Give Yourself a Photography Assignment
Although we are on the cusp of spring, lately the weather here has been wet, overcast, and chilly, making my Camera Walking more challenging. I am a believer of staying open to what is out there when walking, however after a few days of overcast skies I wasn't feeling very excited. I decided to look online to see if I could find inspiration, and I found a course on KelbyOne on giving yourself a photography assignment, which piqued my interest. I realized that staying open is always a good strategy, however picking a theme for your photo walk can stir your creativity. If you find yourself looking for ways to get more inspired, here are a few suggestions.
Try a new lens type: I often take out different lenses on my walks. Using a manual, macro, or a telephoto lens changes how I see the world around me. If you only use your smartphone, experiment with attachable lenses to get either macro or telephoto shots. The image below was taken with my Lomography Achromat lens creating the blurred effect.
Play with different perspectives: Take a panorama shot or a close up photo with your smartphone and use the Tiny Planet app to see what it can do to your image. I love this one of Seattle.
And it can do wonders to your close up shots. I think the app makes fascinating images of flowers.
Decide on a theme: I like taking photos of doors and stairs along my walk. If you want to build a collage or a series of similar images, take the photos at the same angle and in the same direction to make it more pleasing to the viewer.
Give yourself a color challenge: One of the difficulties of walking around my neighborhood is that it can all look the same after a while. Choosing a color and seeking out images with only that color can spice up your walk.
Make monochrome images: Although I usually like my photos in color, converting them into black and white images can have impact. Look for images that can tell the story best in monochrome, such as this one of the Space Needle from a few years back when it was celebrating 50 years with its gold/orange cap.
Explore taking photos of animals that you encounter along your walk, such as this cat looking through a window. The monochrome image helps tell the story. You can almost sense the cat's longing to get outside.
I hope that these ideas give you added inspiration to go out for a walk. We would love to hear from you, so comment below, post on our Facebook page, or send an email. If you enjoyed our post today, please share it with your friends. Thanks!
