Creative is not at all a word that describes me. In fact, most people who know me well would probably say that I am not creative at all. Oddly enough, I have fallen into a hobby (photography) that I believe requires creativity if you want to be great at it. For me personally, I find that I can get the technical side of photography most of the time, but lack adding that special touch of creativity that really evokes emotion in the viewer.
Recently I came across the blog of a husband and wife photography team, Bobbi+Mike, (I honestly think it is amazing I hadn’t come across them before considering how much reading I do in regards to photography) and I couldn’t believe how their photos really drew me in – I felt truly connected to the individuals in them even though I did not know them. I was also amazed when I saw their shots of each other shooting their subjects. It opened my eyes to how plain and boring I am when it comes to how I position myself relative to what I am shooting. Sure, I get down on my kids’ level sometimes to shoot, but I never really thought about getting on different levels with adults, or not shooting an individual straight on, or a great variety of other positions. Bobbi+Mike inspired me in a lot of other ways as well (including Bobbi’s Healthy Train posts – not even related to photography), and I’m excited that I came across their blog because I know I’ll be a better photographer because their work challenges me to be a better one.
So, here I am, trying to learn to be creative when it comes to my photography. I’ve heard some folks say that creativity is something that can’t be learned – you either have it or you don’t. I sure hope that isn’t the case because I really want to learn. I’m not going out trying to copy anyone else’s work. Rather, I’m taking on the challenge of trying to teach myself to see things in different ways, different perspectives, so that I can do a better job showing connection and emotion in photos.
Who inspires you? And, because I hate to have a photoless post, especially in a post about photography, a few shots from today.
