20 Ways To Unleash Your Creative Side As A Photographer

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We are all creative; it can be developed, amplified and honed because we all have the ability to be creative. Some practice it more than others so find it easier. Below are the first ten ideas to help you develop your creativity.

One: Believe that you are creative

Everyone has the potential to be creative, the difference is that some actually believe it. Pay attention to self–commentary, "I'm just not creative." Years of this becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Two: Do new things & create opportunities

Is this you? Do you do the same things every day? Take the same route to work, read the same newspaper and listen to the same radio station? You rarely go out of your way to try new things, meet new people or go to new places?

Three: Break habits

If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got. Our own habits often keep us from being more creative, the more you follow a set pattern the fewer opportunities you have to improvise. You are responsible for your own experience.

Four: Make time to be creative

Grow your creativity; sleep on ideas, take time out from work, home or your busy schedule to allow yourself to be creative.

Five: Create the right environment

Quiet, noisy, busy, peaceful... find out what works best for you to stimulate ideas and your imagination.

Six: Stretch your comfort zone regularly

Do this regularly and deliberately. Push your limits and your personal development.

Seven: Observe what's around you

Look at marketing campaigns, other photographers' or models' work, look at high fashion or house/garden or similar high-end publications to stimulate your thoughts and ideas.

Lucy

Photo by Joshua Waller

Eight: Experiment

Try new photographic techniques. If you do glamour mostly, try some still life; read up about it, research it. There are many ideas that come from cross-pollination.

Nine: Have an open mind

Don’t dismiss things or think negatively, it’s self-defeating and infectious. Surround yourself with positive people, distance yourself from negative people.

Ten: Learn from Failures

Why did it fail, what aspects did work, why did they work. What could be improved, adapted, changed to make it better? Wrong is a step closer towards the right.

Eleven: Be collaborative with creative people

Creativity is infectious; surround yourself with like-minded people

Twelve: Make things fun

Shoots should be relaxed and fun - put on music and make time for a chat. Inspiration and ideas come from a fun and stress-free environment

Thirteen: Find a mentor

Find someone you admire and/or is good at what they do, whatever their chosen field.

Fourteen: Be reflective

What’s working well with your photography, what needs improving? What’s working well with other people’s photography, what needs improving?

Photo by Rick Hanson

Fifteen: Self-development

Study not only the things you like, challenge yourself to discover things about subjects you don’t want to photography. If you hate weddings, go learn about weddings, it’s surprising what tips, hints and ideas you pick up.

Sixteen: Don't follow the rules

Tear down the often arbitrary rules that others impose, such as don’t chop off tops of people’s heads, the rule of thirds, set the white balance to the light source.

Seventeen: Find a new prop every week

Car boot sales are the king of props! Very soon you’ll be doing your own car boot sale to sell back all the props you’ve used.

Eighteen: Impose a self-limit or theme

Set yourself a theme or limit. Walk 5 steps and shoot a single frame, walk another 5 steps, shoot another frame and so on. Look for a chosen colour and shoot it wherever you see it, choose a shape and shoot it.

Nineteen: Write things down

Carry a notepad and pen or something to capture your thoughts and ideas. In fact, you can use the notes facility on your smartphone and then email them to yourself so you have them on your computer, too.