Finding New Inspiration in Photography – Take a Drive. I live in Las Vegas, Nevada. It’s really kind of a different place. It can be incredibly interesting, photographically. But to be honest, I’m currently a little burnt out on the place, photographically speaking.
It Comes and Goes in Phases…
At times I might be very enthusiastic about the different kind of town Vegas is and all that’s available to someone with a camera. But often these days I’m more inclined to be less inspired by the visual offerings from this little town.
I like older stuff; older architecture; signs of the past. Vegas has a different philosophy. As things get older here, particularly the architecture, the thing to do is, of course, blow it up! Sure, why not. Anyway, I digress. I’ll get to the point.
Want Inspiration in Photography? Take a Drive
It’s no secret that one way to stay inspired as a photographer is through travel. If traveling is your thing you will always have new things to photograph. The cool thing is that travel doesn’t always have to involve airline tickets, or hotel accommodations, or lots of travel funds in order to just find yourself in a new and different location with something new to photograph.
Last week, my friend, Garrett (another photographer) and I headed out for the day. We drove to several locations. Some in Nevada, some in California. I had been to some of the locagtions before, but some were new to me.
Something Different
Not only was I in a different place, but one of the things that I really enjoyed about our outing was that the stuff I was photographing was pretty different than what’s normally in front of my lens. I don’t do a lot of nature photography, but during this outing I was seeing some of the coolest Joshua Trees I’d ever seen. Fun stuff, man.
We made kind of a loop that brought us back through Nelson which was great. Even though we had just recently been there I was very happy because I wanted to get some more photos for a book project I’m putting together.
Looking For Inspiration? Get in the Car!
Anyway… nothing new or revolutionary here. But, sometimes a little reminder is good (and this is a good reminder to myself). If you’re a little bored these days with your photography, or even if you’re not, get in the car. Take a drive. It doesn’t have to be an overly planned road trip. Just put yourself some place different from where you normally are. It can keep things a little more interesting.
