Chasing Creativity: ways to spark your imagination during a drought

For me, photography is all about the gasp. That split-second audible reflex when your viewfinder captures what your naked eye almost missed.

Your pulse quickens. Your shutter releases. Time stops.
And then you breathe again, this time with a smile.
It’s a rush I’ve chased since the day I held my first SLR and secretly declared myself “an artist.”
Decades later I have to admit — I don’t gasp from behind my camera as much as I’d like.
Instead, I’ve allowed function, formula, technique and deadline to drive the lion’s share of my image making. I’m often shooting to deliver a product or result, and less frequently to express unique perspective and creativity.
Then a spectacular day comes along and I head out for a fun photo adventure — but am shocked to discover I can’t summon the “creativity muse” on demand.
When I sense I’m becoming outcome-driven and need to reinvigorate my creative soul, I “chase the gasp.”
I shake up my routine by changing my approach, embracing some challenges, adding limitations and reestablishing the goal.
No doubt you already know the value of most of the disciplines listed here. But maybe you’re like me and could benefit from a reminder.

This shot happened during one of my "do the opposite" moments.

1 — Do the opposite

Remember the old Seinfeld episode where George had such bad luck with every gut-level decision he made, he decided to “do the opposite” and see what happened? Sure enough, by going against natural instinct he got the girl, got rich, got a job and changed the trajectory of his life (until the end of the episode).
Try that with your photography “sweet spot” for one outing and see how it shakes things up.
Love to shoot landscape panoramas? Try high school sports or marching band competitions. Approach the event like an NFL photographer and capture action, passion, athleticism, teamwork, victory and defeat.
Love to shoot nature and wildlife? Try your hand at street photography and capture mostly people, poverty, busyness, confusion, recreation, slices of life. Or take a stab at equine dressage or dog agility shows.
Love portraiture? Why not look for personality in urban and rural architecture, junk yards, construction sites, farm equipment?
Love astro-photography? Try macro. Lens ball. Classic car. Commercial product. Event. Humor/satire. Anything new and challenging.
Whatever you usually do, try the opposite and see how it stretches and informs your overall perspective and process.

I captured this bluejay on my "backyard lawn chair tour" this summer.

2 — Limit yourself

Limit your location. At least once a year I like to do an impromptu “backyard lawn chair tour” and photograph as many things as possible in 15 to 30 minutes without moving from a single location — in this case, a seat in my garden. It forces me to look hard for vignettes and unusual subjects and “make something out of nothing.” I pick an early morning or evening golden hour to spice things up. It can be any location inside or outside, and you’re certainly welcome to show up in my garden. Sonnenberg would be a pretty wonderful setting, too.
Limit your gear. One camera and one lens. Period. What magic can you make in an afternoon without a backpack of extras? This is a great way to find out. And remember, you’re not selling everything on eBay for all time, you’re just leaving the house without every single gadget, lensball, extension tube, gorillapod, reflector and filter packed in your vehicle this time.
Limit your shutter releases. Remember your days of shooting film? Harken back and limit yourself to 12 or 24 frames ALL DAY. Then choose ONLY THREE of those to share on social media. This will force you to think and plan before firing off 20 or 30 shots of the same subject from slightly different perspectives. It’s a tough discipline to practice, even once. But it gives great insight into how thoughtlessly we can rattle off a series of “free” digital images that will be deleted the instant they hit your computer monitor.
Most important, it will lead to well-conceived, well-composed, purposeful captures.
Give yourself only one or two options and force yourself to be creative within those arbitrary boundaries.

Yeah, it's a pine tree.

3 — Work the scene

Not to be confused with “limit your location,” this means you should examine your selected geographical area, maybe 30 to 50 square feet, like a forensic scientist. Explore every square inch of your scenario up close and from a distance, from every angle and perspective, with every shutter speed, depth of field and creative technique you can dream up. This re-trains your eye to see what it may normally gloss over.
I “worked the scene” when I visited my Mom’s childhood church camp this summer and she was reminiscing about the old days with friends. Some pinecones drenched in sunlight caught my eye, but my captures were uninspiring. So I twisted the camera during a longer exposure and love the intentional camera movement (ICM) image that resulted.

This is the panorama I shot. But there was another dramatic view right behind me. I missed it. 

4 — Turn around

I recently re-learned a hard lesson during a night shoot on Ford Street Bridge in Rochester. With my sights set on the dazzling cityscape to the north, I shot frame after frame of long exposures, painstakingly searching for crisp focus, smooth water, starburst street lamps and minimal noise. I remember grumbling about the tremors caused by a constant stream of cars and trucks drag racing across the bridge a few feet behind me.
Unfortunately, I blew a great opportunity. Had I just once turned my head 90 degrees, I would have seen and then captured the strength of the bridge’s riveted pony trusses against a blaze of headlight and taillight trails.
I’ve learned as a photojournalist never to leave a location or vantage point without first turning full circle to see what I may have missed. That’s when I’ve discovered that sometimes it’s not the fireworks that are most captivating, it’s the reflection of light on onlookers’ faces that tells the story. It’s not the crowds gathered for a 9/11 remembrance ceremony, it’s white-gloved hands clasped behind the back of a uniformed first responder. 
It’s not the spectacular sunset to the west, it’s the golden light washing over tall pine trees to the east.
You’ve been surprised, no doubt, to discover something magical happening right behind you. I have too, but I still got distracted and forgot to turn around on Ford Street.

5 — Think abstractly

On the hunt for fall landscapes, it was only when I moved in close that things got exciting.

A sure sign my creativity is at a dangerously low level is when I catch myself thinking and shooting too literally. Our recent Guild challenge, “where lines meet,” was a good example. My uninspired Liberty Pole image was technically on theme, but nothing I’ll need to look at more than once. It lacked passion, dimension and nuance.
So when I find my images are getting “too literal” — usually after covering a string of events and news stories — I shake off the cobwebs by photographing a concept or abstract idea for a day or week. Not exclusively, just purposefully.
If I typically capture landscapes, sunsets, wildlife, events, portraits, etc., I’ll choose to make images that evoke something intangible like power, passion, strength, vulnerability, regret, hope, compassion, anger, forgiveness, celebration, etc. My go-to subjects may be in the mix, but only if they depict my targeted concept.
This exercise is more about shaking up what happens inside my head pre-shutter release. And that’s never a bad thing for creatives.

6 — Create a collection

Curated images fall under the heading of pure fun and borderline obsession. Your job, should you choose to accept it, is to photograph as many images on one theme as possible. Take as long as you want, with the goal of assembling a quirky montage, e-gallery or small book. Random ideas include midnight snacks, smiles, barns, musical instruments, hand written notes or grocery lists, modes of exercise, guilty pleasures, collectables, half face portraits, creative self-portraits, frozen bubbles, bugs, classic game pieces and boards, shoes, childhood toys, hobbies, historic tools or memorabilia, etc.

7 — Learn something new

One last, obvious, obligatory suggestion for getting your creative juices flowing: take advantage of free online groups, forums, tutorials and e-magazines. You don’t know what you don’t know, and exposing yourself to quality instructors and the work of peers will stimulate your appetite for learning. My favorites include but are not limited to Digital Photography School, Photoshop Training Channel and David duChemin. There are so, so many more.
If challenging yourself is good, challenging yourself alongside a partner is better. Imagine the benefits of two or more photog friends tackling the same goal at the same time — mutual encouragement, inspiration, motivation and accountability.