Forget Vision - Get Yourself An Art Director

If you're anything like me, you find coming up with ideas and concepts for photographs difficult. I sometimes like to think of myself as a more documentary style photographer, but the truth is that my photographic vision and imagination leave a lot to be desired.

The key to a great photograph is often a great story, a different angle or an interesting subject, but more often than not I'll stick to the same standards of "things that catch my eye".

This bothers me. I've tried to come up with unusual or captivating concepts, but my artistic muscles are atrophied and are going to need a long rehabilitation.

My cure for this is to take inspiration from the professional world of photography - magazines and advertising agencies do not look to photographers for the style and content of the images they need, they employ artistic directors for that.

The Art Director of a magazine for example will decide on the look and feel of a publication. They'll hire photographers that they know will come up with the images the Art Director needs. The AD will supervise photo shoots, adjust the proceedings accordingly and ultimately be responsible for the finished product.

I'm not saying that we all go and hire an art director, you'll probably find that you've got one or two in your house right now, even though they might not know it. That's right, I'm talking about your wife, partner, kids, relatives and perhaps even friends.

The next time you're pestering your teenage son or daughter to be your subject, ask them what type of photo they'd like. Get them to show you some examples from magazines and the web.

Ask your wife or husband what type of photographs they'd like to see from that family party or the grand-childs visit.

When you're on holiday ask your family what photos they'd like you to take (don't accept "none!"), or even if you going out by yourself, ask for ideas on where and what to shoot.

Don't stop there. Show your edited images, and make adjustments if they don't like them. Treat your family like clients and you'll start to understand how tricky it can be to deliver someone else's vision, but also how rewarding.

So, there we have it. Forget your vision and fire your imagination with someone else's ideas, you might be amazed with where it takes you and what you come up with.

Cheers, Rob.

Leave That Memory Card In The Camera!

If you're like me after a photo walk you'll get home, put the kettle on, then rush over to your computer to download your images.

While sipping on a mug of instant, I will be going though the shots, picking my favourites and then I'll dive into editing. I won't stop until I have post processed the photographs and then uploaded them to Flickr.

The problem with this approach is that often I'll bypass some photos that a few weeks later I really appreciate, or some of the images I've shared I'll come to dislike.

What I've found is that (like you have to with film) if I leave the photos alone for a few days, that emotional attachment to some of the images fades, and I can judge them more dispassionately.

This has led to more "keepers" from walks that make it into my sideshow, and leaves me with more photographs that I like.

What do you think? Leave that card in your camera for a day or two, and see how it changes the photos you choose to share.

Thanks, Rob.

Top 10 Tips To Develop Your Photographic Impusle

Following on from this weeks podcast, here's my top ten tips to help develop your photographic impulse:

1. Obviously have a camera with you all the time, but why not try and take your main camera, your SLR, bridge of compact? Then you can shoot before work, at lunch and on the way home.

2) Trust your gut, If you see something that catches your eye, get your camera out and shoot.

3) Work your subject. Once you start shooting, don’t stop after a couple of frames. Start wide, then get close, Work the angles and the portrait / landscape orientations.

4) Keep looking around for other subjects, don’t spend your time chimping at the back of your camera.

5) Listen to others for advice about where to shoot.

6) When you’re out with others, like your wife or partner, encourage them to look for interesting things and to tell you about great things to shoot. Follow the ideas up, even if you don’t find the subjects that interesting to start off with.

7) Look for great sunlight. if you see blue skies and white fluffy clouds, chances are it will be a good day for photography. get out there!

8) Make a list of local places to shoot.

9) Keep a careful balance of photography and having fun. don’t burn yourself out, or sicken your loved ones to it...

10) Remember that great photographs are out in the real world, not in front of a computer screen.

Thanks, Rob.

The Never Ending Photo Project: Your Town

There's no denying it, rather more often than we'd like, we run out of ideas for subjects to photograph. It could be that you've finished your photo projects or have just lost interest them. It could be that you're feeling jaded, tired and deflated. Fear not. There's a world of different photos right under your nose, your town.

I can hear what you're thinking. Surely I'm joking. You'd be rather be out in the countryside taking beautiful landscapes, or in the nearest city shooting street photography. You may even believe that you've exhausted your local environs, but trust me, you haven't, there's still plenty more to explore.

The beauty of really getting under the skin of your town is that it's close, and therefore fast and cheap. You won't have to travel miles to get started, and you can make the most of any free time to get out there and shoot. You'll already know your way around, but there will still be plenty of corners that you haven't yet explored, and if you consider different times, seasons and occasions, there are many, many more permutations to discover.

You could start off with Google Maps. Find where you live, switch to the satellite view, and have a good luck around. Note any interesting locations that you didn'y know about, then go and have a look at the next opportunity.

Keep your eye on local publications and websites. What interesting events are coming up? Fairs, processions, sports, demonstrations, etc. As the seasons come and go familiar locations will change their look and character, and remember that the infinite variations in light throughout the day will add even more fun to the mix, and I haven't even discussed night photography.

So if you're feeling at a loose end about your photography and need some inspiration, put on those walking boots, grab your camera bag, open your front door and explore your town. Good luck!

Cheers, Rob.

You Don't Have To...

You don't have to...

Shoot amazing photo's with your phone.

Buy an expensive DSLR.

Shoot film.

Process your images as HDR.

Have a bag full of lenses.

Get explored on Flickr.

Get paid for your photographs.

Use off camera flash.

Get up at the crack of dawn.

Subscribe to a thousand photography blogs.

Read a hundred photography books.

Subscribe to a dozen photography magazines.

Become a Super-star.

Shoot RAW.

Be successful when submitting to stock agencies.

Take hundreds of photos a day.

Be able to walk up to complete strangers and ask to take their photo.

Have an expensive tripod.

Have the sharpest lens.

Have the longest lens.

Understand how your camera works.

Know all the photography masters.

Know the history of photography.

Know the Rule of Thirds.

Have your work in a gallery.

Get a hundred comments on every photo.

Shoot in, or convert to, black and white.

Become an expert with video.

Go to exotic locations.

Know what manual mode is.

You don't have to do any of those things to take great photos and have fun with photography!

Cheers, Rob.