Photographer's Ingredients for Creativity

Inspiration from Photographers

I have many different things that I use to keep me inspired and keep those creative juices flowing. One of the best ways to be inspired is from other photographer's work. One of the photographers I have followed my entire career is William Albert Allard.

There are two things that I continue to learn from him. First I am really inspired by his vision and capturing moments. The thing that makes his work stand out from so many other photographers through the years was he was able to control the exposure in such a way to create a mood with his photos. He is one of the few photographers of his generation that spent most of his entire career shooting color.

When I think of his color photos I think of Allard shaving the exposure ever so slightly to make the reds richer or going the other way and making it more of a pastel.

One thing I admired most about the subjects of Allard's camera was the dignity that is preserved. He often romanticized the characters and made them hero's by the camera angle, the light and the moment he decided to capture for the audience.

When I started out I just thought I too would just pick up the camera and walk out the door and do the same images that he captured. Now I understand even more that William Allard had to get permission to capture those images. He didn't use some technique to squeeze off a frame without them knowing he was there.

Allard wove himself into the fabric of their lives. Once I discovered this about his work I wanted to hear him speak and find out how he got that kind of access.

Recently I was inspired by Christopher Capozziello or as his friends call him "Capi".  Capi decided to do a very personal and intimate story about his relationship with his twin brother Nick who has cerebral palsy. The result was a short film and book. The book The Distance Between Us is something I would recommend to any storyteller.


Willing to tell your own story like Capi did with his brother Nick really will help him going forward in my opinion for a few reasons. First it showed that he was willing to be vulnerable and transparent. You can tell he was careful to protect his brother, but at the same time looked for moments that would be appropriate to share that helped tell of the struggles not only for Nick for also for Capi himself.

Do I have the right to tell anyone's story if I am unwilling to be as transparent as Capi?

Inspiration Gear

It is a very expensive way to get inspired, but I cannot dismiss this as a way to get those juices flowing. I know of photographers who for no other reason than frustrated that they have tried almost everything for inspiration to change over to a new camera system.

One of the primary driving factors of the mirrorless camera is many photographers are finding their present DSLR cameras limiting them in some way. One of the biggest factors is the weight of cameras. Bill Fortney, retired Nikon Rep, is using the Fuji system for this reason. Read his latest blog post Fuji X-System REPORT CARD - One Year In.

Carrying around a lot of heavy gear all day can keep you from wanting to shoot any more, so gear can help keep you inspired.

Inspiration Websites

I go to websites like Dave Black's for inspiration. Dave is always trying to figure out ways to take his vision and capture it using light. He is always pushing the limits using high speed sync, painting with light and studying his subject to find those unique moments that he can capture that sets his work apart from the rest of the industry.

Inspiration from Subject Matter

Fuji X-E2, 18-55mm, ISO 200, ƒ/2.8, 1/5

Taking my camera with me every where I go lets the places I visit help to inspire me. Whether I am in Lisbon, Portugal or in my hometown of Roswell, GA I take photos throughout my day.

Fuji X-E2, 55-200mm, ISO 5000, ƒ/3.6, 1/500

Sometimes the photos are just goofy and fun. This I took of us on a air boat in Jacksonville, Florida.

This is a cropped version of the photo below.

What does all this have in common?

Work is what it all has in common and it isn't something that drops into your lap.

Inspiration comes from perspiration.

The Courage to Create

Nikon D4, 28-300mm ƒ/3.5-5.6, 300mm, ƒ/5.6, ISO 1250, 1/2000

The first step into the creative process according to Rollo May is the encounter. I think a good example of this would be something similar to this eight point deer that was in our backyard.

Seeing the buck out our back window was engaging to say the least for me.

For me these are not all that creative in the photography, but the encounter is what ignited the creative process of me. I went got my camera and was out the door shortly for a more close encounter of my own.

To be creative one must be intense. Just as the intensity of the encounter of the deer with me gave it "flight-fight" response so too must I be where my heart too is pumping and I feel the intensity of the encounter.

The more absorbed you become on the subject then the more you are able to think of ways to portray the subject. Now instead of you feeling anxiety and fear light the deer and have a "flight-fight" response Rollo May says the creative finds the "joy." Robert Maslow would say we are self actualized.

For me this creativity comes when I have truly emersed myself into a subject to where all this information is firing the synapsis in my brain making correlations that were not given to me but by my thoughts on the subject.

I believe before the truly creative act can be performed one must have engaged all their being to the point that now the unconscious is as much at work as the conscious which allows for those eureka moments.

However, when you start thinking like this you then must be courageous enough to start acting on these thoughts. They are new thoughts and by just acting on them you are prone to failure. You may try something only to find out that your thoughts were not complete.

One of the main reasons for tenure for professors is for them to be creative they must be allowed to try crazy thoughts and be allowed to fail occasionally for the possibility of the scientific break throughs.

World-renowned viola player Pam Goldsmith works with my daughter helping her fine tune her playing skills.

You may get help along the way to help you engage more on a subject. My daughter spent most of the day with world-renowned viola player Pam Goldsmith and picked up a few pointers to improve her viola skills.

Stages of the Creativity

1. Encounter
2. Emersion into the subject
3. Incubation
4. Eureka moments
5. Execution
6. Verification

Some people never move all the way through the stages. They may just get excited about taking photos for example. They are in love with the process more than the results. These people have a hard time understanding why no one hires them for jobs.  They lack creativity. The creativity can be in the form of ideas or new ways of thinking, but they are not bringing anything new to the table.

Malcolm Gladwell says that from his research it is about 10,000 hours before the artist has masted the craft enough to be creative.  While this maybe true for a bell curve I believe for many folks it comes much later.

The best way to know if you are getting close is your time commitment. Do you have the courage and fortitude to commit yourself to what is needed. How much do you know about the subject you want to photograph. 

Become an expert on the topics you want to photograph and I can pretty much guarantee that you are very close to seeing new possibilities and ideas on how to photograph this subject in a way others cannot.

Some people are amazed out how some photographers are just always getting incredible photos. What I notice is these people are able to anticipate where they need to be to get the best possible moment with the best possible light and composition. 

Photographers are hired for brains and not gear

Surprise

It is quite common for me to show up on a photo shoot and find out that the person hiring me has a lot of camera gear themselves. Most of my main customers have some great gear and we often talk shop.

The reason I mention this is too often when I meet amateurs they talk to me about what they don't have and what they have in equipment, as if when they get enough gear is when they can turn pro.

One of the groups that hire photographers pretty regularly are agencies. Most all these agencies have camera gear and shoot a great deal of the photos for their clients. When they hire a professional photographer, rarely are they ever hiring them because of their gear, they have that gear just down the hall in their small studio.

They hire the photographer for their experience. Here is the concept, now make it better while still accomplishing their intended goal for the photo.

Take this really simple photo of a mobile phone. I just shot this a few weeks ago for a website. The reason the creative director hired me for this photo shoot wasn't because they didn't have the gear to take the photo, they hired me to light the phone and create the 3-D feel and be sure the elements they needed to highlight were easy to see.

No glare on the screen and then you needed details in all the black areas of the phone, which was primarily a very dark gray to almost black phone.

I saved them a lot of time of lighting the phone and getting what they needed very quickly.

I am often hired to photograph black objects. The reason is they are some of the hardest subjects to light and reveal the shape of the object.

Often once I have done this for clients they will go out and duplicate the gear and no longer hire me again.  As long as they duplicate the setup they are fine, until they come up on something new, then I get that phone call again.

Creativity

I am often hired for science and technology shoots, because what I am asked to photograph hasn't ever been photographed before. They need me to engage the audience with something which is often quite stagnant.

The photo of the researcher holding up the micro-needles on his finger was my idea of how to communicate how small those needles were. When this first came out the photo was picked up by the media world-wide. Many talked about the ouch-less needle.

Another assignment I met the researcher during time when all his gear was just sent away. All we had was his laptop and a spare LCD. He told me his work entailed giving an audience flashlights that they would wave in the air and he had cameras that would pick up those lights and his software would translate this into music that was played live by orchestra on the stage.

I had a Mini MagLight in my camera bag and I asked him to wave it around. I converted the flashlight to candle mode and this helped tell the story in the one shot.

I had to figure out the three different exposures for the photo and combine them into one photo. the exposure of the computer screens, the flashlight and then the strobes on the subjects face and then two more strobes to add some color to the photo.

Those are just a few examples where I used my brain to make the photo. The camera gear didn't make the photo on "P" mode.

Even if you know how to use the gear and make it work this isn't what they are hiring you to do. They are hiring you for your ideas, not just to execute their idea. They can do that without you.

What do you bring to the table other than your camera gear and lighting gear?

The high we get from creating - by Guest Blogger Brad Moore

I enjoy blogging, because I learn so much from the process. However, turning out 3 blogs a week can be draining. It is important to keep new material coming, so I have asked some friends to guest blog.

I thought immediately of my friend Brad Moore who helped his boss Scott Kelby coordinate the guest blogger for Scott's blog. I knew he understood what I do and would most likely be the best person I could think of to kick off what I hope to be a way to introduce you to my favorite people in the industry.

Brad is one of the best in the industry when it comes to going the second mile and knowing how to play second fiddle. Brad helped Joe McNally and now helps Scott Kelby look good. He has the reputation of anticipating a photographer's needs after working with them.

As you can see from his words below, Brad is always thinking.

Stanley

---

Brad Moore - Guest Blogger

[Author's Note: I wrote this for myself more than anyone else. I hope you find it applicable as well.]

Bob Dylan almost had it right with the lyric "Everybody must get stoned!" from Rainy Day Women #12 & 35, the first track on his 1966 double album Blonde On Blonde. While I don't condone or recommend getting stoned through the use of illegal drugs, I do recommend getting high.

We are constantly seeking manners through which to get high. There are the obvious things like alcohol, sex, drugs, caffeine, etc. If not one of those, then job promotions, buying a new car/purse/camera, or beating our high score on Angry Birds.

Michael Maddox of Kill Hannah performs on July 21, 2010 at The Ritz in Ybor City, Tampa, Florida (photo by: Brad Moore)

But as creatives, we get our high by creating things. The feeling of creating something we're proud of and sharing it with others produces a high that is not easily paralleled.

In Art & The Bible, Francis Schaeffer discusses how our works of art are works "of creativity, and creativity has value because God is the Creator… Man is made in the image of God, and therefore man not only can love and think and feel emotion, but also has the capacity to create. Being [made] in the image of the Creator, we are called upon to have creativity. In fact, it is part of the image of God to be creative."

So, as we are made in the image of God, and God is the Creator, we too all have creativity within us. This is the reason creating something gives us a high that's difficult to match through other means.

A view from backstage during Fireflight's performance on September 11, 2010 during "Rock The Universe" at Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida (photo by: Brad Moore)

However, we all go through "valley" periods from time to time, going weeks, or even months without creating something for ourselves. And no the things we create at our day jobs out of requirement, but something you do for YOU.

It can almost be depressing.

But the moment you point your camera at something that excites you and click the shutter, a rush of endorphins hits you. And when you get through the editing process to find the ONE shot, it can feel as if you're bringing new life into the world.

How then do we get ourselves out of these occasional valleys and continue creating fresh art?

Hillsong United perform in support of Aftermath before a sold-out crowd at American Airlines Arena on August 6, 2011 in Miami, Florida (photo by: Brad Moore)

We get ourselves into these valleys by walking along a road of repetition. These creative ruts occur by doing the same thing, the same way, over and over. And we repeatedly do things the same way because we think we have it figured out, the "right way" we're supposed to do them.

In Walking On Water, Madeleine L'Engle says, "We live by revelation, as Christians, as artists, which means that we must be careful never to get set into rigid molds. The minute we begin to think we know all the answers, we forget the questions, and we become smug like the Pharisee who listed all his considerable virtues and thanked God that he was not like other men."

Derek E. Miller of Sleigh Bells performs for a sold-out crowd at State Theatre in St. Petersburg, Florida on April 29, 2011

When we think we have everything figured out, we become smug and close our minds to divine inspiration, which makes it difficult grow in our art. We must continue asking questions about our creative process in order to stay fresh in our approach. Even the most accomplished artist will likely admit that their best ideas come from outside themselves, regardless of their spiritual affiliation.

If our calling in life is a creative one, we must put ourselves in a position where our minds are open to divine inspiration, and our creative process open to questioning and exploration. Doing this will allow us to make fresh new art that we are unable to create on our own.

So go out, explore, create, and get high!

You can see more of Brad's work at bmoorevisuals.com, find him on Google+, and follow him on Twitter.