Photography Inspiration, Part III

This is part III of VI of the sixty-item photography inspiration list which I personalize. Again, the original list is adapted from the photopreneur blog post.

21. Browse Stock Sites
Stock sites are pretty interesting in that you can find images of the generic and the artistic. For instance, there are thousands of shots of computers and businessmen in suits on traditional stock sites, but more and more you can also see some fine art images which are absolutely stunning...The best part of all: you don't have to buy anything at the stock sites to see the kind of images that belong on these sites. For instance, this image is the most downloaded on istockphoto over the last three months. Click here to see other top sellers from istockphoto.com.

22. Write a Blog
Hey, that's what I am doing right now! And I am hoping you're learning something new. Anyway, I will agree with Darren Rowse - that just writing about photography helps improve picture-taking. Because I have to at least marginally edit what I write, I critique myself to the point where I wouldn't post something that I don't understand. So we'll see how long I can keep up this blog...

23. Read a Blog
I read a lot of blogs, and not just photography ones. It's always interesting to see what others post on a regular basis because it allows you to see a unique style emerge over time.

24. Buy a Photography Book
I will agree with this claim "You can never own too many photography books, and each one you buy should give you a bunch of new ideas." I highly recommend Brian Peterson's book Understanding Exposure, for example. Also, I like to go to Borders and see what kind of photography books are on sale. The interesting ones that have caught my attention recently were those that compiled the best photojournalism over the past century.

25. Browse a Bookstore
If you don't browse books on the web (www.amazon.com is pretty cool), then go out to your local Borders or Barnes & Noble and see what you can find. As most bookstores now have internal cafes, you can sit back in comfortable chairs and sip on your latte while perusing books.

26. Step Away from the Magazine Racks
Magazine covers are always aesthetically pleasing. After all, if they weren't, would you care to look inside the magazine? Have you seen some of those magazines for expensive homes? The front cover images are absolutely gorgeous. And while they won't give you ideas how to make your shots better, you can always switch to photography magazines which may be found nearby and glance at the tips given there. I know I've done that before...

27. Make Friends in the Photography World
Usually I photograph things alone, but that doesn't mean I don't like company. Regardless of where you stand, it's always good to develop relationships with other photographers who can offer you advice and provide an opportunity for engaging conversations.

28. Join Photography Organizations
The photopreneur suggests that "If you’re a professional and you’re not a member of a professional photography organization, you should be." Well, cross me off the list...Although now that I think about it, there is one photography organization I have wanted to join for a while now...

29. Shoot Yourself
Yikes, sounds dangerous! Just kidding. It's something I've done very little of, but that's because I haven't run out of other ideas yet! You won't be seeing any self-portraits of me on my photoblog any time soon, I can promise you that. But maybe you should give it a chance.

30. Revisit Your Past
Since I don't go out shooting everyday, but I do post an entry on my photoblog every day, how do you think I manage to do that? The answer, of course, is archive raiding. My images are scattered across my laptop hard drive and several external hard drives. If I haven't got anything to post that is new, I sift through my hard drive(s) to see which images I could edit and ultimately post. Most of the time the image I pick will depend on numerous factors: how much more editing I want to do with the image, what my mood is, whether I posted a similar image recently, etc. And I certainly agree with the fact that some images may be given a second chance some time later if they were initially dismissed as poor or unacceptable for posting. Basically, look through your archives and see if you can't spot a gem that you missed the first time. I'll probably make a separate post on images I have come back to after initial dismissal as a separate post.