How to get photo ideas.

[r_fredrick_smith]

Sometimes it is hard to know what to shoot that will be new and/or different. We tend to get in ruts and just shoot the same thing over and over again because it works. That may be okay for a strictly commercial venture (but it can soon get old). Or maybe we just find ourselves with a model in front of us and a set, but no idea what to do to make use of that set.

What I often do, is to go through my old files of photo sessions I've had and look at grab shots, outtake shots, idea shots, etc to see if I can get ideas for the next shoot. I often annotate such shots, and print out a copy, so I can use it to direct the model. Following is an example, of what I call a concept or idea shot. It was something I was playing around with on the set, but didn't have time to carry to completion (there were three models, and I had to get a certain set of photos of each). But during the shots used to get the lighting setup and the WB set, etc, I took this one:

As you can see it had a dirty mirror and no real point of focus. So I annotated things I'd need to pay attention to when I actually use the idea later.

I also get photo ideas from old books. For example, I usually carry a copy of the Gil Elvgren book that has copies of all his pinup illustration. There are hundreds of fantastic ideas that you can adapt and use.

Where do you get your photo ideas? Do you have some concept shots you're thinking about or working on? Share them in this thread.

Cheers,
rfs

[PhotosbyChuck]

"Clean the mirror" -- lol

I too use old books -- including "20th Century Photography" by Tashen. I also frequently browse Wiki for photographers and look through my wife's magazines (mainly fashion) for the ads.

[clarionite]

I pick up just about any decent photo mag I see on the stands.

I order way too many books.

I look at classic paintings.

I'm currently thinking of trying to do a Greek mythology theamed series of shots.

And after all of that, I just try to get a shot that is in focus when I turn the camera on. <G>

But one day I'll get there.

[JKlebPhoto]

My father-in law recently gave me 4 photography magazines he found from back in the fifties. I found a lot of great ideas for classic Hollywood portraits. Now it's just a matter of making the ideas happen.
I also joined a local photography club last year that has a monthly creativity challenge along with a regular print challenge. You get a word or phrase and have to interpret it through a print, then you get to compare you take on it to everyone else. The other good part about this club is that you don't have people judge your prints with a number score or just announce a winner. We have a different pro come in every month (usually a teacher or well established local photog) critique each print and judge winners and runners-up.

[r_fredrick_smith]

My father-in law recently gave me 4 photography magazines he found from back in the fifties. I found a lot of great ideas for classic Hollywood portraits. Now it's just a matter of making the ideas happen.

There is a very good book on this subject that includes proposed lighting diagrams for the various photos by some of the great Hollywood photographers of the past era. It is on Amazon as follows:

Amazon.com: Hollywood Portraits: Roger Hicks,Christopher Nisperos: Books



Cheers,
rfs

[jtglamourshots]

i purchase old 50/60's mags from ebay...cheap, simple, and actually quite interesting...although the technology has cahnged, the basics are the same...remember flash bulbs?

[clarionite]

Originally Posted by r_fredrick_smith

There is a very good book on this subject that includes proposed lighting diagrams for the various photos by some of the great Hollywood photographers of the past era. It is on Amazon as follows:

Amazon.com: Hollywood Portraits: Roger Hicks,Christopher Nisperos: Books

Cheers,
rfs

I ordered this book. Looking forward to getting it in.

[clarionite]

Originally Posted by clarionite

I ordered this book. Looking forward to getting it in.

After talking to a local model about an upcoming project I decided to change the order to a rush order. Looking forward to getting it Tuesday.

[soupman]

I struggle with this. By nature...I am not real creative and worry I will just copy someone else's creation. I look around my yard and think that a clever, inventive photographer should be able to create visuallt stimulating photographs anywhere. So, I challenge my self to look at my yard from different perspectives and seasons and try to capture great photos. If I can do that in my back yard, then I can do justice to other more exciting places I visit.

However, I do understand that by traveling I am stimulating my creativity thus inspiring myself. I have a book called "The Graet American Pin-Up: written by Charles G. Martignette and Louis K. Meisel. This book displays pin-ups from the 1920's to the 1980's.

[clarionite]

I can understand what you're saying, but I don't know if I agree with it. Photographers study lighting... At one point someone came up with a new setup with lighting and others saw it and liked it and mimicked it. I don't think I want to recreate every detail of a portrait and consider it an original work of my creativity. But I would like to look at a portrait and say I like this or that from it and try to recreate the style. Sometimes that takes trying to recreate the entire thing for practice.

Having said that, there's an old saying... There's nothing new under the sun. With as many photographers as there are out there now, I'm not under the impression that anything I do is unique and hasn't been tried before. I do think however that everything I do has my own personal interpretation built in.