Finding Creative Inspiration
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What inspires creativity?
Entrance to the Calgary Public Library downtown. (EXIF data iPhone image)
Well there’s a loaded question! Do I go after what is inspiring or what is creativity? Actually, I attended a photography talk by David DuChemin at the new Calgary Library in the east village downtown December 2024. It’s an amazing building with interesting architecture and design elements. Spending time there made me itchy to grab my camera and explore the lines and curves. Maybe that alone is inspiration - something that compels me to take action and get out of my head and get creative.
I’ve long been a fan of David DuChemin’s photography and writing - he has a number of photography books which often feel more like books on life and the creative process than strictly photography - so they are applicable to any creative pursuit. I’ve also taken a number of his online courses which have helped me to explore and expand my photographic voice and he publishes a twice monthly newsletter which always seems to cover timely topics about the creative process. I’d highly recommend having a nosey around his website which is linked in my resources page.
The talk that I went to listen to was about his new book - Light, Space and Time which he believes are the three key ingredients for photographers to work with in order to create compelling frames. It was a great evening and I attended the talk with a local photography friend and I ran into someone I didn’t realize was into photography - so a definite win to reconnect with someone I haven’t seen for quite a while.
Light, Space and Time
It was a great talk - he’s such a dynamic speaker with some pretty down to earth rants truths. His premise is that we should be making photographs for ourselves - images that excite us - that we’re passionate about. In fact he says that if you don’t love your images and feel deeply about them - how can you expect anyone else to be interested in them?
A very sobering, but valid point. There are days when I go out with my camera and I’m not feeling very inspired - I take images almost as a secondary thought - a habit because I have my camera with me and when I look at those images I can’t help but feel “meh” - that blah feeling when I could take the image or leave it. Those are the days when I really question what I’m doing, however it is also the days that act as a metaphorical kick in the pants to do something different and to not just take photos for the sake of pressing the shutter because I have a camera in my hands.
One key aspect that David spoke about was constraints - it’s not the first time he’s waxed lyrical about constraints and it is certainly a topic about which we are in agreement. Constraints and having something for our creativity to push up against - something for us to have to work around or with - a challenge to be solved - these are things that all add up to expansion and growth of our creative muscle. I especially like the idea of a challenge to be solved and so I often take one lens with me - not necessarily the easiest focal length lens to work with in the situation - this makes me work for images - I have to view the subjects in different ways. Bird and wildlife images tend to be more about environmental situations rather than the close up fill the frame images a longer focal length would allow.
A happy accident when I forgot my ND filter. (ME ICM image - compilation of 3 images 50mm, f18, 1/15s, ISO64)
Not taking an ND filter and wanting to do ME ICM (multiple exposure intentional camera movement) means that I’m going to have to get creative and likely capture high key images with faster shutter speeds. I did this one afternoon by accident (meaning I forgot my ND (neutral density) filters) and I ended up with some images that I wouldn't have made otherwise and I really liked them.
Constraints - whether intentional or the result of a forgetful brain mean that I have two choices - either work within the constraints and come up with something different that may or may not work, or give up and don’t bother shooting. I tend to gravitate towards the first option and I’ve had some interesting surprises when I’ve done that - having few expectations really helps to open up creative avenues.
Bodies of Work
Another great way to use constraints to spark creativity is by coming up with projects or themes. I find that coming up with a purpose or something that ties the images together can really make me think and see scenes differently. It also helps me to vary the kinds of images I capture as I don’t want a body of work that all looks the same.
I have pulled together a body of work around snowy owls which I’ve shot over multiple years. I try to vary the types of images (tight fill the frame, in flight, black and white and environmental) so that I’m capturing the full spectrum of my snowy owl experience.
Additionally, I’ve done some creative bodies of work around liminal spaces which I’ve written about. Having a theme or project to work on helps me to focus my attention and even see scenes differently as I look for compositions to add to the body of work. I find this sort of approach is more of a long term exercise for me as I tend to work on capturing these sorts of images over multiple photo shoots.
David is fond of quoting Jay Maisel when he says:
“If you want to make more interesting pictures, become a more interesting person.”
ICM (intentional camera movement) image of a liminal space. (f18, 1s, 200mm, ISO400)
By this he means that it’s important to invest in yourself and your creative growth and that doesn’t just mean take another photography course. I often find that doing things unrelated to photography that I am passionate about has a positive impact on my inspiration and ability to capture images that get me excited.
This can mean going to see a movie and actually focusing on the camera techniques or colour palettes used as well as the angles and perspectives - noting how this adds to the story. I love to go to art shows and study art in other mediums. Seeing the way brush strokes or colour impacts the way I respond to the images has a profound effect on how I frame an image or what lighting or colours I seek.
Where is the Passion?
At another point in the evening David posed the question, “what’s the size of the rat?” Everyone was a bit confused at this statement and there was some murmuring the audience as people tried to puzzle out his meaning. In essence he was saying how big is the desire or where is the passion.
I got to thinking about that - how big is my desire to make compelling images that tell stories or express my feelings and emotions - which led me to think about things like why do I get up before dawn to go out with my camera in order to capture some unique light that may or may not appear? Why do I brave -25C temperatures and lose feeling in my fingers as I try to capture how that level of cold feels?
What am I seeking? There’s an inner voice that gnaws at my insides - that pushes me to try and find ways to express what I feel through my images.
This long-billed dowitcher in gorgeous morning light was just one of the rewards for getting up at 4 am. (EXIF data f6.3, 1/250s, 600mm, ISO14200)
I recently had a conversation with someone about many photographers being introverts or at least being more comfortable behind the lens than in front of it. We both came to the conclusion that in fact most photographers are revealing more of themselves in their images than their subjects - photographs are the ultimate self portrait.
What I chose to aim my camera at and how I choose to frame the subject - what I include or exclude says more about me than the subject - it’s me trying to distill the scene down to what I see and feel in that moment - which is definitely saying more about me than the scene. This realization is a bit unnerving as it gets me thinking what do I reveal about myself in my images?
How Do I Know Whether I’ve Found It?
At the end of the day all of the ideas and resources I use to invoke inspiration to produce compelling images - hoping to convey my sense of curiosity and wonder at the subject - are only effective if I let myself be free to express how I feel. Being that vulnerable is scary and also necessary in order to create images that are not just nice to look at. I make images that are meaningful to me and it is my hope that others may be moved by what they see in these same images.
I’m hoping that our trip to Zambia allows me to create meaningful images and not just documenting what animals we see - stay tuned!
How do you find inspiration in your creative endeavours? I’d love to hear about it in the comments below or drop me a note directly by clicking on the Connect With Me button.
American avocet looking awkward and gangly during take off - what does that say about me - the person behind the camera? (EXIF data f6.3, 1/1250s, 600mm, ISO200)
I hope you’ll come back soon, share a cuppa, relax and enjoy more of my musings.
