapping away, it develops into something else and creativity flows :) I try to have a photo every day, but do have the occasional filler.
I know everyone's job might not be so accomodating, but I do bring my camera to work every day. I'm hoping it will be a good excuse to take a walk during lunch. I've taken shots out my office window, or set up little still life composition in the kitchen, or shots in the parking garage.
live in Washington state.. and if it aint raining, then its pouring here.. and dark at 4pm , so I feel your pain..
Inspiration?
my son. he is full of life and has tons of toys all over the place.. if Im not stepping on them , then Im taking a photo of him playing with them.. or just them alone.
me.. Im always up to something and good for a visual laugh,
food.. good to look at and easy on the hips.
anything round the house in macro... a piece of string looks cool from the right angle and in macro.
and fine tune your editing ... look through your older photos that you are not happy with and edit the crap out of them...
if you dont have a edit program there are a lot of good ones you can download free...
hope this helps
oh and seriously get a water proof camera,, can have lots of fun in the rain that way..
what everyone else said, but also embrace the cold wintery days- some of the best monochrome pictures come from the snowy scenes of winter...and people like me who live in FL will love those pictures! Good Luck and stick it out!
I take my camera to work everyday too. We rush out the house at 7, and won't return until 5:30. Now that it is winter it gets dark so early I have very little window to take pictures outside, and I'm tired at that time.
You've got great suggestions, I go for walk in my lunch to take pictures, sometimes stop on my drive home to get birds lining up on street wires, dandelions, trees in a row etc. Otherwise, it's mostly things around the house after kids are in bed. As said before, anything can look special when taken from a different angle. All the best.
@1invisiblegrl@ikamera thank you.
You're right, I'll take my camera everyday to work and I'll embrace the cold winter (I'll see these grey days as my challenge).
@maeva I wish I lived in Hanoi. I am jealous! I was there in June and have completely fallen in love with Vietnam. You should go to Hanoi Rock City on the West Lake and say hey to my friend Bush who DJs there!! Looking forward to seeing your pictures :)
I live in Scotland so at this time of year we go to work in the dark, and go home in the dark. And it's usually raining to boot. Here's some of the ways that I cope:
- long exposures! I went on a long exposure frenzy a few weeks ago and they are such a cool way to get interesting nighttime shots
- Supermarkets, train stations, shopping centers, etc. - i've managed to get a few interesting night shots at my local supermarket and other public areas, thanks to their big bright lights.
- Capture the weather - if it's cold and wet, capture it:
And the 100% most important thing, as everyone has said, is to carry your camera everywhere! Good luck and welcome!
It can definitely be hard to get interesting shots in low light or darkness. I am always struggling with it. However, it really challenges you to think about things differently and look at them in new ways. I took a macro of my business cards last week. Look around your desk. You probably have more interesting items than you think you do.
the art of inspiration comes not from constantly trying to photograph new things but in trying to photograph every day things in new ways once you can do that the world opens up to you, when days are dark it is a time to start working on low light shots long exposures shadows and lighting and light trails there really is so much you can do just remember what is every day to you is brand new to someone else so try to make the people who see your photos experience what you see through your eyes
Think of the dark as a good time to work on improving your low-light or long exposure photography. It's also a great time to look inward for your inspiration, maybe playing with editing. Get close up and personal with your subjects.
One thing I recommend is to stand or sit and take pictures without moving except around in a circle. Take the pictures up close and take them of things far away but don't move from your location. This little exercise helps to see the opportunities that are right in front of you at any moment.
This is from the winter solstice, the darkest day of the year. It was very dark and also the best opportunity to show it.
I'm with @ukdanae ! not quite as far north but dark in the mornings and evenings. I work in a hospital, so camera at work not such a great option. I do have it with me at all times though in the car and in the office. The darkness has pushed me to try night time photos for the very first time and I'm loving it!
@maeva I'm so pleased you started this discussion, as I'm in the same position and was thinking the same thing! I started this project because I want to learn to take decent photos and I was already stuck for inspiration, but these replies are really encouraging :)
I'm now thinking I need to carry around a better camera than my camera phone, though...
After reading this I whizzed out to the supermarket, in the dark, in the rain, and got all inspired by the lights reflecting on the roads, headlights, even the reflection of the supermarket sign shining on the wet roof. Planned all my shots and reached for my camera.... to find I had left it on the desk at home. aaaaagh!
Rule no 1 - take a camera everywhere with you!
You will find beauty and potential beauty and interest and potential interest everywhere you go after a while, and will so begrudge the 'ones that got away'! If all else fails take a shot of some of your favourite things at home - play with/edit a shot you took before, go wild and try some mad editing and just see how it turns out!
PS When I got home I took a photo of some flowers I had bought for a friend! Thank goodness I didn't resort to the packet of frozen peas...... :)
@maeva something you also need to remember, something you see every day will be astounding to someone else who doesn't live where you live.
So don't worry about finding something 'exciting' because you won't need to. Just take shots of something that captures your eye and go from there whether it's a flower, a tree, raindrops on the window, water pouring out of gutters....it all looks different because it's from somewhere I don't live :)
@ukdanae Thanks for your advice! When I look at your pictures, there's no way one can complain about the dark. @egad Indeed you're right! Today I look at my pen pot differently (the texture is great, I'll probably take a picture of it) @asrai Thank you, I like the way you present this experience: "the art of inspiration comes not from constantly trying to photograph new things but in trying to photograph every day things in new ways ... try to make the people who see your photos experience what you see through your eyes" @dmortega thank you and I guess it's easier with a zoom than with a wide angle @bmnorthernlight I agree, this shot is really stunning! @wrongfooted Me too, and I did know we would receive so much good advice! @filsie65 Let's give a chance to the package of frozen peas! @voodoochild With all your advice, I now have plenty of ideas (for at least one month) whatever the weather and the time of the day!
Welcome! Might be a little bit of an echo in here to things you've already heard, but my advice would be:
1) Take your camera everywhere. Yes, everywhere.
2) Try closeups. In my experience almost everything looks cool close up, and as a bonus you can sometimes play a fun game of "name that thing!"
3) Not every day is going to be a masterpiece. Just take a photo of something. Your shoe. Your plate of dinner. ANYTHING.
4) Have fun with it, and don't stress too much. If you spend every day obsessing over getting a "proper" or a "perfect" picture, it won't be fun anymore
5) Don't stop, no matter what. Just. Don't. Stop.
I'm following you Maeva. I love that you're in Hanoi, your daily life is interesting to people because it may be very different to ours. there would be so many interesting things so close by. I'm really enjoying your pics. :)
I am also a newbie to 365 DAYS project.I am taking pictures everyday.Well i think you should set a theme for a week & follow it that would be much easy.You'll start thinking about it & have alots of ideas.Other thing is TAKE YOUR CAM EVERYWHERE!!! you never know you might hit by some really awesome ideas ;) so go head think alot, go crazy be wild!!!
Hi Maeva, i understand how you feel, it's very difficult to get a nice shot after a long day at the office. With that being said, you're in Hanoi!!!!! I was there around april 2011 and there was so much going on in that city. I think the problem is partly you take a lot of aspects of the city for granted (as i do with Melbourne). The old country section of the city alone is such a rich place for photography. There's the french colonial architecture of the massive mansions of the wealthy near the ho chi minh monument. and if i recall correctly, there are heaps of people living right up beside the train tracks.
If you're a bit stuck, either zoom into something and explore it in detail, or zoom out and look at the environment as a whole. there's so much hustle and bustle in that city it's insane.
anyway, i'm ranting. good luck and happy snapping!
Thank you everyone for your advice.
I think it's true, I should also start thinking "project" rather than "one shot".
And I probably take a looot of things for granted.
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Don't give up - not every photo is going to be a masterpiece :)
Inspiration?
my son. he is full of life and has tons of toys all over the place.. if Im not stepping on them , then Im taking a photo of him playing with them.. or just them alone.
me.. Im always up to something and good for a visual laugh,
food.. good to look at and easy on the hips.
anything round the house in macro... a piece of string looks cool from the right angle and in macro.
and fine tune your editing ... look through your older photos that you are not happy with and edit the crap out of them...
if you dont have a edit program there are a lot of good ones you can download free...
hope this helps
oh and seriously get a water proof camera,, can have lots of fun in the rain that way..
Thank you very much for all your replies.
You're right!
I'll try to focus on the small details and to go out for a walk every day for lunch.
I should find inspiration now with all your help :)
You've got great suggestions, I go for walk in my lunch to take pictures, sometimes stop on my drive home to get birds lining up on street wires, dandelions, trees in a row etc. Otherwise, it's mostly things around the house after kids are in bed. As said before, anything can look special when taken from a different angle. All the best.
You're right, I'll take my camera everyday to work and I'll embrace the cold winter (I'll see these grey days as my challenge).
- long exposures! I went on a long exposure frenzy a few weeks ago and they are such a cool way to get interesting nighttime shots
- Supermarkets, train stations, shopping centers, etc. - i've managed to get a few interesting night shots at my local supermarket and other public areas, thanks to their big bright lights.
- Capture the weather - if it's cold and wet, capture it:
And the 100% most important thing, as everyone has said, is to carry your camera everywhere! Good luck and welcome!
One thing I recommend is to stand or sit and take pictures without moving except around in a circle. Take the pictures up close and take them of things far away but don't move from your location. This little exercise helps to see the opportunities that are right in front of you at any moment.
This is from the winter solstice, the darkest day of the year. It was very dark and also the best opportunity to show it.
I'm now thinking I need to carry around a better camera than my camera phone, though...
Rule no 1 - take a camera everywhere with you!
You will find beauty and potential beauty and interest and potential interest everywhere you go after a while, and will so begrudge the 'ones that got away'! If all else fails take a shot of some of your favourite things at home - play with/edit a shot you took before, go wild and try some mad editing and just see how it turns out!
PS When I got home I took a photo of some flowers I had bought for a friend! Thank goodness I didn't resort to the packet of frozen peas...... :)
So don't worry about finding something 'exciting' because you won't need to. Just take shots of something that captures your eye and go from there whether it's a flower, a tree, raindrops on the window, water pouring out of gutters....it all looks different because it's from somewhere I don't live :)
@egad Indeed you're right! Today I look at my pen pot differently (the texture is great, I'll probably take a picture of it)
@asrai Thank you, I like the way you present this experience: "the art of inspiration comes not from constantly trying to photograph new things but in trying to photograph every day things in new ways ... try to make the people who see your photos experience what you see through your eyes"
@dmortega thank you and I guess it's easier with a zoom than with a wide angle @bmnorthernlight I agree, this shot is really stunning!
@wrongfooted Me too, and I did know we would receive so much good advice!
@filsie65 Let's give a chance to the package of frozen peas!
@voodoochild With all your advice, I now have plenty of ideas (for at least one month) whatever the weather and the time of the day!
1) Take your camera everywhere. Yes, everywhere.
2) Try closeups. In my experience almost everything looks cool close up, and as a bonus you can sometimes play a fun game of "name that thing!"
3) Not every day is going to be a masterpiece. Just take a photo of something. Your shoe. Your plate of dinner. ANYTHING.
4) Have fun with it, and don't stress too much. If you spend every day obsessing over getting a "proper" or a "perfect" picture, it won't be fun anymore
5) Don't stop, no matter what. Just. Don't. Stop.
Enjoy!
@monika64 Thank you.
or play with a fish tank!!
add some paint!
If you're a bit stuck, either zoom into something and explore it in detail, or zoom out and look at the environment as a whole. there's so much hustle and bustle in that city it's insane.
anyway, i'm ranting. good luck and happy snapping!
I think it's true, I should also start thinking "project" rather than "one shot".
And I probably take a looot of things for granted.