Just a few weeks ago, my partner and I took a day trip down to Palos Verdes Beach in Southern California. He has been talking about taking me there for some time now so I let him. After we parked the car, we walked down the cliff and ventured over the rock pathway to sit. Watching the huge waves crash over the rocks was therapeutic! It was truly breathtaking. The break away from my current workload was much needed and appreciated. I appreciate my partner even more for giving me a reason to take some time away.
I snapped a few photos to remember this beautiful place. Lately, I've been making it more of a point to bring my camera with me to more places. There's a good photo around every corner! This is one of the ways I am able to stay inspired most days. Something that most people ask creatives is how to "stay" inspired. I don't believe that I am always inspired. A good portion of the time, yes but certainly not a constant thing. If you came to this blog to learn tips on how to stay inspired then you came to the right blog!
Here are three ways I stay inspired...
1. I am a Pinterest Addict
I AM NOT JOKING! Pinterest is such a great place to organize ideas using visuals and links to information. At the moment I have more that 50+ boards. Whoa! That's a lot of inspiration. I spend a few minutes a day browsing through my feed for inspiring images, quotes and articles about stuff I like. Follow me here. You won't be disappointed.
2. I bring my camera EVERYWHERE
So as I stated above, I've been bringing my camera with me to more places. It helps keep me shooting often and continuously growing. I will look for everyday content that I can visually make into something interesting. Lifestyle Photography is a popular style to shoot and in total demand right now. According to Wikipedia "Lifestyle photography is a kind of photography that mainly aims to capture portrait/people in situations, real-life events or milestones in an artistic manner and the art of the everyday. The primary goal is to tell stories about people's lives or to inspire people in different times". If you can tell a visual story using photographs with everyday content then you will always stay motivated!
3. I shoot products that I have at home
So, Product Photography can be a great addition to any portfolio even if you don't want to shoot more of it. When I'm experiencing a lack of creativity, I grab my camera and a bunch of items I have laying around. I shoot flat top, close up, and flat lay shots with the items. I place them in different ways, playing around with fun backgrounds to keep the visual interest. There is staging involved which can look great in a portfolio while also keeping you inspired to create new things.
Check out more of my work on these sites!
Instagram – http://instagram.com/mandeerosephoto
LookBook.nu – http://lookbook.nu/mandeerose