“How To Tap Into Your Creative Mojo” plus 1 more: Digital Photography School

Posted: 03 Feb 2011 10:02 AM PST

A Guest post by by Annie Tao

Whether you're a newbie or you've been a pro for years, there may be a point when you need a little help tapping into your creative mojo! Hey, even us right-brainers need to refresh our creativity from time to time!

Here are a few ideas to help boost your creativity:

Your camera is your friend

So take him (or her) everywhere with you!I know you've heard this before, but here's the thing:it is easy to remember to bring your camera to scenic places or special events.Try taking it to places that aren't obviously photogenic.This will train your eye to look out for beautiful things – light, patterns, mood, expressions, compositions – no matter where you are. Finding the best way to photograph different kinds of scenes, light and people is a great experience.

A 365 Project (one photo a day) or weekly photo project may be a great way to do this. Here are some tips, if you want to get started. There are also many dedicated websites, such ashttp://365project.org, where you can share your photos, find inspiration and get encouragement from others.

Blog stalk

It's an awful term, but it gets the point across! Research photographers from around the World and check out their recent work on their blogs. Photographers seldomly update their websites, but most update their blogs regularly. Bookmark the blogs you like or sign up for the RSS feed, so you can go back to them from time-to-time.

Don't blog stalk to copy someone else's creative eye; blog stalk to gain inspiration and develop your own creative vision.

And remember, you don't have to limit yourself to photography blogs.You can look at design blogs, food blogs or just about any site that has photos.

Photo Walk

A Photo Walk is just as it sounds:you walk around and shoot whatever you see.You can either join a Photo Walk group, start a group, or just do this with a friend.Challenge yourself by going to different types of locations and going at different times of the day to get different types light.I prefer locations that make me have to search for art, like an abandoned construction site or a subway.

When you're on a Photo Walk, you can see how someone else shoots – such as, what catches their eye, what angles are they shooting from, how are they composing the shot, what settings do they use, and what are they shooting?

After the Photo Walk, share your best shots with each other to see how you interpreted the same location or subjects.

I like doing photo walks with friends, but there are organized photo walks just about anywhere.You can start withhttp://worldwidephotowalk.com/ or do an online search for one close to you.

Photography Clubs

Mingling with fellow photographers and "talking shop" helps you learn.Don't think of them as competition.We all share the same interest, the same passion.

Some clubs offer discounted courses, monthly meetings, guest speakers, or publications.They are definitely worth the small membership fee!

If you're anything like me – where your love of photography runs through your veins – you will enjoy these activities and learn a-plenty!So bring on the creative mojo, baby!

Annie Tao is a lifestyle, commercial and event photographer in the San Francisco Bay Area.

You can view her work atwww.annietaophotography.com and see what she's been up to at www.annietaoblog.com. Connect with Annie at http://www.facebook.com/annietaophotography

Post from: Digital Photography School - Photography Tips. Check out our resources on Portrait Photography Tips, Travel Photography Tips and Understanding Digital Cameras.

How To Tap Into Your Creative Mojo

An Update on our New eBook: dSLR Winner and a Chance to Win a Sony a55 and Lens

Posted: 03 Feb 2011 05:43 AM PST

What a week… I knew our brand new eBook, Photo Nuts and Shots was going to help photographers improve, but I didn’t predict how many of you would agree.

It’s set a new DPS record with 3777 downloaded in just the first week! Both Neil and myself are thrilled that this book is going to help so many people become better photographers…

On that note I’ve got two announcements:

the winner of the Canon DLSR
a new prize up for grabs from our friends at SONY who are putting up a Sony a55 and 18-55mm lens combo for someone who buys Photo Nuts and Shots in our launch period.

This means if you’re yet to buy – you’ve got just one more week to get yourself in the running. If you’re one of those who’ve already snapped up a copy, you’ll automatically have another chance to win a great camera. All the details are below.

How this eBook has Impacted Aspiring Photographers Like You

While it’s only been out for a week – the response from those who’ve read Photo Nuts and Shots has already been very positive.

Here’s my favourite bit of feedback from a reader so far:

My Flickr Stream has come alive since reading this eBook. The advice is practical and easy to understand but even better than that is that I feel like my creativity has been reborn. – Samantha Romney

We’ve also added a bunch of other reader feedback on the Photo Nuts and Shots info page.

The Winner of the Canon DSLR is….

All 3777 previous buyers of the Photo Nuts and Shots eBook have been placed in a draw to win a Canon EOS T2i and 18-55mm lens. This prize was sponsored by dPS directly. In the last hour we’ve drawn the winner and they are………… Shari Wells! Congrats Shari, we’ve just emailed you with details of how we’ll get the camera to you.

If that’s not you, you’ve still got a shot to win a Sony a55 with 18-55mm lens

The feedback from readers about our eBook has been great – but the excitement has not just come from readers – we even had an email from Sony this week in response to it!

They’ve offered to give us a Sony a55 and 18-55mm lens combo to give away to one buyer of Photo Nuts and Shots.

The a55 is a 16.2 megapixel SLT camera and part of their revolutionary Translucent Mirror range. It shoots at 10 frames per second, HD movies and with live view and is getting some great reviews.

Check out the a55 and other cameras in Sony’s expanding range out here.

If you’ve already bought a copy of Photo Nuts and Shots – you’re already in the draw to win this A55 and lens
if you’ve not picked up a copy yet - you’ve got exactly 1 week to do so and put yourself in the running to win.

Will randomly draw the winner next Wednesday night at midnight US Eastern time.

Grab a Copy Today

Photo Nuts and Shots is ready for your download right now for just $14.99 USD (25% off). To secure your copy simply click the download it now button below or for more information on it check out the Photo Nuts and Shots information page.

PS: don’t forget that Photo Nuts and Shots is 25% off for one more week before it returns to it’s full price. It also comes with a 60 day no questions asked money back guarantee.

Post from: Digital Photography School - Photography Tips. Check out our resources on Portrait Photography Tips, Travel Photography Tips and Understanding Digital Cameras.

An Update on our New eBook: dSLR Winner and a Chance to Win a Sony a55 and Lens