More Fantastic Photo Ideas to Motivate You to Shoot

The best way to improve your photography skills is to practice. Not only must you learn to understand how your camera works, but also how to compose and light your shot best. With all these elements to consider and remember, sometimes it can be difficult to keep the momentum going as you practice. There might be some days or weeks when you feel stumped with what to shoot next, up to the point when you no longer feel inspired to even pick up your camera.

If you have lost motivation to shoot, why not try some of these simple, but effective photo ideas:

Use Crayons as Color Inspiration

Using the color palette of a box of crayons, take a photo that shows a predominant color that matches each of the crayon colors. You can keep it simple with an 8-piece crayon set or challenge yourself with a 32-piece or 64-piece set. By the end of the photo project, you will have a colorful and striking portfolio of shots inspired by crayon colors.

Photo by leoncillo sabino

Play with Patterns

You’d be surprised that the world around you is full of patterns almost everywhere you look. Some may be glaringly obvious, such as rows of seats in a stadium, while others are more subtle and will need a closer scrutiny, such as the patterns on a leaf. Patterns are composed of repeated shapes that greatly vary in size, frequency of repetition, and so on. It would be very hard to run out of patterns to shoot since it is so abundant around us.

Photo by Andrew Morrell Photography

Shoot an Action Figure/Doll in a Series

Bring out the inner child in you and let your imagination go wild by using a doll or action figure as your subject in a series of photos. These can be quite effective in telling stories in the pictures. The more limber your action figure is, the better you can twist and bend its limbs to sit, stretch, crawl, or even do a handstand. Have a blast composing your shots and placing your action figure in all kinds of scenarios.

Photo by Kevin dooley

Shoot your Meal

This is one project where the admonishment “do not play with your food” might need to be disregarded. Since you eat every day, your meals can be convenient subjects, as they always end up in front of you. You might as well shoot your food before you eat it. The advantage of this is that not only that you don’t need to hunt around for a subject, but you can also keep an eye on what you are eating and be more aware of your diet. Don’t just take snapshots of your food, but try to put some creativity in the lighting and composition as with this shot:

Photo by Pixel Addict

How to get the most out of these photo ideas:

• Try to have a routine with your picture taking. Shoot every day or every week if you want, but be consistent so that you are kept motivated.

• Set a goal you can achieve. Some people may follow a photo idea every day for a week before moving on to something else, while others can do the same photo idea every day for an entire year.

• Persevere. The longer you stick to the project, the harder it will become to continue, but that is part of the challenge. If you stay determined and reach your goal, the sense of accomplishment will be greatly rewarding. Plus, the lessons you will learn along the way as you practice your photography skills will be priceless.

For more photo ideas, check out this post.