I love taking photos...I've got a Nikon D70s with a 18-70mm lens. I take it everywhere I go whether I'm going out for groceries, to work, anywhere. But I'm in a bit of a rut. I don't know what to shoot. I've taken lots of pictures of the pretty areas around town (lakes, trees, animals, etc) and I'm not sure what to shoot next. I would really like to get into people photography but I'm always afraid that if I do that and someone sees me, I'll look like a creep, you know? Or am I just blabbering here? ;p Any help?
Not sure what to shoot next..
- Thread starter hopefulphoto
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Think of a theme....hopefulphoto said:
Let say "lines"
For the whole week, shoot pictures compose with lines, you will challenge yourself to make the next picture looks different and better.
The theme is endless.
Thank you for the suggestions! 
I would like to expand my creativity I guess with photos. I'm so tired of taking pictures of snow, or trees, or my pets, etc...you know? I need something different - something more challenging! :sweat:
I would like to expand my creativity I guess with photos. I'm so tired of taking pictures of snow, or trees, or my pets, etc...you know? I need something different - something more challenging! :sweat:
Sion
Senior Member
hopefulphoto said:
Have you explored the close-up views of the things you've shot?
Or you can support the local modelling talents. There are so may of them offering their services in the studio/model shoots listing.
You could start by reading "On Being a Photographer" by David Hurn. He explains why your photography should support your interest in life rather than being your interest in life. Eg if I like music, apart from buying CD's and downloading iTunes, I should also take pictures of musicians, in concerts, in jazz bars, in gigs, maybe even in the studios, etc.
He also explains that you cannot wander around with a camera hoping to find beautiful pictures by chance, you have to make the opportunities yourself. Hoping to find something without knowing what will make you happy is a sure way to disappointment. For the music example above, I would obviously need to be informed about what's the latest gig in town, which artist is coming to promote his album, etc.
Once you have settled on what you want to shoot, then you can decide how you want to shoot it and what you want to say about it. Eg you can do a photo-essay about the challenges facing local bands. Once you have a theme, you'll know what you need to do (eg arrange appointments with musicians in their studios, interview them, follow them in their concert preparations, etc).
He also explains that you cannot wander around with a camera hoping to find beautiful pictures by chance, you have to make the opportunities yourself. Hoping to find something without knowing what will make you happy is a sure way to disappointment. For the music example above, I would obviously need to be informed about what's the latest gig in town, which artist is coming to promote his album, etc.
Once you have settled on what you want to shoot, then you can decide how you want to shoot it and what you want to say about it. Eg you can do a photo-essay about the challenges facing local bands. Once you have a theme, you'll know what you need to do (eg arrange appointments with musicians in their studios, interview them, follow them in their concert preparations, etc).
Alrighty! Thank you for the great suggestions. All of those suggestions give me a better understanding of what I can shoot next. Unfortunately, I don't live in a big city so I can't really take photos of events, or local talents, etc. Good thing is I will be moving in August to a big city so I'll have no more excuses to find subjects to shoot! ;p
Are you from another country? You sounds like you are living elsewhere now. I think there should be lots of photo opportunities even in a countryside. Try to capture some of the local flavour, you know like people working/shopping/playing etc or a series of some local scenery that will help to showcase the area you are living at now. What may seem mundane to you, may be very interesting to many others.
hopefulphoto said:
Sorry ?? you did say you dont live in the city ?
Where is the problem ?
Un fortunately, people go about life the same way each day and don't see what surrounds them.
Why not take a series of photo's of what you would like to show me about where you live?
I would very much enjoy seeing them.
Cheers.
I am located in Western Canada right now. I have gone into the countryside and taken a few photos of the flat land that surrounds our city. I would like to take a trip to the mountains sometime when the weather is much nicer but that probably won't be able to happen until mid-April.
Hey, you shouldn't be complaining. Here in Singapore, we have nothing much to shoot but yet we still find things to shoot.hopefulphoto said:
I went Victoria once and I was mesmerised by the sceneries of the Inner Harbour. There were just so many things to shoot there!! I was supposed to go Vancouver during that trip but missed it because Victoria was simply too enchanting. I will probably go there again!
Then again, I haven't experienced any winter scape myself so I can't comment much.. But come spring, there should be so many things that you can shoot.. Each season, the same place will look diffferent... In Singapore, it's the same all year round....
oh, by the way, i am not saying singapore nothing to shoot, just suggest a tour / holiday to overseas, and generally, most people will find lots of new things to shoot.
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