The life of a photographer is full of challenges, and one of them is finding something to photograph in a place where apparently there's nothing to photograph at all.
Every photographer will come across this situation at one time or another and how you deal with it will make the difference between ending up with cool pictures and letting your camera untouched in the bag.
(Success Tip:Take better photos with this simple deck of cards )
The first thing you need to acknowledge is that there is always something interesting to photograph, anywhere you go. Sure, the light might be horrible and everything around might look incredibly dull to the naked eye, but it wouldn't be much of a challenge if it didn't.
The most important tool available to all photographers is behind your eyes. The camera won't tell you how to see creatively, your brain will. It's important to develop this skill as much as possible. Even in the least inspiring conditions, you should still be able to take a couple of interesting shots. They might not be a trademark of your style, but that's the beauty of it. Not having everything laid down on the table will force you to look up or down, to get closer or farther and to combine colors and elements successfully.
One of my favorite exercises that I like to recommend to all beginners is to pick a room from their home and take ten interesting pictures of anything they find in that room. They might not be spectacular works of photographic art, but the exercise is very useful for stimulating imagination and creativity.
Here is a video with photographer Mike Browne facing similar creative challenges in Iceland.
Learn more about composition and shooting creatively from these recommended books:
- The Photographer's Eye: Composition and Design for Better Digital Photos
- Capture the Magic: Train Your Eye Improve Your Photographic Composition
- The Art of the Photograph: Essential Habits for Stronger Compositions