NZPhotographer Issue 46, August 2021

INSPIRATION ZERO – 7 WAYS TO
STAY MOTIVATED
Exposure to sunlight increases
the release of a hormone
called serotonin in your brain - a
happiness hormone. But with more
rainy days and cold weather still on
the horizon for at least another month
here in NZ it is totally natural for us
creatives to feel a little uninspired,
less focused, and more anxious.
Photography is a great way to boost
your mood but what can you do
when you don’t feel like picking up
your camera? Some tips and tricks
that worked for me are as follows:
1. See what others are doing. Nothing
beats a good book and a cup of
tea/coffee in a comfy chair on a
gloomy wet day and photography
focused books and magazines are a
great way to find inspiration and learn
from others. If physical copies aren’t
your thing, just grab your phone and
scroll through Instagram or check out
the Excio app. You might also visit a
gallery, or view our own online gallery
and support a good cause at the
same time. Inspiration is not the same
as imitation! Try not to copy the exact
style or composition, instead using
someone else’s work as a guide try
and create your own series.
2. Narrow down your options. Set
yourself a limit on something e.g.
measure a 1x1 sqm area in your
home or backyard and photograph
whatever is already there.
Alternatively, ditch the tape measure
and dive into still life photography,
picking one type of object to
photograph - It can be anything
from food, to flowers, to household
objects; kitchenware, instruments,
garden tools, even books – why not?
3. Try miniature photography. There
are heaps of miniatures on AliExpress
if you don’t have any (it may take
some time for delivery) or you can
buy some locally. It doesn’t have to
be people figurines – It could be toys,
objects, animals and so on.
4. Experiment with liquids. If you are
an Excio member you can read a
blog post from Kelly Vivian on how
she photographed M&Ms last year –
super creative and easy to try. Get
some food colouring, oils or paint and
set free your imagination.
5. Work with your archives. If you
have some spare time it is a great
exercise to go through your hard
drives and work on some old files
– delete the duplicates taken ‘just
in case’ or experiment with editing
some shots you initially overlooked
and add a new creative look to
them, perhaps something different to
your usual style.
6. Set realistic goals and take one
step at a time. When you think about
picking up your camera but are not
sure what to photograph try focusing
on small goals like photographing ten
different types of flowers, 5 birds, or
a series of black and white shots etc.
Just be sure to decide how many
photographs will be in your series –
our brains work better when given
exact milestones.
7. Stop thinking about photography!
Sometimes the feeling of not keeping
up with everything that’s happening
(photo challenges, competitions,
editing, etc) is enormous and the
pressure grows which makes it harder
and harder (in your mind) to get
back into photography. Stop blaming
yourself – it’s not a big issue at all and
you can resume all your activities
as soon as you are ready and you
feel like it. Quite often it is very useful
to actually get distracted and do
something different, something
you’ve wanted to do for a long time
(I’m not talking about your day job
or house chores!). Go to the cinema,
organize a party with friends, paint or
sew, go skydiving – do something that
will help you feel refreshed and you
will soon find that the photography
motivation comes right back!
Ana Lyubich
Co-founder of the Excio
Photo Community and
NZPhotographer Magazine,
Ana is a passionate
photographer and
photography mentor. She
loves exploring the unseen
macro world and capturing
people’s genuine emotions.
Ana is always happy to help
other fellow photographers so
don’t hesitate to get in touch
with her at ana@excio.io
www.excio.io
@excionz
NZPhotographer
August 2021
57