No matter how long a photographer pursues their art, sooner or later, they can come across a creative wall that prevents them from taking their skills to the next level. Reaching a plateau with your art can be frustrating, and you can begin spending too much time coming up with different reasons why things aren’t working out. Instead of overcomplicating things, you should try a simple solution for finding the ideal perspective. Here are some tips from the pros to help you improve your photography skills.
Find New Perspectives
There are numerous ways to freshen up your perspective, and you will only achieve this by experimenting. This can be harder than you think, so it’s recommended to take as much time for this as you need. Try to get out of your comfort zone by taking pictures from angles you haven’t tried before. For example, shooting portraits from above is often far more flattering, yet so many photographers don’t even experiment with this possibility. Even standing on a small ladder can make a vast difference in finding a better angle. On the other hand, photographing nature may require you to lower the camera or lie down on the ground to take that perfect shot.
Look for Inspiration
Your sudden lack of creativity may be the result of you not finding enough inspiration for your shots. Try visiting different places that can help you get your creative juices flowing again. If you are an art lover yourself, studying the work of respected artists in a gallery or museum can be a great way to fall in love with art again. Take notes on the techniques that grabbed your attention and do a little research about what makes them work. If you usually find more inspiration in nature, you might want to visit a zoo and bring your camera with you. Try taking pictures of the animals in their natural setting, away from artificial objects to get the best results.
Golden Ratio in Photography
If your pictures fail to catch the viewers’ attention, you should simply find more attractive subjects to photograph. Looking everywhere around you, you will encounter items with a certain proportion of symmetry that makes them more appealing to the eye. This phenomenon is called the Golden Ratio and is present in things with both natural and artificial origins. In living beings, it’s believed to exist due to it being the more efficient way to save energy. However, the ratio has been inspiring artists to replicate it in inanimate objects like architecture and art for centuries. For this reason, gaining comprehensive knowledge about it can help you discover more fascinating subjects to photograph.
Build a Simple Portfolio
One of the easiest ways to build a simplistic yet creative portfolio is by picking a color and working around it for your principal theme. Trying to find interesting things to photograph in the color you have chosen is guaranteed to be a fun experience. Plus, it will make you step out of your comfort zone, and you may even discover subjects you haven’t thought to photograph before. It’s recommended to do this with one color first, and if you want to diversify your portfolio in the future, you can always move on to practice with multiple colors for various themes. Once you have gained enough experience, you can even experiment with enhancing colors when processing pictures.
Minimize Your Opportunities
You might be able to take hundreds of pictures, but taking them one after another actually dulls your senses. Next time you practice, try taking things slow, and waiting for the right moment, instead of shooting left and right. Limiting your storage capacity is a great way to ensure you won’t go overboard with the number of pictures you are taking. Since you won’t have a limitless number of photos to take, you will be forced to consider each shot. This way, there will be a much higher chance of you finding that moment of clarity that will inspire you to take your photography to the next level.
Whether you are pursuing professional photography or just shooting pictures for fun, finding the creative eye for it can be easier than you think. Feel free to try the tips from this article one by one until you find the one(s) that work the best for your needs. There is plenty of more information online about his topic – but mostly, it will take lots of experimenting and practice to improve your skills. You can also join a professional photographers club and learn from other members.