Keeping it fresh

[tonygale]

Sometimes I can feel like I am getting a little stale in my work, and I try and find something to keep it fresh.

Some of the things I try are walking around with a lens I don't normally use, trying new lighting techniques, playing with pinhole lenses, and more random stuff. 

What things do you do to keep things fresh?

[ST]

Still new to all of this, so I'd barely scratched the surface. When I look back to August when I got my camera, I realize that I was merely keeping a travelogue of my daily walks. That got stale once the novelty wore off.

Reviewing the photos since then, I can trace the path of the various courses and tutorials I've watched about the technical aspects of the camera, and later, topics like composition. Most of this is early (clumsy) attempts to apply ideas.

Staying fresh? So far, that's through studying, and looking for ways to apply what I'm learning on my daily walks with the camera. 

 

Of course, there's the gear side of it.  I got the 24-105 F4 with the A7 IV back in the fall. A few months later, I got the PZ 16-35 F4 to do some close-up video and photos of musicians. But I've it's also been interesting to explore that for nature shots. And last week I got the 70-200 GM II. I've got so much to explore. It all remains fresh as long as I'm deliberate and intentional. Except for a 2x teleconverter, I think I'm set for gear for now. I doubt that spending any more money is the path to becoming a better photographer. 

[tonygale]

Still new to all of this, so I'd barely scratched the surface. When I look back to August when I got my camera, I realize that I was merely keeping a travelogue of my daily walks. That got stale once the novelty wore off.

Reviewing the photos since then, I can trace the path of the various courses and tutorials I've watched about the technical aspects of the camera, and later, topics like composition. Most of this is early (clumsy) attempts to apply ideas.

Staying fresh? So far, that's through studying, and looking for ways to apply what I'm learning on my daily walks with the camera. 

Of course, there's the gear side of it.  I got the 24-105 F4 with the A7 IV back in the fall. A few months later, I got the PZ 16-35 F4 to do some close-up video and photos of musicians. But I've it's also been interesting to explore that for nature shots. And last week I got the 70-200 GM II. I've got so much to explore. It all remains fresh as long as I'm deliberate and intentional. Except for a 2x teleconverter, I think I'm set for gear for now. I doubt that spending any more money is the path to becoming a better photographer. 

Study and practice is a great way to stay fresh!

[DonSmith]

I have not had time since September Tony but occasionally I like to assign myself a project to work on. A project can be anything you are interested in but more specialized. A former Sports Illustrated staffer and good friend of mine Ron Modra does this and did one on The Blues. A 20+ year project that even included covering BB King's funeral as well as images of him when he was alive and playing. It should be a book!

[tonygale]

I have not had time since September Tony but occasionally I like to assign myself a project to work on. A project can be anything you are interested in but more specialized. A former Sports Illustrated staffer and good friend of mine Ron Modra does this and did one on The Blues. A 20+ year project that even included covering BB King's funeral as well as images of him when he was alive and playing. It should be a book!

A project is always a good idea!

[ST]

Tony, I forgot to mention that listening to your Sony AlphaShooters podcast is inspirational and fun. I look forward to each new episode for an inside insight into another interesting photographer. It's an odd twist to enjoy an audio exploration of people who live in a visual medium.

https://www.sonyalphaphotographers.com/

 

PS

Please consider turning up the audio level a little. I always have to turn up the volume, but it's always worth it.

 

[RoGina]

I look at other types of art to get inspired and flip through some photo books. I bought a couple of concert tour books from ebay and the art/photography in the books are so inspiring.