Start Somewhere, Anywhere

Sometimes, when I get my camera out, I have no idea why. What do I plan to photograph? What lens or lenses do I want to use? Where do I want to go to flex my photography muscles? Do I want to go anywhere, or do I want to find something, anything, around the house to get me started? Sometimes, when I get my camera out, I cannot answer any of the above questions. My mind is blank. I have no ideas, no inspiration, nothing. All I know is that I need to do something – for myself, with my camera.

When this happens, as I am sure it happens to others, I have to ask myself, “what now?” I am “idealess” and relatively uninspired. I am a blank slate with lots of gear and potential, but no roadmap on how to proceed. While I am relatively flexible, I am not so “free spirit” that I can simply start pointing and shooting and instantly become engaged or engrossed with a subject.

You’ve heard the phrase, “throw me a bone.” That’s where I’ve been for the last two weeks – on the lookout for a bone. I’ve driven around with my camera in tow, hoping for something that would give me an inspirational pause. Even my dead flowers haven’t provided the spark. So, I bought some new flowerss – orange dahlias.  I spent some time with them – two sessions, then nothing.

From Session I – Just a suggestion of detail

Session I – Pulling in more of the details

During Session I, I used my Nikon 70-180mm micro, the Nikon 6T and Raynox 150 & 250 for even closer shots, and used the tripod more with a range of apertures. For Session II, I used the Lensbaby Double Glass II optic and close-up filters as well as the Lensbaby Velvet 56 and the Raynox filters. I also added the tripod when I felt I needed to. In both sessions, just days apart, I played and created a variety of images with different lenses, and apparently with a different attitude. I felt pretty good about the time spent. I felt certain that more images were just waiting for me to make them.

However, as I stated above, after these two sessions with the orange dahlias, the well ran dry. So, I bought some more – yellow dahlias and some spiky purple flowers. They’ve been on the dining room table for the last five days. Nothing.

If this sounds depressing or discouraging to you, or you can relate, just hang on. I have some encouraging words and actions you can take to pull and push yourself out of what sometimes may feel like a “creative abyss.” Read on.

From Session II – Playing with multiple exposures

Session II – Multiple exposure of two frames in-camera

START SOMEWHERE , ANYWHERE

I’ve written about “stuckness” before. It’s not an uncommon dilemma for creatives—think of writer’s block. We photographers have blocks as well. That’s what I was dealing with. Apparently, I have been parked in a stuck zone. Now, how did I get out of it?

Three words … Start Somewhere, Anywhere. Get my camera out and pick a lens. Start shooting – no judgments, no “game plan.” Don’t worry about that bone that’s still not been thrown. It will hit me in the face, I’m certain, but only if I start. So, I did.

I decided to use my “one-lens” approach. This means that I choose only one lens, preferably with only one focal length. If I choose a zoom lens, I need to also limit my shooting to a single focal length on the lens. What this does is provide me with some boundaries. It keeps me within some proverbial guardrails so that I don’t lose focus. This limitation provides simplicity in the choices I get to make when shooting.

So, I grabbed my camera and selected my Helios 44-2 with front element reversed and went outside. The Helios is just as forgiving and therapeutic as my Lensbabies are in allowing for imperfection. Note: For this third session I made sure that I was not going for “spectacular” images. Actually, that’s never my target. My goal was simply to get out and shoot whatever I found interesting in a way that was fluid and unencumbered.

Therefore, I struck out with the Helios, and, at different times, I would add my Nikon 6T close-up diopter for closer views. I shot everything (yes, everything) handheld without a tripod and made no judgments in the process. My aperture was generally between f/2 and f/4. Since this information is not communicated in the metadata, that’s all I know. Basically, using a shallow depth of field with interesting backgrounds and bokeh effect was where I landed.

Session II – Embracing softness with my Lensbaby Velvet 56 and diopter

I went for a “walkabout” in my own yard to get started. Then, I expanded my range and wandered around my neighborhood looking for flowers, plants and anything that caught my eye. There was a lot to choose from, and I took advantage of those opportunities. I did not “work my subjects” this time. I briefly connected and moved on. Deep focus and intention were not the goals of this session – release from the block was. Not everything worked, and that’s pretty normal. The fresh air, sunshine and light breezes made for a pleasant experience. Looking on the back of my viewfinder along the way added to this productive and positive experience. I didn’t know what I would ultimately like from the images made, but I was encouraged. I was seeing and shooting – the point of the walkabout achieved.

I spent a little over an hour on this “start somewhere, anywhere” exercise. It was enough to loosen the gears. Getting off the couch and outside was important. Four walls, when stuck, can be beyond uninspiring and generally provide little to no ideas or motivation.

You’re off to great places. Today is your day!

 Your mountain is waiting. So, get on your way!

— Dr. Seuss

Beginning with the second frame from Session III (the “Somewhere”) in my back patio

SESSION THREE – THE “SOMEWHERE”

The “one-lens” walkabout, the third session with my camera in the course of several weeks, was different. The first two sessions were spent with my small bunch of orange dahlias. I had some ideas spark during those sessions, but they ultimately fell flat. I went from one extreme to the other – super shallow depth of field with “just a suggestion” of detail in Session I to super-detailed depth of field (no focus stacking) and more in Session II. After that, my “juices” evaporated. There was no moving forward. Sometimes, that is simply the way things go. It’s frustrating, for me, but I know that my “muse” will find a way back when I let go of expectations.

During this session, I walked my neighborhood, looking for and finding interesting subjects. I explored my front and back patios and photographed a variety of plants and flowers. I even brought those yellow dahlias and purple spiky flowers and worked with them on our patio table in different ways – all with no tripod, with and without the close-up filter, and, most importantly, with no judgments.

Looking through the 120 images from Session III confirmed this. Out of a relatively short time frame of walking around with very few “rules,” one lens, limited accessories, and probably most importantly, no expectations, I learned (again) that keeping things simple can open or re-open the creativity well I was looking for and needed. Sometimes, we just need to “loosen up.”

A flower from my neighbor’s garden during the walkabout

Re-engaging with the yellow dahlia

OTHER WAYS TO RE-ENGAGE

I’ve shared this “one-lens” approach before. It works, which is why I turn to it when the door is locked. Other ways to re-engage include shooting a single subject in as many ways as you can think of, using a single technique (ICM, multiple exposures, long exposures, high key & lightboxes, or working with still life) and provide good triggers to jiggle the stuckness loose. There are more, and they all can work as long as you “let go of perfect” and stay open.

Looking at other artists’ work – from any medium – is also helpful. In fact, many seeds have been sown in my mind for future reference by visiting art exhibits and looking at other works of art (photography and painters, especially) in books. It can be inspiring and motivating to explore other art online, but something about the visual-tactile experience of a book – turning and touching the pages, hearing the sounds and even smelling the paper – is far more effective for me than clicking on a mouse or scrolling with my finger. The pace is generally slower, and the connection, for me, is stronger. It does help that I love reading and can hardly resist adding another book or two to my collection. Have I read them all? No, but I know that they are ready and waiting, and always accessible.

An unexpected image from the purple spiky flowers

FINAL THOUGHTS

If you have found your creative feet stuck in the mud as I have on more than one occasion, perhaps, you might try my “start somewhere, anywhere” approach to get your mind going. Remember, let go of perfect, keep it simple, and be open. Then, don’t be surprised at where this approach takes you. Hopefully, you will take my advice and go outside, away from the confines of four walls. There’s something magical about being close to nature. Even if you grab a book and sit outside somewhere without your camera, the birds and breezes and turning pages will surely take you to a different space in your mind. Even this will allow you to see, think, feel and photograph anew.

The mind, once stretched by a new idea, never returns to its original dimensions.

— Ralph Waldo Emerson

A different view of the fuchsia from my patio with the Helios during Session III