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Posts Tagged ‘Break’

5 Ways To Break Out of a Creative Photography Rut

17 Jun

Ironside-1500px-2482

I’m a full time photographer that concentrates on shooting restaurant and bar interiors, food, and cocktails. After strictly shooting that subject matter for long time I found myself uninspired, so I decided to do something about it.

I’m going to share four tips I’ve used over the years to get back on track creatively, hopefully they will help you get out of your photography rut too.

1. Get out of your comfort zone – physically

Lake-Cayumaca-600px-5582

I find that I loose inspiration when I’ve been in the same area too long. When things become familiar they become less exciting. If this happens to you there is only one thing to do: leave!

There is huge value in leaving your area, city, or even state for a day or two. The process of traveling to an unfamiliar place jumpstarts the creative process.

Lake-Cayumaca-600px-5430

My photography was becoming stagnant so I left downtown San Diego and took an hour drive to Lake Cayumaca. Being in a totally different geographic area afforded me new opportunities to shoot things I don’t see every day in downtown San Diego.

Lake-Cayumaca-split

2. Learn something totally new and uncomfortable

A few years ago I had gotten in a photography rut while shooting a ton of portraits. I decided I needed to learn something new so I decided to learn how to photograph water drops.

blue-crown

I read a tutorial online and set up a little station in my garage. I didn’t have any experience with macro photography but was excited to try. Check out the setup below:

blue-drop-setup

It took me a while to start getting decent results but I found myself loving the learning process. I had a great time and came away with a new skill set and a revived creativity.

blue-teeball

If you find yourself in a rut, learn something new that is unfamiliar. While there are people who put my water drop photos to shame I’m still proud of these images and the rut they helped me get out of.

blue-point

3. Try a new style of shooting

A few years ago I was starting to learn about rear curtain sync on my flash. I had a few friends who shot really cool light trails in their nightlife photography. I felt a renewed surge of inspiration to try this during a rock concert.

rear-curtain-sync

I plugged an Alien Bees flash trigger into my speed light and put the receiver onto my camera’s hot shoe. This enabled me to hold the flash up, and to the left, with my left hand while holding the camera with my right hand.

Jimmy-Loves-600px-80

I put my camera and flash on manual. I used a one-second-long shutter speed and set the flash power to properly expose the musicians a few feet in front of me.

Jimmy-Loves-600px-82

I clicked the shutter to start the exposure and immediately tilted my camera around in circles or side to side. Moving the camera while the shutter was open captured all the lights in the concert hall in different shapes. In rear curtain sync the flash pops at the end of the exposure and the shutter closes.

This combination of using a long exposure and rear curtain sync to create light trails taught me a new skill that I was excited to keep using in future shoots. It is important to master new skills to keep your creativity up.

4. Start an ongoing project

How ironic that my initial rut that was caused by shooting the same subject matter would become a source of inspiration. After half a year of shooting tons of bars and restaurants I looked back on my photos and noticed my favorite photos from those shoots were the corner bar shots.

Common Theory corner bar 600px-6605

After realizing this I got really excited to get back out there to start a project and shoot more bars and restaurants to add to my collection.

Modern Times corner bar 600px-6250

I’m really excited about this now!  I’m already thinking about my next trip and what bars I’ll stop at to add to my project.

puesto-restaurant-interiors-5084

Getting in a rut happens to us all at one point or another. What ways have you guys found to kickstart your creativity? I’d love to hear your suggestions in the comments below.

The post 5 Ways To Break Out of a Creative Photography Rut by Mike Newton appeared first on Digital Photography School.


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10 Bad Photography Habits and How to Break Them Now

31 Mar

There are some very common habits that we develop as photographers. Especially in the beginning when there is so much to learn! Among the tips and secrets to good photography, a valuable one is to avoid bad habits that will be hard to shake off later. Bad habits are fairly common to create, as we  create habits in everything we do. Continue Reading

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Frame-Busting Art: 2D Graffiti Figures Break Free from Walls

28 Nov

[ By WebUrbanist in Art & Street Art & Graffiti. ]

figure frame breaking

Treating abandoned buildings and urban surfaces more like pages in a book than bricks to tag, this street artist brings an illustrator’s touch and storyteller’s approach to his unique graffiti.

figure suicidal jumper man

figure jumper up close

Though based in the Netherlands, Daan Botlek frequently ranges far from Rotterdam to cities including Berlin and Bangkok, where he draws surreal scenes with imaginary characters.

figure art subway door

Some of these creations seem to be contemplating dangerous acts, while others fight through their artificial environments or even with one another.

figure art wall scene

figure art frame play

figure art frame two

These much-humanized, frame-breaking figures are only one facet of his portfolio, but they uniquely bridge the gap between the artist’s experience with illustration on the one hand and street art on the other.

figure 3d cube art

figure abandoned building graffiti

Aside from on-paper drawings and character creation, his other public art series include a set of white cubes, again reprising this three-dimensional approach to bring objects, in this case, off the page (or wall, as it were).

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[ By WebUrbanist in Art & Street Art & Graffiti. ]

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100 Smashing Examples of Light Painting Photography (Get A Break From Work Already)

03 Aug

All of us has experimented with light more than once while capturing friends in the club or dark street with lanterns. Moving light creates amazing patterns in the photo, so these light properties can be effectively used by artists in order to create an image full of magic and mystery. Light painting, also known as light graffiti or light drawing, Continue Reading

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Break the Rules: 100 Lomo Photography Ideas to Get Inspired

28 Jun

Lomography is a quite unknown term, but many of us practice it more than once. Actually, what some consider mistakes like exposure defects or over-saturated colors are what makes lomography so special. This movement was born in early ‘90s by a group of Viennese students who discovered the Lomo LC-A camera while on vacation in Prague. Since then lomography has Continue Reading

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Bottle & Sell It: 14 Designer Bottles that Break the Mold

17 Apr

[ By Steph in Design & Products & Packaging. ]

Designer Bottles Main

Most companies are primarily concerned with price when it comes to beverage and liquid product packaging, but what if designers were given free reign to tweak the standard designs so they’re more user-friendly? These 14 packaging design concepts solve annoyances like caps that are difficult to open, bottle shapes that force you to crane your neck to drink and the frustrating inability to reach those last drops of product in the bottom of a soap bottle.

Soft Hanging Soap and Shampoo Bottles

Designer Bottles Soft Hanging

Soft bottles with suction cups to attach them to the shower walls eliminate all the clutter that various toiletries can create in the bathroom. These bottles are made from cornstarch vinyl, so they’re easy to squeeze, and making them transparent may help distinguish between different types of products stored inside.

Easy Drink

Designer Bottles Easy Drink 1

This simple change in the standard water bottle design seems so obvious, it’s amazing that it hasn’t been implemented already. Moving the mouth of the bottle from the top to a 45-degree angle makes it much easier to drink and re-fill. No more craning your neck to get those last drops.

Dumbbell Bottle

Designer Bottles Dumbbell 2

Since you’re probably carrying a water bottle or sports drink while working out anyway, why not make it do more? The Dumbbell sports drink bottle won’t exactly get you ripped at just .5kg (1.1 pounds), but you could always fill it with something heavier when the drink is gone.

EasyOpen Tab-Pull Bottle Cap

Designer Bottles EasyOpen

Sometimes you’re caught without a bottle opener, and using your teeth isn’t exactly a good idea unless you’re willing to part with them. What if bottle caps had little easy-pull tabs on them? The ‘EasyOpen’ concept would certainly do what the name suggests.

Aqua Jar Turns Bottles into Pitchers

Designer Bottles Aqua Jar

The Aqua Jar by GH Lab extends the life of a plastic bottle by turning it into an easy-pour pitcher. It’s made from biodegradable and recyclable plastic, and fits the universal coil of any plastic bottle.

Eco Coke

Designer Bottles Eco Coke

Designer Bottles Eco Coke 2

“Same classic design, just greener,” says Andrew Kim, designer of the Eco Coke bottle. So what makes it different – and superior – to the current bottle design? Aside from being 100% plant-based, this bottle is also collapsible, making it easier to keep it on hand until a recycling bin is nearby. Since it has a smaller footprint, space for nearly two additional bottles is recovered within standard boxes.

Retap

Designer Bottles Retap

While some people will reuse plastic bottles a few times, they’re awkward to clean, and can leach chemicals into the water over time. Glass is safer – and nicer-looking. Retap is a designer water bottle concept that’s easily refillable, without any sharp corners to make cleaning difficult.

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Bottle Sell It 14 Designer Bottles That Break The Mold

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[ By Steph in Design & Products & Packaging. ]

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The Spring Break Camera Strapis Here to Party!

03 Apr

Extra photos for bloggers: 1, 2, 3

We’re sporting the partiest camera strap for the most partyful break of the year. Spring Break!

The Spring Break Camera Strap adds a pop of color to your Spring break attire, features extra comfy neoprene padding and quick release snaps.

Look good, keep your camera close and keep both hands free for high fives. High ten! It doesn’t get much more party than that.

Party with the Spring Break Strap
$ 26 at the Photojojo Store

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Posted in Equipment

 

PocketWizard Plus X Remotes Break the $100 Barrier

01 Mar

This is what I have wanted from PocketWizard for a long time: a sub-$ 100 remote.

Basically, the new Plus X transceiver has everything you really need—and nothing you don't. Full details below.

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No Wi-Fi Zones: Taking a Break from Constant Connection

22 Jan

[ By Steph in Design & Guerilla Ads & Marketing. ]

No WiFi Zone 1

Free wifi is becoming so ubiquitous in many cities, it’s hard to find a street corner where you can’t instantly connect – and most of us like it that way. Unrestricted access to virtually all of the knowledge and information in the world is nothing to sneeze at, but with it comes people who are glued to their devices instead of talking to each other. Kit Kat has a new marketing campaign that actually blocks all wireless signals within a radius of 5 meters.

No WiFi Zone 2

The Free No WiFi Zone is a simple installation in downtown Amsterdam that creates a refuge from the internet. Reflecting the candy bar’s slogan “Have a break, have a Kit Kat,” the campaign emphasizes taking a breather from email, social media updates and other trappings of our connected culture.

No WiFi Zone 3

“The world is becoming one big WiFi zone,” reads the ad, created by advertising agency JWT Amsterdam. “It’s available in bars, restaurants, trains, airports, supermarkets… There’s even WiFi on Mount Everest. Result? People are constantly online. Time for a break.”

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[ By Steph in Design & Guerilla Ads & Marketing. ]

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Disney 3-D, Winter Break, and Plaid Fashion — The Rundown — Ep. 31

16 Oct

Sarah and Lily kick off their first video of 2012 by talking about what they did over winter break, some of their favorite new books, how to rock plaid and flannel without going overboard, and Disney re-releasing movies in 3-D! What did you do over winter break? And what Disney movie are you most excited to see in 3-D? Don’t forget to leave a comment and blog about your favorite winter styles on Dream Mining! www.dreammining.com http Dream Mining is a place to create, to dream and to play! At Dream Mining it’s all about fashion, music, and film especially when YOU design, sing and make videos! There are great animated videos and real stars singing original songs! Characters play in the world of Fashion, Music and Film: Lilly, Sarah, and Ella. TAGS: “disney 3-d” “lion king 3-d” “beauty and the beast 3-d” flannel plaid “plaid fashion” “flannel heels” “winter fashion” “harriet the spy” “tim gunn” books “book review” “movies based on books” “winter break” Dreamminingco “Dream Mining” iCarly Disney Nickelodeon Animation Fun Music Games “Everything That Really Matters” “Disney Channel” “The Walt Disney Company” “Walt Disney Pictures” Disneyland

Mythical Detective Loki Ragnarok – 24 – The Shadow is Alone Mayura, suspicious of Loki, investigates his house while he and the other gods have a picnic. Unfortunately, she is involved in Hel’s evil plans… Download Mythical Detective Loki Ragnarok from iTunes: itunes.apple.com ————————————– Anime Network is a leading broadcast and digital distributor of Japanese animation in North America. Our premier independent cable/satellite VOD network reaches over 45 million households every month with Subscription On Demand (sVOD), Free On Demand (fVOD) and Transactional distribution. Fans can also access their favorite series and features anytime, anywhere through Anime Network Online, our official streaming service. Anime Network’s content is also available to watch or purchase from Hulu, iTunes, Netflix, Sony Playstation Network, X-Box Zune and many more partners. For more info, or to watch more full episodes and series, check out Anime Network across the web – – Anime Network Online (Official Site) : www.theanimenetwork.com – Anime Network on Facebook : www.facebook.com – Anime Network on Hulu : www.hulu.com – Anime Network on Twitter : twitter.com – Anime Network on YouTube : www.youtube.com
Video Rating: 4 / 5

 
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