Hey friends! Welcome back to the blog. Today I want to chat about Inspiration. Specifically, where I go to seek it out when I’m tired, or bored, or don’t feel like shooting when I know I need to.
There are a number of ways I seek out to be inspired. Either I need to photograph some new content, or, now that I’m new to the blogging world, I need to write some new content, and the juices aren’t flowing and I’m stuck. So here are some places I go to for inspiration.
Oh man, what don’t we use Pinterest for? Outfit ideas, Hairstyle tips, Home decor trends, you name it. I also love pinterest for photography inspiration, and for finding blogs and influencers that will inspire me. Usually after just a few minutes of looking at pretty images I have an idea of what i want to shoot. It may not even be the subject that I see that inspires me, but the colour palette, or feel an image invokes in me that I want to explore.
Now that hidden boards are unlimited, log on and create a board and start pinning things that make you pause, and you can refer back to it as you're photographing to keep on target.
Chapters
Or really any bookstore. Maybe its the nerd in me, but one of my favourite places ever is a bookstore. If I’m feeling like I need some inspiration for anything, I grab a starbucks and walk around Chapters for a little bit. The smell of new hardcovers mixed with the aroma of brewed espresso is eureka inducing, believe me.
I will often start my stroll down the magazine isles, looking at the garden magazines with their picturesque flowerbeds. Then I’ll move on to the crafts and hobbyist section and see what the makers are making this month. I’ll pause by the cottages magazines and daydream about lakes and chalets, and then I end up at the same place each time, the photography section. I love looking at Practical Photography, or other nature photography magazines, and seeing what people who are worlds more talented that I aspire to be are doing. What equipment are they using? What’s their favourite lightroom technique? What part of the world have they explored today?
From there I usually have a pretty good idea of what my brain is interested in, and I’ll walk through the Indigo products section with their pretty candles and blankets. If the garden magazines inspired me I’ll walk through the florist section and flip through books on peonies or azaleas. Maybe the travelling stories had me in awe and i’m now flipping through a picture book of old maps. Either way, whenever something stops me with the beauty of an image or the quote or wording, I'll take out my phone and snap a pic. I’ll save these images in a separate folder and look back on it later.
So grab a coffee and take a stroll through your local bookstore and see what inspires you! Maybe it's a cover of a woodworking magazine covered in sawdust or a traveler's guide to Spain with their colourful houses that sparks something in you. Don't forget to bring your phone or a piece of paper so you can remember what it was when you get home.
Youtube
Many of my favourite photographers are on youtube, like Peter McKinnon and The Bite Shot, and watching their videos with their zest and passion for their craft really works to get me excited to pick up my camera.
Check out to see if your favourite photographers are on Youtube. Or try searching "photography" and find new people to admire. Once you start watching videos, the recommended feed along the side can introduce you to new creators that may have just the word or image you need.
I try not to look for inspiration on instagram, because I’ll quickly get sucked into stories and feeds and I’ll look up an hour later 2 years deep in a cousin’s best friend’s yoga instructor’s Parisian vacation home. But seeing how visual this platform is, its a no brainer that we probably follow people in our fields. People we aspire to be and look up to for their talent and imagery. Try searching some cool hashtags like #photographylife or #photographaday and find some images that speak to you. Maybe you'll even find some new creatives to follow and learn from.
How do you cultivate inspiration? Do you have anywhere you go to get your “aha” moment? Share it in the comments below.
Until next time,
Emily Rose
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