Winter is hard for a lot of reasons, but for a creative, it can be the worst. Everything is grey and dreary and who wants to photograph that? In the winter or at ANY time year, you may find yourself in a photography slump. It’s normal. If you have been a photographer for any length of time, it has happened to you. Even me. But how do you move past it and find your motivation and creativity again?
5 Ways to Overcome a Photography Slump
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1. Shoot Something New
Sometimes, we are so quick to stick to what we know that it leads to being bored with what we normally shoot and uninspired. So change things up! If you usually shoot your kids, try architecture, if you usually shoot flat lays or still life, try street photography. Try something new to get those creative juices flowing again.
2. Rent a New Piece of Equipment
Sometimes, seeing things in a new way through our cameras is an easy way to get inspired! But rather than spend a lot of money to buy a new piece of equipment, rent it. Rent that mirrorless camera that you always wanted to try. Rent a specialty lens like a fisheye lens or a Lensbaby to see things in a new way. Services like Borrowlenses.com and Aperturent are perfect for this.
3. Try a Daily Photo Project
Shooting something every day can get your juices flowing! How long you actually shoot every day is up to you! Start with 30 days and go from there. Who knows, you may end up with a 365 project! An easy way to start taking a photo a day is to look for a pre-constructed list of prompts. You can find these on Pinterest or you can check out one of my photo-a-day prompts that happen in the spring summer fall and winter.
4. Take a Workshop
Learning something new can spark your creativity. I am/was in a slump myself and going to the We Wanderers retreat really helped to spark my creativity. There is something about focusing on what you love and being around like-minded people that is inspiring. And it can get your creative juices going again. You can find workshops online, in your local town or do like me, and go on a retreat like I did.
5. Take a break.
Put down your camera. Sometimes it’s the day to day that gives you inspiration. Sometimes the creativity is right there, but you are trying too hard. Be creative in other ways: draw, paint, weave, do yoga, travel. Live life! Do things that don’t have anything to do with your photography and you may find that your inspiration and creativity come rushing back.
When my photography slump hit me last year, it was hard. I still had to go out and photograph things, because it’s my job. But the fun was gone. I decided to just pick up my camera, whatever camera I had, and to just take a photo every day. A lot of those photos are just snapshots. But I’m beginning to enjoy it again and to actively look for beautiful things to photograph while being inspired.
So, what are you going to try to get past your photography slump?
Jemma
Wednesday 15th of April 2020
Taking a workshop seems to really kick start the creative juices! Never thought of renting a piece of equipment though, nice suggestion and thanks for sharing.
Chloe Summers
Tuesday 16th of April 2019
This is the first time I've stumbled upon a blog post that provides useful tips on how to overcome photography slump -- thank you so much LaShawn! Well, I am one of those photographers who experiences this and sometimes, I feel so disappointed with myself. It's really a challenge to capture photos when I'm not in my element and that happens during winter. Thank you so much for sharing this post, though. You gave me ideas, helpful ones, and will definitely try it over the weekend. Can't wait to get a hold of my camera. Keep posting!