I was thinking about photography this morning on a deep level and about how much I have and don't have and how that affects our picture taking ability:

For example

I have good gear with a variety of L series lenses, Canon bodies and point and shoot cameras including an underwater one and accessories
I have studio lights and set ups for still life
A supportive husband and kids
Friends to go out shooting with especially to do long exposures
Access to the net, ideas, magazines, books, camera club, like minded friends, attend workshops, groups where you can give and get input
Membership of several organizations and receive regular newsletters and magazines to keep up with the latest trends
The ability to travel and go overseas once a year
I get to photograph weddings and people, stock and commercial jobs so plenty of opportunities

But what holds one back from being the best we can in the photography world?

Is it lack of time, opportunity, lack of creativity, motivation, laziness, money, gear?

And how to overcome what is stopping us. For me it's probably motivation, lack of imagination for new fresh ideas etc

I'd be interested to hear how other people overcome lack of motivation and imagination

For me it's time...

Time to read and study more theory and techniques
Time to get out and explore
Time to create
Time to evaluate and fine tune....

It's hard when both you and your partner hold 40hr 9-5 FT jobs.

Motivation isn't a problem, my creative vibes never been stronger.

Hi boatwife

Firstly... this is a creative industry, sometimes you have it or you don't.... those people with that creative streak in any creative industry are always the ones to step out from the crowd.

Continually shooting and not sitting in a rutt of your own style... Kiwi's posting about having a style of your own is worth reading!

For me, Ideas come to me, and being a totally visual person i can visualise my ideas, and translate them to real life, and photograph them

I will say this boatwife.

You never post your work on this site, if you have i must have missed that posting, I think if you want to further your creativity and get good adivce, you need to share more about what you do, and the work you produce with us!

And if you want to go further in the field and make yourself a more reputable name photographer, you need to have less words and more viewable images on your site... i looked and found i couldn't see anything well enough to make a judgement!

For me, time is an issue too, I work 38, my partner works 40-45 and I have to travel to get her daily. That said, My camera kit travels with me (or a basic one at least) everywhere I go. If I see something and the light is right, I'll happily stop and shoot it.

In the same vein, i'm still learning the ropes, I thought I knew a bit, but aparantly I'm a hack with a camera (don't stress it i'm having a go at myself) and only recently having gotten a decent flash I've been immersing myself in strobist.com (the dvd is pretty cool) You see, as mainly a nature/landscape photographer (and I use the term lightly) I've not had much reason for one and relied on natural light. Having spent the time looking at others work and learning from here there and everywhere, I realise that there has been so many times I could have been doing so much better with simple techniques. But I digress.

What I came in to say was that my partner suggested just last night that we spend a weekend every month (and for her that's a lot of time) purely on photography be it researching or going out shooting or whatever ... my thought was, "well that's every day for me" I'm always on here, flickr, strobist, redbubble, google, etc looking, looking, and occaisionally having that AAAhhhh! moment rushing off to get my camera and not realising that that 3 hours had passed since then.

It has to be fun, then I'll do it all day long

For me, it's knowledge, hence I'm on here A LOT!

I have a reasonable basic knowledge and am constantly getting better at it. I figure you will always want for gear, be it the latest and greatest, or just something you think you need so I am getting used to that idea and trying to find ways to work around it as the funds limit me dramatically in what I can and cannot (mostly cannot lol) purchase.

I never have a problem finding things to photograph, I have problems in working out how best to photograph them lol. I regularly do a morning jaunt somewhere, anywhere. I love a good drive, with good music and my photography eye switched on. A lovely way to spend a Saturday or Sunday morning. If only I could drag my son out with me (he's 14... need I say more!) then it'd be a great way to spend a weekend. Whack the tent in the car and away we go. Maybe I need to force quality time with him lmao. Am a single mum, but am fortunate (or unfortunate, depending on how you look at it) to live in a granny flat at my mum's place so there's always someone to look after him if I decide to head off for a morning or evening.

So, my goal this year is to gain a lot more knowledge on how to improve my photographic skills. I am doing that by practising constantly and reading everything I can. Surely that's got to pay off eventually, right??? lol

Who hear.. can draw or paint!?

I can.. I did a year of Visual arts and Design at the QCA aswell...

When you can draw a face or scene, you learn to look at it more closely, and differently, therefore i think you tend to think more creatively.

Maybe people should try some drawing still life, and see how much attention to detail they have!?

Its just dawned on me after 18 years.. thats why i think i see things so differently.... because drawing faces in real life really is a skill and you really have to look at the subject and look past the face and see the shapes!?

ITs just a thought.. not a hard and fast rule..

oh btw.. yes im sick at home today.. so im on bp!!!!

hahaha

Hope you get well soon russell,
On the subject of still life, I've recently been reading a book by Brian Peterson, Creative Composition, He mentions the same thing. relating to creative drawing that is.

I do some drawing too but only in black and white. Maybe I need to add some colour. I think I'll start keeping a notebook of ideas as they come to me. With words and pictures to remember what I want to create when I get the time and opportunity.

sheesh, I am doomed, i struggle drawing stick figures....that's why I take photos

I, too, am artistically challenged in this area. I struggle signing cheques, let alone drawing something that resembles anything lol

Hmm, interesting thoughts about drawing/painting.
I'd never really thought of linking creative drawing and photography, but now you mention it, the subjects that interest me in photography are similar to the stuff I used to draw a lot of when I was younger.
I was more into man made objects rather than flowers, bowls of fruit, landscapes, people, etc. And this, now I think of it, sort of explains the subject matter I prefer to photograph now.

Goes and hunts for her drawing pad, nicks her daughter's pencil and finds a rubber on the floor

When sketching you look at shapes rather than things. It's not a face I'm sketching, it's a circle, a blob here, a lash there ... is that how you see things in the view finder? I've never thought to apply sketching visualisation to photos ...

Artistic is artistic, whether you sketch, paint or photograph.

I've done a bit of each, and yes, the skill set is entirely different, but your own creativity will show through no matter what the genre. A strength in one area, may influence another - Yes?

At present, most of what I do falls under 'graphic design' and I enjoy it, though it's camera work that excites me, and I rarely sketch now. I still write from time to time, but that's a fairly irrelevant, none the less, creative skill.

With regards to Boatwifes original question. Imagination requires inspiration. Find what inspires you.