Learn Digital Photography – Encouraging Creativity in Photography

Posted by iwellbc on October 3rd, 2009 filed in Articles

Learn Digital Photography – Encouraging Creativity in
Photography
By Wayne Turner

The world has gone digital crazy. With many homes having
multiple digital camera owners you can’t move without seeing
someone taking a digital snap. And the operative word here is a
snapshot. Not much thought, creativity or photographic
composition. Just lots and lots of digital pollution cramming
the millions of hard drives, DVDs and memory cards. Digital has
enabled people to take more low quality, thoughtless snapshots.

Digital photography could see the death of creativity in
photography in general. Why such a harsh statement? Here’s why:

1. Lack of thought.

As a film photographer the consumable costs of photography were
much higher. This forced us to think and carefully consider each
shot. There was a greater thought process. Using a motor drive
for taking multiple shots was for the press photographers who
could afford take thirty six images in a few seconds. For the
rest of us we had to think more before pressing the button.

2. The Shakespeare effect.

This is the evolutionary idea that if you give a roomful of
monkeys a typewriter each and enough time, they will eventually
produce a work equal in quality to Shakespeare. There is a
similar mindset among digital photographers that if they shoot
enough photos, somewhere amongst the thousands will be quality
images. You have as much chance as that happening as a monkey.

3. Drive by shooting syndrome.

This is similar to the lack of thought in taking a photo.
Because of the multiple shot feature in digital cameras and the
low cost of digital photography, it’s quick an easy to take an
image. Just like a drive by shooting the camera is pointed in
the general direction of the subject and a bunch of images is
taken. Then you move on to the next target and fire away again.

So what’s the answer? Plain and simple slow down, right down
and smell the roses as the saying goes. The creative process is
methodical and well thought out. You need to be able to observe,
think and then take action. Because digital photography is so
quick, cheap and easy the principles and techniques of
photography tend to get sidelined.

Here are a few steps to encourage your creative process.

1. Make or allocate time for your creative process.

Creativity won’t be hurried. At times it may come to you
quickly but this is the exception rather than the norm. So sit
down and absorb the environment. Observe your surroundings,
subjects and any activity. Let it become a part of you.

2. Be selective.

Find something that turns you or rather your creativity on. If
this is colour then focus on the rich hues and shades. If it’s
an object or subject observe it carefully in relation to it’s
surroundings. Now close your eyes and picture the final image.

3. Change your position or viewpoint.

By looking at your subject from different angles, heights or
positions the image will change as the subject changes in
relation to its environment. All of a sudden you see things you
never would have seen.

4. Try something different.

Shoot a traditional tourist shot of your subject and then look
for a shot that is completely different, one you’ve never seen
before. Make it unrecognisable. Hire a boat and shoot from the
the water. Go to the top of a nearby building or if you’re
adventurous climb a tree or lie down on your back.

Creativity is often just doing something different. Something
that hasn’t been done before. The key element that I have found
to creativity is time. So take your time and smell the roses.
Your photography will never be the same again. Put photography,
creative photography back into digital photography.

About the Author: Do you want to learn more about photography
in a digital world? I’ve just completed a new e-course. Download
it here for free: http://www.21steps2perfectphotos.com/ You can
also learn to take perfect photos by looking at my new ebook at

http://www.21steps2perfectphotos.com/21step.htm

Source: http://www.isnare.com

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