Hello photographers! I have a few ideas of things you could do, if you’re stumped on what to photograph.
Scavenger Hunt
This idea actually came about due to an assignment I had in a photography class. For the assignment, the class did a sort of scavenger hunt. How did we do this, you ask? We figured out ways to photograph words like “temperature”, “mundane”, “ethereal”, “peaceful” and so on. The professor told us that they shouldn’t be literal, like a thermometer for temperature. They had to be symbolic, or metaphorical, or something else along those lines. He told us to take creative liberty with it. You could research the definitions of the words, and use synonyms to help, relate to emotional aspects that could be associated with those words, or a definition association, or something else.
For example, I photographed burgers on a charcoal grill for temperature, and a solid grey building for mundane. I actually still have all of the photos from the assignment, and I can share them here.
The words and their photos.
Vulgar (JRs Roadkill, it’s actually a grill-type restaurant with burgers, fries, chicken, bbq, salads, etc., not actual roadkill.)
Temperature (burgers on grill showing the flames)
Psychedelic (Wingostarr jewelry store)
Mundane (boring grey building)
Lavish (jewelry)
Ethereal (Trees)
Raw (Metal Sasquatch)
Irksome (CAT Caterpillar)
Lively (Horses)
Peaceful (Water)
Of course, when you do it, you don’t have to use those same words. Research interesting words, or have a friend or family member research random words that you could do!
Photograph People
Yeah, this one is kinda simple. I’d advise getting permission from whoever you’re photographing, if possible. Make sure they’re okay with it, as we don’t want to invade someone’s privacy and take photos without their knowledge.
Photograph Your Pet (if you have one) Another idea is to simply photograph your dog, cat, rabbit, or other pet, if they cooperate and are comfortable around cameras. You don’t wanna scare them! You could also go to shelters and photograph animals, if they allow it. Or you could photograph a friend’s pet. Be sure to ask for that friend’s permission first.
Food
Okay, I’m not saying you do it like how people on Instagram do just for show, or take photos and don’t eat the food afterwards. What I’m saying is more along the lines of, you could photograph the food before it is eaten, to preserve the memory, even after its all eaten. Especially if it took a while to make, you could preserve the memory of all that hard work with a photograph, or multiple photographs.
Nature
Go out in nature and take photos of things you are drawn to, such as specific spots, plants, animals, or whatever else you find. I’m not advising to go to private property and do this, go to a place you can such as a forest, your own property (if it has nature), or even something like a park or nature reserve.
Water/Reflections
Ah, this gets interesting. You can take photos of reflections and whats in them, something and the nearby reflection, such as trees and foliage near a lake or stream. There are even special lens filters called polarizers that enhance the look of water and remove unwanted reflections, you can take photos of things under the water, with a polarizer. When a polarizer is used on a mirror, it gets rid of the bright starburst glare from a camera flash. A polarizer can be used to minimize unwanted reflections and glare to better photograph what is under water.
Experimental Composition
You can place different things nearby each other, or do wild and interesting compositions like a paint bucket thats on a chair sitting outside. I took a 3D printed and painted figure of my blog mascot, Orbal that I created as a final project for a 3D printing class, and I brought it outside for some interesting visual compositions. They’re somewhat simple, as I didn’t want to get the figure dirty or potentially break it. Usually the figure is indoors, sitting on my desk near the computer I write these articles on, but bringing it outside was an interesting change of pace, I admit. Here are a few photos from that brief photo session. It was brief because the weather was very hot outside at the time, and I didn’t want to be outside for too long.
Abandoned Places
I have heard of urban explorers taking photographs at abandoned places. My advice is to be careful if you do this, as urban exploring can be dangerous or risky. Sometimes homeless people or stray animals can take residence in or around abandoned buildings, and there can be security at some abandoned buildings, depending on what it is/was. If you do this, I’d advise researching the best methods, times and such for urban exploring, so you can do it without interruptions. It may mess with your sleep schedule, from what urbex (urban explorer) videos I’ve seen. I am interested in the idea of urban exploring, but I doubt I’d ever do it myself, due to my respiratory issues. Often abandoned buildings have mold, and urban explorers typically wear respirators while exploring, to prevent from breathing in mold.
This is an example of someone urban exploring and also taking a photo while there. The photo is impressive!
While Traveling
If you’re going somewhere different from your home soon, even if its just another town while visiting someone, bring your camera. You might see interesting things you want to take photos of. If you go on a trip, bring your camera if you can! Of course, if its not safe or possible to do so, then leave the camera at home. If you’re in a rush to get somewhere, like if it is an emergency, wait, and leave your camera at home.
I recently went to Ohio with my family, but I forgot to bring my camera places. I did bring my phone, so I still was able to take photos in some form. Even if you can’t bring your camera, or simply forget to bring your camera, if you have a smartphone, you can still take photos!
I hope this information gave you some ideas and insight.