EXPLORE YOUR CREATIVITY AND GET OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE

Whether you’re a professional photographer or just enjoy taking images as an amateur, it’s easy to fall into a comfort zone of always shooting the same thing.

- Jo Plumridge

Most photographers prefer to specialise in a certain genre, or find a particular niche that they work best in. And, whilst there’s nothing wrong with this, it can lead to a little complacency. But how do you go about exploring your creativity? Here are some tips to help you get started.

KEEP LEARNING

Photography is an ever-evolving technology, with new equipment coming out all the time and innovations being introduced regularly. Of course, the basic tenets of photography don’t change – it’s still essential that you understand the exposure triangle and its relationship to light. But there are always new techniques, new bits of gear and more creative pastures to explore.

To be a great photographer you need to have a good ‘eye’ for an image, but you also need to keep learning and looking for new opportunities to understand more about the craft of photography. The more you push yourself out of your comfort zone and look at different aspects of photography, the more your images will improve.

THE 80/20 RULE

Here’s a simple way to start exploring your creativity. The idea is that you spend 80% of your photography time taking the images you set out to do. This means that you’re playing it safe and will come home with the shots you need.