Osaka

How to Break Through Photographer’s Block

Osaka

To promote our new book, 30 DAYS TO JUMPSTART YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY Mobile Edition, here are some practical tips to break through your photographers block:


New eBook: 30 DAYS TO JUMPSTART YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY

Inspire yourself with our new book: 30 DAYS TO JUMPSTART YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY

Need a shot of inspiration? Pick up a copy of 30 DAYS TO JUMPSTART YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY Mobile Edition and kickstart your photography today!


1. Pomodoro Technique for photography

Osaka Street photography red and yellow
Osaka, 2018

Set your phone timer for 25 minutes, and turn off your WiFi/switch your phone to airplane mode. For that 25 minutes, you must shoot nonstop, until your alarm rings. Then take a 5 minute stretching break, and then repeat however many times you would like!

Learn more: Pomodoro Technique for photography

2. Fishing technique against a colorful wall

Find a colorful wall, and wait for people to enter the scene. Keep shooting, and fill the frame with the background color.

Pretend like you’re shooting the background, and “foot zoom” to get close when shooting your subjects. Keep shooting for 5 minutes, then move on.

Learn more: Fishing technique in street photography

3. Shoot inside an arcade

Osaka old school arcade. 2018

Visit a video game arcade, and pretend to be a lost tourist. Shoot inside the arcade, bump up your iso to 1600-3200, and find interesting color combinations, and experiment with your compositions.

IPad Pro Photograph, inside Round 1arcade. Osaka
IPad Pro Photograph, inside Round 1arcade. Osaka

4. Go for a walk in the park with your camera

Going to the park is good for your mental health (humans love nature, and have “biophilia”), and also a good place to make photos.

Girl with red jacket. Central Park, nyc, 2017
Girl with red jacket. Central Park, nyc, 2017

Even if you don’t make any good photos, going to the park will certainly improve your mood.

Red and Green shadows selfie. Playground in Lisbon, 2018
Red and Green shadows selfie. Playground in Lisbon park, 2018

5. Layers in street photography

Triangle composition, Osaka 2018
Triangle composition, Osaka 2018

Experiment shooting layers or triangle compositions.

Contact sheet. Triangle composition, Osaka 2018
Contact sheet. Triangle composition, Osaka 2018

6. Fill the frame with colors

Blue wall, Osaka

Practice color theory by only shooting colors:

Yellow and blue textures. Osaka, 2018
Yellow and blue textures. Osaka, 2018

For a fun color combination, look for red and green.

Red hair, greenbackground. Philly, with flash. 2013, Kodak Portra 400
Red hair, greenbackground. Philly, with flash. 2013, Kodak Portra 400

7. Shoot 1,000 (bad) photos in a day

To overcome photographers block, allow yourself to make bad photos. Shoot like a child, and just have fun.

Osaka statue and layers.

8. Just shoot with your phone for a month

iPad street photo. Osaka, 2018/fishing technique
iPad street photo. Osaka, 2018/fishing technique

Just shoot with your phone, to overcome “paralysis by analysis” with having too much camera gear.

iPad Pro street photograph, Osaka 2018
iPad Pro street photograph, Osaka 2018

9. JUST SHOOT IT.

Salary man drinking a beer. Osaka, 2018
Salary man drinking a beer. Osaka, 2018

If you see a scene and you’re not sure whether it will be a good photo or not, just shoot it!

10. Shoot inside restaurants

Salary man suit eating offal barbecue. Osaka, 2018
Salary man suit eating offal barbecue. Osaka, 2018

When you go to dinner, bring your camera and shoot inside before sitting down, or before you’re about to leave.

Faces inside offal barbecue, Osaka

To be more comfortable, pretend like you’re just shooting the signage inside. Shoot with a wide-angle lens like a 28mm or 35mm, and use a flash if you want.

Flash. Faces inside offal barbecue, Osaka
Flash. Faces inside offal barbecue, Osaka

Conclusion: Never stop shooting.

Man in suit, Osaka

The final lesson is to focus on longevity. Think decades as a photographer. Disregard short-term social media fame measured in weeks, months, or years.

The purpose of photography is to live a happier, more fuller and creative/fun life. So never stop shooting, experimenting, and exploring!

SHOOT! YOU GOT THIS.
ERIC


New eBook: 30 DAYS TO JUMPSTART YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY

Inspire yourself with our new book: 30 DAYS TO JUMPSTART YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY

Need a shot of inspiration? Pick up a copy of 30 DAYS TO JUMPSTART YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY Mobile Edition and kickstart your photography today!


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JUST SHOOT IT.

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