What to Photograph When There's Nothing Worth Photographing?
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Binge watch "Street Photography" I tinyurl.com/4fhzhcwt
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What to Photograph When There's Nothing Worth Photographing?
By Tatiana Hopper
June 2023 - ภาพยนตร์และแอนิเมชัน
📍What do you do to when you're not motivated to photograph? When you feel there's nothing worth photographing?
Then I read a book lol
@@reiniervannek fair enough!
I browse through the deck of Leica Akademie cards. It’s a set of cards with a different challenge on each one. Sparks creativity from time to time.
@@guillaumebouqueau oh that’s very cool! I’ll look them up
@@TatianaHopper❤
For me, sparking creativity is to stop looking at pictures or others' work. Allow yourself to be bored. With enough boredom, you'll soon be creative again. Boredom is the secret. I have a book about it but I've never been bored enough to read it... seriously. I can't stop staring at screens and that's the problem.
Very interesting I know people who prefer that approach too and that’s fine I mean there’s no right or wrong way :) if you can’t stop staring at screen I recommend you to do what I did. Turn off all notifications except those you absolutely need family and work. Buy a brick phone (you know those from a century ago with actual keys) and use it on the weekends or whenever you want and can totally disconnect. No TV in the bedroom or places in your house where you want an absolute silent and calm environment. For me it works 🤷♀️
You’re right. Taking long breaks from Instagram has taught me this.
Wandering around with a camera without expectation and without trying to force photos into existence is liberating.
So refreshing to come across someone who can actually be creative and end up with really good pictures rather than so many TH-cam presentations which are all the talk but not the professional results. Thank you.
Hi Tatiana.
This is a video that we all, as photographers, can use.
Because I'm sure every photographer has arrived at this point at some point.
"What should I do now" "Everything has already been photographed once" or "How can I stay original with my work".
And in my 35 years of photography, I've definitely been there.
Thank you for this educational video.
Antoine.
Thank you so much for watching Antoine, I totally agree with you! Glad it can be helpful in one way or another to those who come across it, hopefully!
Oh I love this one! So creative thanks so much for sharing! I definitely feel like this sometimes so it’s nice to have the advice of being proactive, keeping our mind busy. Very useful video!
Thanks so much for watching! I really appreciate it and I’m glad it can be helpful and useful :)
Always great to see a new video Tatiana ! I came across one of those relatively cheap Chinese manual focus lenses ,with an off beat lens length and with the various lens faults.But go on the hunt inside or outside of your house and the manual focusing gives you a whole new perspective on mundane things !
There you go an excellent point was made, just experiment and take a proactive approach :)
For me as a Street Photographer I try to think in different way when there is nothing to photograph
What I do is I go to small towns around my area to challenge my self
In small towns there are not too many people
So what I do is I try to seek the light the shadows the texture the trees the shapes the small houses and the Scapes i can find In front of me
There is always something to photograph and it’s a necessary for any photographer to challenge him/her self by being in a different environment
There is always a beauty we the photographer can find and photograph
Thank for this Amazing video …
Thanks for that insight I’m sure it can be helpful to others too! You’re right there’s always something to photograph I agree that’s why it’s healthy to challenge yourself :)
That Chimay glass 👌
Amen!
You have an excellent explanation for this. When you look all around, there's inspiration waiting for you. Though you don't necessarily have to have a particular subject when taking a photo. Even rushing of cars or the breeze can be worth documenting. Simple and mundane stuff can leave a big impact.
Absolutely Sophia! Great point and thank you for watching & commenting! All the best!
You created some very beautiful images for this exercise.
Love this. I have been in a bit of a lull with photography for some time now but found myself shooting still life and light as it comes into my home. I felt silly but you’ve actually made me want to embrace it more. Not sure any of the pictures will go anywhere but it keeps me connected to ‘seeing’ photographically if that makes sense. As a person who struggles with taking pictures of herself, I might set about trying more of that too. You definitely nailed it. Thank you x
Amazing! That's the purpose of this video its about keeping you connected with photography, doing your thing, you don't need to share it after all we don't need to share images to be photographers, photographer presupposes that you photograph / create an image in its definition. Keep doing what you're doing and all the best!
I hit similar road block with street photography where I was bored by same composition and worried to try something bold. I chose to focus on only taking photos of flowers for a year and now everyday and everywhere I search for flowers. This has invigorated my photography and i also sneak in few street pictures along the way.
Great ideas and very nice work. I love your photos and the sets that you created. It helps to see what the possibilities are when you can step out of your comfort zone. I hope all is well✌️
Hey Joe! Thank you so much for your comment and positive feedback. I'm so glad it shows the possibilities out there. Thanks for watching and God bless my friend! ✌
love this!! thanks for sharing
Thanks for watching 🙏🏻
Great stuff as usual Ms T., Thank you so much!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Great discussion and examples Tatiana, I totally agree with you on this. I also love the idea of photo exercises as an addition to your channel. 😎❤
Thank you so much Rich! I really appreciate it and I will definitely work on the photo exercises video :)
I had stopped photographing for almost 3 years for pleasure, and was only making photos for work.
I am, usually, against GAS, but after I bought a Google Pixel 7a, all the interest and passion returned, all came back, every time see something interesting, I take a photo and I'm really happy for this... But I guess it's not because the phone is new, but the camera is superb and fast.
Lovely video, T. Thanks very much for all you do!
Thank you so much 🙏🏻
Thank you for this video. So much has to do with how we see the things around us rather than looking for “new”.
Agreed! Thanks so much for watching Michelle! :)
Thanks, great video, with lots of good points and ideas! Cheers
Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for watching 🙏🏻
Good topic thanks for the content
Thank you so much 🤝🏻
Shoot mundane items in great lighting. Look for shadows and different angles for practice. Sometimes I have my light meter and guess the settings in different areas.
Ahah I do that like in my head and try to guess and if I’m really compelled to know I’ll check with the light meter keeps me busy and entertained. Totally agree with what you said good exercises there :)
Thanks for sharing, I agree... Looking around us we can find inspiration, we can use our cats, mirror, walls, ligths and shadows create by our windows😊 thanks again
Totally! That reminds me I need to get a cat for moments like this 😅 joking aside you’re right and thank you for watching
Try using the art filters on an Olympus or other digital camera. Pick one, then try to make the most of it by creating a small series in that style.
Even ones like the Key Line filter can work well, when they're put together in a set.
If you don't use them anyway, then they're a good option if you're out of ideas. It's something different.
Something different indeed! Thanks so much for watching, really appreciate it 🙏🏻
Good idea
Thanks!!
Thanks Ted!
One of the fun things I do as a creative exercise is to deliberately photograph the most banal thing I can find. I find, sometimes, that ypu can produce some of the most crative and captivating images by going out of one's way to be anti-creative.
Great point Dan! Totally agree, thanks for the input and cheers for watching and commenting :)
You are great! ❤
You too!!
You have a wonderful personality ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
thank you!
Hello Tatiana!!! GREAT to see you again!! :D
This couldn't have come at a better time. I live in New Orleans, LA (US) and right now, it's just too damned hot and humid to go outside to do anything if you don't have to...much less lug a lot of photo gear around.
So, you got me thinking of indoor stuff...maybe just play with macro?!?! So, your video got me thinking again and I'll start playing indoors with my camera in the coming weeks.
Think you'll ever get to the US for a visit? If you get down New Orleans way, drop me a line, I'll buy an around of drinks....
Have a great day, looking forward to seeing your next presentation!
CC
Hey! Thanks so much for watching and I’m glad it got you thinking of doing some indoor stuff let that creative juice flow!
For sure if I ever find myself in New Orleans we can catch up, all the best 🤝🏻
New Orleans is great. Seems like there is a lot to photograph there, especially in the French Quarter.
I've never felt that there was "nothing to photograph" and although it sometimes seems that "I've seen (filmed) this movie before," that just reinforces the need to see familiar things in a different way (the essence of art). Experimenting with lighting is often a great way to get a different perspective, but I rarely use artificial light. There are obviously cases where it can create images impossible to do with ambient (and now I wish I had some Chimay on hand--well, I do have some Saison Dupont). You can never go wrong quoting Ansel or finding inspiration in the work of others (with your own spin, of course). Regarding that particular quote, he was of course referring to the darkroom (though he imagined digital and would surely have taken advantage of it had it been available), but post-processing digital is an art in itself, and you can do many things impossible with film (and vice-versa), so that's another area to explore. When you feel you're in a rut, revisit your "vintage" portfolio (film or digital) and see what new takes you can discover (Ansel re-printed many of his works to different effect).
I wondered if you were related to Edward Hopper (or Dennis--both a great actor and photographer as I'm sure you know) and seeing Nighthawks makes me wonder even more if the former is the case. Either way, his paintings certainly have a photographic quality to them, something discussed in Geoff Dyer's The Ongoing Moment, a book I'd recommend to any photographer.
Excellent comment thank you so much for taking the time to write that I really appreciate it and well I suppose some Saison Dupont will have to do haha. A lot of the points you make are in agreement with some of the points I make in the video I too believe there's always something to photograph. And of course we can never go wrong quoting Ansel! Thanks for the book recommendation I'll add it to my list!
So many memorable photographs are of things that most of us would just walk past without noticing. I hate being uninspired. When I feel that way I ask myself what it is that I'm not seeing and then I try to photograph it. Completely ignoring the compulsion to try and make "great photography" also helps a lot,
Thanks for watching and commenting! Great insight! :)
@@TatianaHopper Thanks, I love your channel because it's always thought provoking.
excellent surprisingly very similar to my methods. Sometimes if I have go to a business or other destination gor chores I don't take camera or use my phone and usually I see somthing that makes me wish for my camera. as I am NOT trying to capture images and have put my brain in neutral suddenly I see things spontaneously. Let me add that listening to Jazz or Pink Floyd can reslly get me in the mood to take pictures. thanks for sharing
Thanks for watching David! Glad we have similar methods I see through the comment section that everyone has different things they do and work for them so I'm glad people can share their thoughts and hopefully influence each other. Thanks!
First, thank you for the video about Fred Herzog a few weeks ago; I got the Modern Color book and it is fantastic! In 2021 I suffered some vision problems that caused me to essentially lose two years of photographic opportunity. Now that my vision is coming around I'm anxious to get back out there and this video has given me some good ideas of what I can start with. Thank. You!
Thanks for sharing that, I feel for you it must have been a hard hurdle, but you overcame it and I hope you can slowly get back to it, just be kind to yourself, and thank you for watching! All the best ✨
One thing I do when I'm just not seeing is to switch to sketching - pencil and paper. The subject content doesn't matter (but the simpler the better), nor the quality of the sketch, but i'm always amazed at how visually complicated the simplest things actually are when you try to capture them by hand. I find the exercise definitely helps seeing what's really there to be photographed.
Very very cool and one tip all of us can try to take on board! Thanks so much for watching and commenting!
It was either Eve Arnold or Lisette Mode(?) who once said everythng is fodder for the camera. The Hungarian
born photographer, Andre Kertesz said that a photographer must learn to photograph everything! You make excellent videos.
Agreed! That’s why we should always try a bit of everything as with different styles we learn valuable things I believe :)
That video was a nice journey, though I did wonder off with dreams of Frida, Georgia and the smell of turpentine.
Lovely 👏👌👌👌😍🐝
Thank you! Cheers!
I usually go for Sudek, Godwin, Weston, Adams etc. Love Robert Adams and Moore, but cant do them.
Great names, great photography, greater inspiration!
"Number 1 - Do what you love. Not what you should but what you love. We often make mistakes but you can't even worry about that...but if you're going to fall on your ass you might as well do so while you're heading in a direction that you love." Harold Feinstein
Don't get caught in the Instagram 'single image' trap of always looking for stand alone photographs or thinking that that's 'photography'. Before you even think about picking up a camera jot down what interests you, what you love, then devise a project to capture it over an extended time frame of 5-10 years. A body of work like that will always have single images that stand out but should still fit into a body of work that reflects that love that prompted you to commit to it in the first place. Better still, have several projects on the go...
Great advice! Thank you so much Steven for watching and taking your time to comment!
I look at paintings of the masters and ask "can that be created with photography?" E.g., can a Picasso cubist be done as multiple exposures on film? Can Pieter Bruegel the Elder captivating "street" scenes be created with a multi-shot collage in Photoshop?
Very interesting thoughts, would love to try that myself! Thanks for watching and commenting :)
Your podcasts are always well done and informative…what is not helpful and distracting is your right hand and arm flapping about. Your facial expression accentuate the importance of your high points. Tape your right arm to the table.
"What do you do to when you're not motivated to photograph?" . . . chop wood, do the dishes, you know, live your life and maybe you'll feel compelled to make photographs again . . . or not.
Whatever works for you brother! :)
@@TatianaHopper I've always thought there was a difference between going around "trying" to make "interesting" photographs and simply living a life that you felt was interesting to photograph . . . .but of course whatever works for you.
Yes. Find me an artist of any kind who doesn't have lulls in their creativity, or times when they don't meet up to their hopes and standards. I think being comfortable with inconsistency even as you strive to always produce and produce your best is important.
If you believe there's nothing interesting to photograph : stop being a photographer. Find some other interest.