Where Do You Get Ideas and Inspiration?
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At some point, we all hit that spot where we feel stuck. We want to pick up the camera, but are uninspired. We go for walks and don’t “see” anything. We start to believe that the only way to make interesting images is to get on a plane, train or take a road trip to somewhere we have never been.
I was reminded this past week by my dear friend Sam, that our mutual inspiration, the great Alfred Eisenstadt said that if you cannot find a subject to photograph within a mile of your house, you aren’t doing the work.
I’ve been there myself on multiple occasions. For a recent KelbyOne Community Live show, we were challenged to present a list of photographic gifts that we would like to receive. After much thought, everything that I came up with was related to video recording and multichannel audio recording. This affirmed to me that I am in that box.
I then sat down to try to decide what I could do with my camera, that could leverage the skills that I have, the skills that I want to build and produce a result set that would make a difference to me.
I have learned that I am enthused by great engineering and design. As I have been expanding my collection of studio microphones for my recording interest, I noticed that I was spending time just looking at design. I was recording some guitar bits and pieces as part of my studying process and realized that after recording multiple takes, that I just sat looking at the top of my old Paul Reed Smith CE 22. The flame maple top under that beautiful green dye and shiny top coat has incredible depth.
So to drive myself back into photography, I have decided to do a project making images of instruments and rmicrophones and interfaces. This is for me, I have no plans to publish or share, but I know that because of the materials involved, the shapes and the contours that this project is going to challenge me in lighting and close up work and composition for these very specific subjects. I need to also build a workflow for the finished images that tell a story that resonates to me when I view the images in a sequence or in a printed book.
I did not have to go far to find the subjects, I just had to stop and think about what mattered to me. Maybe for you, it’s a project about your pet, your child, your grandkids, your family heritage of fine teacups, your collection of classic vinyl record covers or anything else that is significant to you.
Your ideas and inspiration are likely closer than you think. Why not challenge yourself to make a project that highlights these things that matter to you.
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I'm Ross Chevalier, thanks for reading, watching and listening and until next time, peace.
