Suggestions on what to take pictures of :-(

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c.bowley2

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Hi All,

Ive been around a little bit and i have been collecting my gear over a couple of years now, ive posted some pics in the past for critique etc in motorsport, my dilema i keep finding myself in (which is why maybe i do not suit photography) is i do not know out and take pics of. I enjoy motor sports but this is always weather depending. apart from this i have very little experience of anything else, i've took pics at parties etc and have done a few corporate events but i'm purely an amateur in every sense :-).

my gear is a Canon EOS 50d
i have
sigma 70-200 f2.8
Canon 17-85 USM
50 f1.8
430ex II flash
tripod,monopod
2x tc
currently have access to some macro extension rings and a led light

generally i guess people have family kids and pets etc around the home, i do not have this,
im not afraid to go out anywhere and get around, (this doesnt help the rain situations mind) but struggling to think of what to do.
Can anyone offer some suggestions, i know this is always a tricky question and it comes down to interests etc but at present i want to find some things to try and practice and get some skills/experience with,
Maybe venture in and around clubs
Night time pics

any help welcome and thanks for looking/reading (if you read it:-) )
 
scott199 said:
Wow that really is a list :)

But some really good ideas,
Click to expand...


c.bowley2 said:
Thanks for this appreciated, how long you been snapping for?
Click to expand...

Only about a year, but I started to get bored and couldn't think of things to photograph so I managed to put together the list based on the following thread started by Matty http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/threads/a-z-of-inspiration-list-of-themes.30760/ so all the credit needs to go to the guys and girls that posted on there.
 
I'd say do a bit of everything and try to have fun while doing it rather then try to find your "thing" you will know when you
find it.

You can take some amazing nature shots with the extreme dof of your 50mm

Hook up some people for tfp's and take portraits, also works with the 50mm

it's dangerous to start thinking like you do now, I'm sure you can have tons of fun
as a photographer you just have to explore it, things that feels like it's not for you
can be really fun once you have tried it.

And most Important, it's taking photos that makes you a better photographer nommatter what
the subject is. :)

I never thougt I could be a portrait photographer now it's my job.
 
nondani said:
I'd say do a bit of everything and try to have fun while doing it rather then try to find your "thing" you will know when you
find it.

You can take some amazing nature shots with the extreme dof of your 50mm

Hook up some people for tfp's and take portraits, also works with the 50mm

it's dangerous to start thinking like you do now, I'm sure you can have tons of fun
as a photographer you just have to explore it, things that feels like it's not for you
can be really fun once you have tried it.

And most Important, it's taking photos that makes you a better photographer nommatter what
the subject is. :)

I never thought I could be a portrait photographer now it's my job.
Click to expand...

I know i am willing to do i think anything at the minute but im just having a hard time figuring out what is all, for instance i enjoy picturing motorsport this poses a challenge too. Like for instance id go out now and get some images of... oh thats the problem i dont know what of :-( .. the list above will offer some help then i guess just trying to be creative thing of new idea and takes on things.

what do you mean by hook up people for tfp's ?

i dont think of it like work though and as for doing it as work... maybe one day in the future but its not something im thinking of right now. For the time being it is fun, well when i figure out what to do where to go :-)

thanks for reply
 
c.bowley2 said:
what do you mean by hook up people for tfp's ?
Click to expand...

I mean find some amateur models and do some photoshoots, it's fun! :)

another tip is to always bring you camera, that way you will be able to
take photos when you see something you want to shoot. You don't have to
bring all your gear.
 
What interests you? Do you have a garden that you could photograph? How about some unusual angles on fruit and veg (see what e.g. Edward Weston did with peppers)? Do you have a local park that you could photograph? Really, what sort of thing catches your eye when you are out and about?
 
Take the 50D and the 50mm.. nothing else and go for walk.

The problem with GAS is that it leads to indecision. The more options you have, the less you know which you want to choose! So stick a prime on the front and go see what you find.
 
Why not undertake a project - like a 52 or 12 ? - 1 shot per week or month (or 365, 1 per day if you are fancy...)

You can follow one that others do or choose your own - You could choose to do your own 52, starting with the letter A for week 1, B week 2 etc (start over from week 27), pick an object / subject beginning with the letter you're on and take some photo's. You can make it more interesting by using 1 lens only - say 50mm, which gets you thinking about the shot more...

Hope this is of some help ...
 
Why not shoot what interests you?

What else are you interested in? Stop thinking of "targets" or objects or places.... you're just waking around recording things.. think of something you can create a project about. A longer term, study, photo essay or body of work on.

What else are you passionate about? Go shoot that, but not with making pretty pictures in mind... but to say something about it.... to educate someone else about it.... to reveal stuff about it no one else realises.


When was the last time you researched? I don't mean looking at other pictures on flickr or in here, but actually researched a subject and see how others have tackled similar subjects.
 
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Open a dictionary at a random page. Start at the top left and I'm pretty sure that by the time you reach the bottom right you'll have found something to shoot. It's possible that there won't be anything, so turn the page!
 
Look through your existing photos and see if any subject matter predominates. If it does, work on that/those in a concerted way as the Pookeyman suggests.
 
Don't think about what to photograph. Instead think, I want to go out and find a great photo. Go to all the places you've never considered and then randomly go off track.
Wander slowly, look hard, see everything framed and don't press the shutter till you've found something that inspires you, then stop, study and think how best can you frame and expose it.
 
Look at other peoples shots and note those that you really admire. Then go out and try to get similar shots. If you get disappointing results, that is your cue. The challenge to try to solve those issues. Enjoy the learning experience and see your work progress.
 
If you are into Motorsport then try getting some other shots of cars... pop into the local 'performance car' dealership and ask if you come in and take some photos of their cars? Even better try and get into the service centre so you can take pictures of the insides? You may be surprised by how may people let you in...

Or find a bunch of 'youths' with their pride and joy cars... offer to take their photos... They get some great images and you get out with the camera :)
 
Maybe it should be less about WHAT you photograph than HOW you photograph. If you relax about your object-centric approach, and, go out to hunt for LIGHT ITSELF, maybe it will come to you.
 
Forbiddenbiker said:
Wander slowly, look hard, see everything framed
Click to expand...

On which subject, you might want to put the macro extension tubes on (presumably with either the prime or the short zoom) and wander around very slowly having a look at things, framed. The world looks different at the smaller scale (where I do most of my photography), and there are subjects and scenes there to find that you don't notice until you look at that scale, through the camera.

As you are using a dSLR you may need to take photos and chimp to see how little scenes will look. My cameras are live view only, and I can get a good idea of how a scene will look as soon as I half press the shutter button. Assuming you won't be using live view then this wouldn't be practical for you, hence the need to actually capture images and look at them. (I prefer to work with natural light, but I have to chimp when using flash because the effect, especially on backgrounds, is so unpredictable.)

Forbiddenbiker said:
and don't press the shutter till you've found something that inspires you,
Click to expand...

This may not be applicable in this case, as explained above

Forbiddenbiker said:
then stop, study and think how best can you frame and expose it.
Click to expand...

And in this case as well as thinking about it, try variations and look at the results. For example of aperture and camera position/direction. When working on the small scale very small changes in position/direction, and changes in aperture, can make a huge difference to how an image looks, especially the backgrounds, which IMO can make or break a picture. And as to apertures, don't worry about "sweet spots" for sharpness. Try apertures from largest to smallest; dof differences can outweigh sharpness issues in the overall look and appeal of an image.

If you are using flash with small scenes then you may also want to try variations of ISO/shutter speed to see the impact on backgrounds, which can be very significant too. Don't worry about sticking to low ISOs for optimum image quality. There is more to a nice image than a lack of noise when pixel peeping, and if noise becomes visible at the final viewing size you can reduce it. Here too, the overall impact of using a higher ISO may outweigh any loss of detail/sharpness caused by noise reduction, even if you have really bad noise but selectively reduce it in the background, which is where noise is generally most noticeable.

Another variation to try with flash is flash exposure compensation so you change the contribution of natural and flash illumination. This too can make significant differences to how a small scale image looks.

droj said:
Maybe it should be less about WHAT you photograph than HOW you photograph. If you relax about your object-centric approach, and, go out to hunt for LIGHT ITSELF, maybe it will come to you.
Click to expand...

Indeed so, go hunting for scenes without preconceptions about what you are looking for. (Almost all my photography, especially of small things, is of the "point the camera at things and see what it looks like - and then try variations" type of approach.) And yes, search for the light. At the small scale, how the light falls and how its effects vary is one of the things that can change radically with the variations mentioned above. If you happen upon a "sweet spot" for the illumination of a scene something very special can leap into view.

When I'm trying things I quite often come across a nice little scene by accident; as I experiment with one scene, I notice another, either through the camera or with my eyes.
 
Get on Flickr and join some local groups on there. Take a look at other local photographers work and see what appeals or inspires - then try to emulate them and create your own images whilst in the location.

Doing that you soon find out what sort of shots interests you and make you go "wow". Then it gets you out and about taking shots and using the camera which is the long term goal.
 
I think it's best to photograph things that interest you. Personally, I like to set myself a challenge or two, the harder the better, and then work towards achieving them.

A while back I figured that the hardest thing to do was either get on the front cover of Vogue or the back page of the Sun. OK, winning a Pulitzer is probably a bit tougher.

Seeing as I'm not into fashion, I decided to focus on sport, football and rugby in particular. This is a notoroiusly difficult thing to get into, with massive competition and people already in place who are amazing at their job. I thought initially it would be excellent to set a target of just getting a sports photo into a national paper. I did that, then wanted a back page. I did that, then wanted a front page which weirdly I got much faster than I had expected (the Sun).

The downside of this is that I've peaked a bit early :D so I set myself another target to photograph the World Cup, and am now scheduled to shoot the World Cup in Brazil. What I'll do after that I've no idea. Olympics in Rio maybe?

So, the moral of the story is to set a seemingly unachievable target and then work like buggery to achieve it. It is much more fulfilling than photographing doorways perfectly on the thirds (unless you have a target to photograph doorways in all the countries in the world, which would be quite an interesting one).
 
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Self portraits? Solves the issues of finding other willing people or things to photograph.

I saw one of the other posters mentioning 365 projects (or similarly 52/12s), I've not tried one myself but people I know that have completed them said it was the best thing they've done and it made them progress substantially.

Inspiration for a self-portrait 365:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/aknacer/sets/72157604218952595/

Hope you feel inspired soon. Update us. :)

Jeff.
 
Tobers said:
I think it's best to photograph things that interest you. Personally, I like to set myself a challenge or two, the harder the better, and then work towards achieving them.

A while back I figured that the hardest thing to do was either get on the front cover of Vogue or the back page of the Sun. OK, winning a Pulitzer is probably a bit tougher.

Seeing as I'm not into fashion, I decided to focus on sport, football and rugby in particular. This is a notoroiusly difficult thing to get into, with massive competition and people already in place who are amazing at their job. I thought initially it would be excellent to set a target of just getting a sports photo into a national paper. I did that, then wanted a back page. I did that, then wanted a front page which weirdly I got much faster than I had expected (the Sun).

The downside of this is that I've peaked a bit early :D so I set myself another target to photograph the World Cup, and am now scheduled to shoot the World Cup in Brazil. What I'll do after that I've no idea. Olympics in Rio maybe?

So, the moral of the story is to set a seemingly unachievable target and then work like buggery to achieve it. It is much more fulfilling than photographing doorways perfectly on the thirds (unless you have a target to photograph doorways in all the countries in the world, which would be quite an interesting one).
Click to expand...

:D(y) I concur with most of that ... Thirty odd years trying various aspects of photography and one of the reasons I fell for 'street' is because the goal is unobtainable.

...hmm, unobtainable is the wrong word maybe, but something along those lines.
 
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Good idea about setting tough goals. Another way is to set yourself easy goals. Try some technique you admired. If you achive it, you get a buzz. Satisfaction that drives you on to the next thing. Incremental targets. Take your time. If you enjoy learning and having experiences, why rush things?

My current aim is to do some "Film Noir" shots. And see where it takes me. There are some interesting gloomy alleys and archways nearby. A few friends with a few props and I'm good to go.
 
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c.bowley2 said:
Hi All,

Ive been around a little bit and i have been collecting my gear over a couple of years now, ive posted some pics in the past for critique etc in motorsport, my dilema i keep finding myself in (which is why maybe i do not suit photography) is i do not know out and take pics of. I enjoy motor sports but this is always weather depending. apart from this i have very little experience of anything else, i've took pics at parties etc and have done a few corporate events but i'm purely an amateur in every sense :).

my gear is a Canon EOS 50d
i have
sigma 70-200 f2.8
Canon 17-85 USM
50 f1.8
430ex II flash
tripod,monopod
2x tc
currently have access to some macro extension rings and a led light

generally i guess people have family kids and pets etc around the home, i do not have this,
im not afraid to go out anywhere and get around, (this doesnt help the rain situations mind) but struggling to think of what to do.
Can anyone offer some suggestions, i know this is always a tricky question and it comes down to interests etc but at present i want to find some things to try and practice and get some skills/experience with,
Maybe venture in and around clubs
Night time pics

any help welcome and thanks for looking/reading (if you read it:) )
Click to expand...

The only person who can answer this question is you.

If I give you a pen, I can't tell you what to write or draw with this pen, and just because it is a pen, it do not meant it is only suited for writing novels or diaries, it do not mean it is only suited for technical drawing but not sketching. You can use the pen for anything you can try, be it writing novels, research papers, drawing landscape, technical drawing, whatever, the only limit is your imagation.

Nobody can tell you "Sorry but this gear you have is only suitable for wedding photography so you must do wedding photography!" your gear is just a tool like the pen is a tool, you can try anything, in the simlar way that if you got a pen, you could either write or draw, just whatever you want to do with it, so you can try the same with your camera. Nobody can tell you to take up landscape photography and you feel like thinking you have to. It is your life, your hobbies, your camera, you take photos of whatever you would enjoy.

I could suggest that you take your camera with you everytime you go out, just take photos of anything, and see how you feel, it may be that you may start to enjoy taking photos of similar subject/theme and discover that this is an area you like, and you would then have found your new interest.

No different from trying out different foods until you end up enjoying specific groups of food, example, try out French food, Chinese, Italitan, Fish'n'Chips, pub food, fast food, and so on, but if you somehow noticed you seems to like eating Italitan food more than the rest, and too often you go for an Italian restaurant or cook your own Italian food, then you may have found your interest in Italian food, so simlar with photography, just always take your camera with you, take photos of whatever you can, you may later on find that you seems more interested in taking photos of similar theme, and discover that you like it.

Otherwise the list of suggestions would be far too long, for example...

Suggestion:

Action photography
Aerial photography
Still-lifes
Landscape
Sports
Wildlife
Photojournalism................

I could go on and on and on with a long list, but it would be more effect that you just snap away at anything until you found an area you enjoy more than other subjects.


Try photographing anything until your heart and your guts tells you that you enjoy this subject. Just follow your heart.
 
Mushrooms! Stick to mushrooms. They don't move very fast. They don't cost anything to see and photograph. It would get you outdoors. There is a challenge to find them. But you can be sure there are some near you... Right now!. There is the exposure challenge. They grow in dark places. They have everything really!
PS. If you are really struggling to find some, they come in tins too!
 
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I'd like to thank you for all the replies and while some may think its unhelpful it's not. I'm interested in trying to catch action.
I'm going to try some of the ideas and suggestions. And I'll let you know how it goes.
I like the ideas of more than a few suggestions and it would take a while to quote each.
As for when I last did essay or assignments this was prob 10 years ago or so ;-)
Thanks again
 
c.bowley2 said:
I'm interested in trying to catch action.
Click to expand...
Mushrooms grow really fast!

Sorry, couldn't resist. Anyway. It's good to have people suggest ideas here for inspiration . Have fun with it.
 
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