Hi everyone! I'm really new here.. like as of today haha. Hoping to learn lots and hoping I can keep it up for a year! I thought I'd say hello and ask something that always bothers me. So often I want to take some pictures, but I don't know what to snap. Does that sound stupid? Just sometimes I end up stuck indoors, or out on a miserable day or somewhere where I don't feel that generally inspired, yet I still want to take pictures and practise. I reckon this is gonna happen even more now I'm trying to upload a picture every day! Does anyone have any advice about this? Or do I just sound really stupid?! Thank either way haha xx
Hi Sarah and welcome to 365. Yours is a good question. I recently read an article about making extraordinary photographs of ordinary subjects. That is what separates good photographers from ordinary ones. So yes, use your creativity and imagination to photograph ordinary subjects in extraordinary ways! Good luck!
It isn't stupid at all. Anything can be turned into something interesting if you know how to portray it differently than you are used to seeing. I just put up a shot of a fork but how I chose to shoot it makes it become something interesting to look at. You have to learn how to change perspective. If you are used to looking at something by looking down, then switch and look to the side, hold it high, turn it upside down. Play, play play and don't overthink it When you put pressure on yourself to find 'the shot' that's when it doesn't become fun anymore.
You are in a situation where taking your camera everywhere is important. If you are not out of your house much, you will probably want to have it ready when you do go out. Now, if the majority of your pictures will be in your home, there are so many different things you can do, from photographing every doodad to trying every post editing technique you can get your hands on to keep things fresh. I know if you look at the whole place, you probably will not see much but look for the changes in the light, shadows, colors, shapes, etc.. Even food pics are fun and you can get pretty creative with that, too. The key is to look for the details. This is where you will find your inspiration.
Aw thank you everyone! Those are some amazing pictures :) I guess I really do just need to really look around me and get inspired. I'm looking forward to trying out new things, I've been needing a kickstart! xx
I am on month four. I have learned a lot about photography, but more importantly, I have learned to look at and really see what is around me. And I have a new found appreciation for the "ordinary" things that surround me. One suggestion would be to browse the photographs by tag. Pick some things that you feel are ordinary and then look at all the different ways in which 365ers have managed to portray that one thing.
Can't wait to see what you discover on your journey.
Its all about finding new ways to look at usual things playing around with angles and light, setting up compositions with stuff around the house look at still life paintings and see how the artist has set up their scenes and use it in your work. here are a few of the shots I have taken on particularly uninspiring days
also bare in mind that just because something is well known to you does not mean it is well known to everyone else :D
it is exactly what i did today. i didn't really know what to do today and just looked around my room for a few minutes and saw this pin that i got from my friend that moved away 2 weeks ago and thought it would be a nice way to relive some memories. Don't know if i'm abolutly happy with how the shot turned out though.
Sara, do you have a tripod? That really helps during those times when you're stuck inside. A light source is also nice. You can get some interesting shots just using a full spectrum lightbulb in a lamp without a shade. I took this back in 2007 with my powershot and a lightbulb: http://cagemom.blogspot.com/2007/05/day-nineteen.html
I don't know if its interesting or not but I was trying out a low key technique and I thought my daughters pink alarm clock would make a great subject!
Actually most of my pics are of uninteresting things.... I try to make them arty in a photograph. I'm therefore never at a loss for subject matter. It's all around me ;)
Loving all the pics here! As someone reasonably new, I would also recomend trying the challenges; even if you don't do them every day, they make you think about things differently. Try searching for "october-list" and see the things people are coming up with!!
@strachs I have this often, when i go out with my camera, look around, and dont see anything at all, what to snap, i start feeling desperate, but then always try to look at things from a different point of view, ie kneel down, or come closer, or different angle, or different light, and then then- im just surprised myself, that beauty can be found everywhere:)
I very often have a frantic rush about the house to see if there is anything that I've not taken a shot of! I think it's a great question and I think lots of us on here are in the same boat. A couple of my own:
I love looking for things around the house to photograph. Let your imagination run wild. Take several photos of a subject from different angles, etc. I like to use apps to edit a lot of my photos. It's amazing what you can do!
Everybody has this problem now and then, I think. But when you look around and focus on details or different points of view than you normally do, you will get interesting pics.
And it helps me not to want to make a very special pic every day. When you don't have that pressure you will have nice pics every day. Does that make sense?
It also helps to have a theme. You can participate the monthly list or give yourself a theme, like a number or a color.
Good luck!
Ah you guys are all amazing!!! Thank you so much, for the inspiration and the amazing photos!!
Can I ask what people use for backgrounds/surfaces etc in some of your pictures? Like ones where a plain white or black background has been used, do you have something specific/designed for the job or..?
Thanks again everyone! You're all amazing :) x
I'm very amateurish but I try to think about how I can make something mundane look interesting in the shot - perspective, lighting, processing, turning it into something else etc. and I use the opportunity to practice a lot of skills I'm learning on here.
So for example: Forks
and this one for an 'orange' day this month - doing a rainbow challenge
Backgrounds are rather an issue for me as every surface or wall in my house is particularly unsuitable and I have no photography equipment nor the time or means to acquire it. So I make do - I have cloth of various colours which I hang over things! Don't laugh but my recipe book holder often acts as a thing to hang the cloth over - as in both shots above or this one - a white pillow case.
Welcome, @Sarah! What great responses you have gotten here! I would like to share with you that for me, the biggest challenge and most rewarding and thrilling aspect of being a photographer is to see something in "nothing", to bring to light the beauty in everyday things which most people either miss seeing, or take for granted and to capture that in an image. The "advice" I would give to you is the something my amazing college photography instructor shared with me, over 30 years ago, and which has always stuck in my head: "It takes an average of 80 shots to get one "good" photograph", so strive to open your eyes, mind & heart to really SEE what is out there and surrounding you everyday, and shoot, Shoot, SHOOT! Doing so will develop an (your) eye for interesting, unique, emotion inducing images! (as will perusing the AMAZING ARRAY of creativity shared on this site!)
Most of all, relax, and HAVE FUN on your new adventure of creativity & self expression!
Here is one of my latest unexpected everyday image "finds":
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Scream for old tire rims
I am on month four. I have learned a lot about photography, but more importantly, I have learned to look at and really see what is around me. And I have a new found appreciation for the "ordinary" things that surround me. One suggestion would be to browse the photographs by tag. Pick some things that you feel are ordinary and then look at all the different ways in which 365ers have managed to portray that one thing.
Can't wait to see what you discover on your journey.
also bare in mind that just because something is well known to you does not mean it is well known to everyone else :D
http://365project.org/aspada/two-more
Oh and here is my office.
http://cagemom.blogspot.com/2007/05/day-nineteen.html
Or a slinky!
Coin:
Slippers:
Chess pieces:
RIng:
Bottles:
Hope some of that helps. 8)
Actually most of my pics are of uninteresting things.... I try to make them arty in a photograph. I'm therefore never at a loss for subject matter. It's all around me ;)
This is a 49p air freshener! Good luck!!
A Gerbera sprayed with water in a vase that is to big
Or a fork on a white desk with the desk-light behind it....
And outdoors... a piece of wire
simplicity can be the key ;-)
Door lock
The dreaded iron
A food strainer held to a window
Some cheap beads my grandaughter plays with
I have lots of pencils for the grandkids [and photos :D]
Car light bulb
Evidence of the party, lol
Packing foam from new PCs at work
Or with focus and repeating colour patterns:
Or with lighting and general processing:
And it helps me not to want to make a very special pic every day. When you don't have that pressure you will have nice pics every day. Does that make sense?
It also helps to have a theme. You can participate the monthly list or give yourself a theme, like a number or a color.
Good luck!
Can I ask what people use for backgrounds/surfaces etc in some of your pictures? Like ones where a plain white or black background has been used, do you have something specific/designed for the job or..?
Thanks again everyone! You're all amazing :) x
So for example: Forks
and this one for an 'orange' day this month - doing a rainbow challenge
Backgrounds are rather an issue for me as every surface or wall in my house is particularly unsuitable and I have no photography equipment nor the time or means to acquire it. So I make do - I have cloth of various colours which I hang over things! Don't laugh but my recipe book holder often acts as a thing to hang the cloth over - as in both shots above or this one - a white pillow case.
Most of all, relax, and HAVE FUN on your new adventure of creativity & self expression!
Here is one of my latest unexpected everyday image "finds":