Photography Lesson #5: Inspiration from Life

Posted by Ryan  at June 15th, 2010

I am sorry to those who were looking forward to a weekly lesson plan, a lot of things got in the way of my writing and I wanted to unplug for a bit. With all apologies aside, I got some new photographs from my travels to share with you all. But this got me thinking. What should I write about in my newest photography lesson? Then it hit me, write about inspiration. Now, how do I give a lesson on that?!

Inspiration is the process of being mentally stimulated to do or feel something. Especially, doing something creative. You can ask any artist out there on why they created a piece of art, they will tell you what inspired them. But this got me thinking even more. What inspires photographers? It is an art form, yes? It is a way of capturing a person, place or thing in an artistic manner. Yet there are many forms of photography out there, just like there are many forms of fine art. So what inspires us?

This is a question that only YOU can answer. I can sit here and babble on and on about how to take the photographs. But the real questions to ask you are, why take the photographs? Who and what to take the photographs of?

My advice to you is to take what life gives you and capture it on film, or on a memory card if you are a digital photographer. My older brother found inspiration in doing a picture a day for a year project. He just took pictures with his camera, documented his every day life for a year. Life is too short to worry about things. Seek the pleasure in everyday life instead of worrying about the decisions. Though keep making the decisions that will help you and are legal!

Wherever you go, take your camera with you. Experiment with everything! Be inspired by life. Don’t sit around and wait for the perfect picture to come to you. Go out and take them. Make it happen for you. Go for a hike in the woods, a walk on the beach or take the road less traveled. You never know what you might find that will inspire you. The best part is. If you get a few great photos from your travels or just had a great time escaping, you accomplished something.

Just remember this. If life pitches you the curve balls, capture it on film. You never know when you’ll hit the Home Run. Keep shooting all!