4 Ways To Increase Creativity In Photography

You don’t have to be a photographer to challenge yourself to be more creative with the photos that you take.

Perhaps you want to take more interesting and creative photos for your Instagram or Pinterest sites, or better photos for your Etsy shop. Or, maybe you just want to do something to spark your creativity for other projects. Whatever the case may be, here are four easy ways to increase creativity in your photography:

1. Do something new. Go to a new location or photograph something you’ve never photographed before. In a new location, you can explore around looking for unique patterns and textures. You never know what you may find out there. While you are out and about running errands, keep an eye out for these places. Perhaps there’s an old barn or an old factory that might spark some creative ideas. Then just get out there and shoot. (Be careful if you are in an abandoned place, and of course never put yourself in a place of danger.) But have fun doing this, and warning- it can be addictive!

2. Find Inspiration. So in our modern Pinterest world, we can find inspiration for days. Don’t seek to replicate the things you see on Pinterest, but rather find things that inspire you. That may be patterns, colors, the work of other photographers, or even other forms of art such as painting. Look for 3 things that inspire you right away and  see why those things draw your eye. Is it similar color schemes or maybe it’s the composition of the artwork. Really sit back and look at why you are drawn in. This can also tell you a lot about your personal aesthetic and can really help you to develop a personal style of photography.

3. Challenge Yourself. Go someplace you’ve been a thousand times and try to look at it with fresh eyes. It can be very challenging to be creative with something that seems very mundane. Yet, getting out there and trying will really challenge you to push yourself out of a rut that you may be in. When I do this myself, I find myself zeroing in on things and seeing them in a new way. Another way to challenge yourself is to take a different approach to your photography. Maybe you are used to only taking photos of other people, well I know this is a difficult task for most, but get in front of the camera yourself!

4. Start an art journal. Your photography can be influenced by other forms of art, whether it be drawing or watercolor painting, etc. If you are not experienced in any other forms of art, try something new. You never know what you may discover. Also, if you just really don’t feel like an artistic type of person, you can simply write in your art journal or collage things from old magazines. Really the idea here is to just get things out of your head and unto paper. Through art journaling you can discover things that influence you, things that draw you in visually, as well as discover new artists that you like. This may not seem like it can boost your creativity when it comes to photography, but I’ve done this for years and it really does help.

I hope these 4 things to increase your creativity in photography really spark something in you. Don’t be afraid to just use your phone camera or to use the camera you already have. If you would like to share your creative photos with me, feel free! I love to see what my friends and fans come up with.