Last month I wrote about getting out of your photography rut in 10 simple steps. I had such a positive feed back about this creativity exercise that I thought I would try and post a monthly exercise for you.
It is completely normal for us all need a little extra boost to enhance our creativity. It is very easy to fall into shooting the same things in the same way. As my sister says – “All my pictures are the same just different outfits.”
Find one object and take different pictures from different vantage points.
You can choose a still life subject or a person. I decided to do this with my daughter, Emma, but she is 2 and refuses to sit still. I decided I would give her an ice cream cone and allow her to get as messy as she wanted. This kept her sitting and super happy while I was able to climb all around taking pictures.
Choose lots of different angles:
- Above your subject
- Below your subject
- To the right
- To the left
- Far away
- Really close up
- Fill the frame with your subject
- Put them in the right or left third of your photo
Let your imagination run wild. Would love to see what you come up with!! Feel free to leave a link in the comments if you do this exercise.
I love all of them, but I think my favorite is the next to the last one bc of the yummy bokeh! Nice series :)
I’m trying more and more to work with vantage point and I’m loving what’s coming from exercises like this. That ice cream looks delicious!
They are all great, but I love the bokeh in the second to last picture.
I love it and I am doing it!!! I usually take photos from various vantage points, but I don’t usually give B an ice cream cone. Maybe, I’ll start with a popsicle.
Anyways, this is just the motivation I need. I am in a real rut, but I am going to give this a go.
Thanks girl for the reminder.
I love the one from below and of course I agree with Laurie, that bokeh IS yummy! I thought those exact words when I saw that picture, yummy indeed!!
Very cute cropping!! Are these from your new camera??
No, actually these were from two weeks ago :O)
I love your new posts!
I wish I could keep mine still long enough for a good photo. Been so hard these days!
Awesome Post! Thank you needed to get out of my rut :)
Awesome post! Great advise I should definitely keep in mind and try out. Monthly exercises would be fantastic!
That is a brilliant idea! I love those photos your daughter looks like she had a really great time with that ice-cream! I love the variation in the shots! Really great!
Courtney,
Thanks for stopping by my blog. I had to temporarily take the post down you were looking for, due to a photo sizing issue, but it is back up now. If you have a chance to check it out it is at http://itisforfreedom.blogspot.com/2011/06/blog-post_15.html and is my attemtp at the Dreamy Summer Lighting you shared on here a couple of weeks ago.
This post is a great idea for helping keep us out of a rut. I love the 2nd shot, your daughter’s eyes are just beautiful, I also love the shot of the ice cream drip on her chin and the bokeh in the next to the last shot.
I think my husband would kick my hiney if I tried to make him the subject of this experiment. ;) Love it, looking at getting back into my camera again. I had it with me on military duty but it’s hard to get creative in that environment of the classroom.
I also need some help and a point maybe at a course on shooting in low light with movement, I took photos of a graduation. I had the camera set up, I set the focus to manual because I kept noticing people moving made the camera go crazy and focus on the flag not them. I had to have this set up so that as people walked through I wasn’t refocusing EACH shot because I was IN the graduation. Anyway the photos are salvageable but NOT my best work and I keep seeming to have an issue with focus. They look good in the view finder but then I pop them up on my screen and slight blur. :( Any ideas?
Mmm…I don’t know anything off the top of my head. I will keep a look out for tips/workshops for you though :O)
Oh my goodness!!! I love these!
OMG I LOVE THESE PICTURES I REALLY LOVE TO BOKEH EFFECT. WHAT LENS AND SETTING DO YOU USE TO ACHIEVE THESE PHOTOS.
Thanks!! I used my 50mm 1.8 for these images. The settings for the bokeh one was ISO 1000, f/1.8, SS 1/125
Super cute ñ_ñ thanks for sharing
I loved loved loved it! The images are great! My favorite one is the your little one with icecream dripping from her chin. I’m excited about doing this with my granddaughter this week. Thank you for sharing.
Such a great tip- and those photos turned out so great!
I love them all but I think the third one os my fave. The Oreo ice cream she chose also photographs so well- makes me want to go get some later on today.
Great post :) thanks for sharing!
Very pretty…but not everyone can climb up on top of things and whatnot. I am photographer myself- but also in a wheelchair which makes things a lot harder. I am able too stand on my knees, and lean over, sit on my behind. I just am not able to stand up or stand on anything to make taller. Would you have any tips that I can do? Using a tripod does not work all the best because I have to be able to see with the camera.
Great pics! I love all of your pictures and love how well they show your kids.
How did you get that beautiful bokeh? Would love some tips on getting bokeh both straight out of camera and in photoshop.