{"id":67795,"date":"2017-10-25T12:00:42","date_gmt":"2017-10-25T19:00:42","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/?p=67795"},"modified":"2017-10-24T15:34:20","modified_gmt":"2017-10-24T22:34:20","slug":"10-creative-photography-ideas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/2017\/10\/25\/10-creative-photography-ideas\/","title":{"rendered":"10 Creative Photography Ideas"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Portrait
Portrait of Cindy at Traveling Coffee. Kyoto, 2017<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This is a letter on how you can be more creative with your photography– practical ideas.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

HAPTIC INDUSTRIES: Creative Tools to Empower You ><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

1. Why creative photography?<\/h2>\n

\"Blue<\/p>\n

Primo, why<\/em> make ‘creative’ pictures?<\/p>\n

To differentiate– there is a difference between a ‘unique’ photograph, and novel photograph.<\/p>\n

I think generally when we call someone ‘creative’ as a photographer, it is someone who:<\/p>\n

\n Sees a unique perspective of a scene, or a person– that nobody has really thought of before. For example, photographing a common object from a very low angle, very close up, or from a very high angle looking down at it.\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Another idea:<\/p>\n

\n A photographer who is ‘creative’ is able to find beauty in ordinary, ‘boring’, or ‘mundane’ subject-matter. Therefore, a creative photographer is more OBSERVANT.\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

2. How to be more observant<\/h2>\n

\"Red<\/p>\n

To be a more observant photographer means to notice<\/em> unique things — that other people might overlook.<\/p>\n

Practical ideas:<\/p>\n

First of all, slow down<\/strong>. When you’re out taking picture, walk 25% slower than you’re used to<\/strong>. By walking slowly, you tend to notice more things that you might overlook when you’re running around too quickly.<\/p>\n

\"Lips.<\/p>\n

Another way to be more observant– turn off your distractions. That means, turn off your phone, or set your phone to airplane mode. Don’t listen to music. The fewer distractions you have, the more sharp, perceptive, and aware your senses are. The problem in today’s world– we are constantly over-stimulated with external stimuli. Kind of like how we add too much sugar and salt to all our food, and our palette becomes jaded– and we constantly need stronger and stronger spices to entertain our tongues.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The same things with our eyes: our eyes are jaded. They are jaded, because we over-stimulate our eyeballs with junk-food images via social media, and blinking images on our phones.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Even a simple assignment: sit down wherever you are, close your eyes, don’t listen to music, and just allow yourself to do nothing for 5 minutes.<\/strong> Take a nap if possible. By removing<\/em> external stimuli — you can let your senses become more perceptive to the world.<\/p>\n

3. Look down, and look up<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

When you’re walking on the streets (25% slower than you normally do) look down at the ground. Photograph interesting things you find on the ground. Look for gum on the floor, or interesting textures. Shoot some pictures with a flash, shoot some with natural light.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

When you’re walking around, also look up. Look at the clouds, look up at the trees, look at birds flying above, or look at skyscrapers and buildings.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

4. How to make more creative compositions<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

With composition, you can make more ‘creative’ or unique compositions by NOT MAKING SYMMETRICAL PHOTOS<\/strong>. The most boring type of photography is perfect symmetry.<\/p>\n

My suggestion– tilt your camera. Force more diagonals into your compositions.<\/p>\n

\"Tokyo<\/p>\n

Even another idea– make more blurry pictures. Slow down your shutter speed, and even use a flash. Make pictures that aren’t an accurate representation of reality. Make pictures that are surreal– photos that reflect how you<\/em> see the world.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

5. Cross-pollination<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

One of the best ways to be a more creative photographer– cross-pollinate between various fields of art.<\/strong><\/p>\n

For example, ask yourself:<\/p>\n

\n How can I combine my passion for painting, drawing, engineering, architecture, sociology, and psychology with my photography?\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Leonardo da Vinci<\/a> was the ultimate cross-pollinator. He studied the patterns of water, swirling whirlpools. I noticed that a lot of his paintings of women’s hair looks like spiral whirlpools of water. Even his dissections of human cadavers and muscles have helped him paint more realistic paintings– he really understood how neck and facial muscles worked. Therefore his paintings have more life and realism than other painters in history.<\/p>\n

6. What philosophies do you believe in?<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Personally, I like Zen, Simple, Minimalist aesthetics. I try to apply this in my photography by making my photos less cluttered, more simple, more direct.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

I also studied sociology, and I am fascinated by human beings. Therefore, shooting street photography is an opportunity for me to do visual sociology — using my camera as a research tool.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

What personal interests, philosophies, or fields of knowledge are you interested in? How can you combine that with your passion of photography — to secrete your own unique visual honey?<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

7. Creative photo assignment: Music x Photography<\/h2>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

A creative photography assignment:<\/p>\n

\n Listen to your favorite music album, and see how you can make pictures which follow the same mood– the same rhythm, the same tempo, and the same undulation between the trebles (high notes) and the bass (low notes).\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

\"Tokyo
Tokyo flash. Woman with umbrella. Ginza, 2017<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Another idea:<\/p>\n

\n Listen to a certain genre of music while<\/em> out shooting pictures.\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

8. Make a slideshow<\/h2>\n