Little bug, big world |
How can I push myself to produce more artistic images?
There are, of course, many answers to this question. One thing I would suggest would be to determine what your goals as a photographer are. What are you trying to convey to the viewer? Are you trying to persuade them, amaze them, terrify them? Or are you trying to capture abstract emotions, melancholy, love, peace? It's up to you, but there's very little chance of achieving your goal if you don't have a clear idea of what it is.
So, besides having a "mission statement" for my work, what else can I do?
Photography is, of course, a visual art. Ergo you must force yourself to produce visually unique and captivating images - you will not be able to achieve your goal if no one wants to look at your work.
Do this exercise.
I've mentioned this somewhere before, but a great trick to force yourself to expand your visual horizons is to constrain your subject matter. What does that mean? Simple: make yourself take 10 (or 5, or 15, or 20) different images of the same subject.
Dramatic backside view |
Detailed side view |
When I look at these images together, they form a story (for me) about the Wheel Bug nymph. It's small, but is a ferocious predator (look at that vicious proboscis!), and is patterned beautifully. Other people probably look at them and think, "gross, that looks terrifying, why would anyone go near that thing???"
Well, to each her own. If you aren't that person alluded to above, you may want to check out my post on insect photography here.
What do you think about this challenge? Are you going to try it weekend? (If you do and you upload your photos somewhere, feel free to leave a link in the comments. I'd love to see!)
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