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Need Inspiration please.
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Feb 23, 2017 10:25:48   #
PW4GDF
 
Hello All, I am in a photographic rut. Living in East Central Florida at this time of the year the weather is cooler and light can be good but apart from the ocean and wetlands it is not very photogenic. I have a problem that for various reasons I cannot travel far from home although I don't know where close to me it would be much different. We have been here for about 35 years so I know the area well.
I try to sell pictures on Etsy, here is the link, feel free to critique. https://www.Etsy.com/shop/Floridafoto. My pictures do not generate much interest, or sales. So I need a new topic or any ideas that you think may help. I just don't know. My cameras are not fancy but they are fine for my needs.
Thanks in advance.
Wendy

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Feb 23, 2017 10:49:59   #
HEART Loc: God's Country - COLORADO
 
PW4GDF wrote:
Hello All, I am in a photographic rut. Living in East Central Florida at this time of the year the weather is cooler and light can be good but apart from the ocean and wetlands it is not very photogenic. I have a problem that for various reasons I cannot travel far from home although I don't know where close to me it would be much different. We have been here for about 35 years so I know the area well.
I try to sell pictures on Etsy, here is the link, feel free to critique. https://www.Etsy.com/shop/Floridafoto. My pictures do not generate much interest, or sales. So I need a new topic or any ideas that you think may help. I just don't know. My cameras are not fancy but they are fine for my needs.
Thanks in advance.
Wendy
Hello All, I am in a photographic rut. Living in E... (show quote)




Good news! You have landed on everyone's "dead zone" of photography; what to shoot! Lay down under a blooming (or even a nude) tree. It will change your perspective....what do you see -- branches shooting out of your camera! Go to a museum or art exhibit. Shoot from beneath a subject. If a second floor, shoot directly above an exhibit. Go to Youtube. Look at photography how-to videos. Experiment with something that is interesting. Click into any of the "Photo" topics on the Hog. Perhaps inspiration will strike!

What do you hate? Photograph protestors; ugly animals? Shoot your favorite foods - or someone eating it!

Have fun...just getting out and about may get the juices flowing!!

Find humor wherever it leads you....
Find humor wherever it leads you.......

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Feb 23, 2017 11:09:22   #
G Brown Loc: Sunny Bognor Regis West Sussex UK
 
I think we all hit a wall at some point. I was finally managing to get some decent images and moved home - everything packed away and too much work to do to get it all out. Now my pictures suck - so back to the drawing board.

Selling photographs is more difficult - millions are uploaded daily. Perhaps a local shop or venue would be more appropriate.

Trying something new is great if you love technical challenges. To be inspired to learn 'from scratch' something that you have never previously tried can be a great kick starter. Alternatively, training others in photography may be enough to get you back in your stride. Quite a few people are posting excellent cell phone images....perhaps the 'intimacy' of taking a crafty shot without the 'big' camera alerting people might be a thought.
What else do you do - can you produce the youtube video's that everyone wants.

Sometimes you just need a 'big breath' and find another application with your skills.

Have fun

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Feb 23, 2017 12:44:18   #
canon Lee
 
PW4GDF wrote:
Hello All, I am in a photographic rut. Living in East Central Florida at this time of the year the weather is cooler and light can be good but apart from the ocean and wetlands it is not very photogenic. I have a problem that for various reasons I cannot travel far from home although I don't know where close to me it would be much different. We have been here for about 35 years so I know the area well.
I try to sell pictures on Etsy, here is the link, feel free to critique. https://www.Etsy.com/shop/Floridafoto. My pictures do not generate much interest, or sales. So I need a new topic or any ideas that you think may help. I just don't know. My cameras are not fancy but they are fine for my needs.
Thanks in advance.
Wendy
Hello All, I am in a photographic rut. Living in E... (show quote)


Hi . I am a professional photographer that means that I get paid from clients. Aside from that, I also paint and understand getting into a rut. It's not knowing how to paint but knowing what to paint. I would look into some of your interests outside of photography. IE. Love of dinning out or food. How exciting would it be to travel to restaurants and take photos of their food and publish a coffee table book? Maybe a site where you can show your photos of the restaurants and get paid as well from the owners on a blog of yours.
Golf? Membership photos in a year book? Travel agencies in FLA would love some good photos for their fliers or catalogs. Retirement villages? Photographing artists work? There is something exciting about getting paid for your photos.

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Feb 23, 2017 13:06:54   #
Rongnongno Loc: FL
 
Sorry but a muse is hard to come by and then never for rent or loan.

'Until death do us apart' kind of deal.

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Feb 23, 2017 14:36:33   #
jim quist Loc: Missouri
 
Here is a question to ponder: Why should someone buy a picture if they can log on and look at it any time they want to? What's the compelling reason to order one?

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Feb 24, 2017 05:53:04   #
firtree Loc: Florida, USA
 
Hi! I checked out your Etsy site. The first thing I noticed was that, although your photos are very nice, it is not readily evident what you are exactly getting for the 10.00. Are you going to get an 8x10 print? 5x7? Digital image? The other thing you might try, it is post on another site, Viewbug, Pixoto, etc., with links back to your Etsy portal. Lastly, expand your base to other states. Maybe I am alone in this or maybe not but, I am more apt to print, frame, and display something that I took in another state (ie, ghost towns in New Mexico, or the Badlands of SD) than something I see everyday (unless it rocked my world). I do know that the images that catch my eye are more unusual, even if it is an everyday object done well (ie, buttons and sewing items in macro, or old books on a dusty, cobwebbed shelf) Good luck. I wish you well in your venture.

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Feb 24, 2017 08:14:24   #
ronz Loc: Florida
 
I see photographers in Festivals throughout the year with them all framed very nice and a price on them. Most don't sell a lot. I spoke candidly with one who told me he travel for about 6 months to other countries and them comes back here to sell them. He seems to be doing quite well. I shoot as an on-call photographer for several magazines, they email me what they want for upcoming issues so I get on the internet and search plus I have a lot of people I have had their products published and they know some people who have what I'm looking for. I know how much I will get for a cover and also what I will be paid for inside shots. I like this much better and it keeps me busy.

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Feb 24, 2017 08:52:06   #
jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY
 
G Brown wrote:
Selling photographs is more difficult - millions are uploaded daily. Perhaps a local shop or venue would be more appropriate.


There's the whole problem in one line.

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Feb 24, 2017 09:50:01   #
Fotoartist Loc: Detroit, Michigan
 
If you really got into a post-processing program like Photoshop (easier said than done, I suppose), you could travel, explore, and create new worlds within your computer.

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Feb 24, 2017 10:55:09   #
Travelin' Bud Loc: New Mexico, Central Ohio & Eastern Kentucky
 
Anytime I'd get in a rut, I'd choose a theme and then be on an active hunt to capture the scene as creatively as I could. These themes could be as mundane as "Tree Bark" (you'd be surprised by the number and textures out there!) to the more elusive "Lost Ball" (finding a ball where it seems out of place ). I even did a series on roadside memorials. I also like to "look down and zoom in", breaking common objects up. A lot of this can become abstract art photos that do well as framed prints. I guess the point is, we often have to find ways to get inspired, to work at it. Good luck with your quest.

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Feb 24, 2017 11:30:49   #
PW4GDF
 
Thank you all for your ideas and useful information. You have given me some insight as to different ways of doing things. I would love to travel to other states but for family reasons I cannot travel far from home. Even if I could I know it would give me more inspiration but would it improve my quality of work? Yes we have to find our own ways to get inspired but I now have some new avenues to research and travel.
Thank you again.

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Feb 24, 2017 11:37:14   #
nikonbrain Loc: Crystal River Florida
 
I too live here in Florida.. On the nature coast Crystal river to be exact. I looked at your images they are very sellable wildlife captures . I think small local art shows . Where people can touch and hold them. Especially this time of year . this is what we as artist do here at local shows and events in this county. Sometimes craft shows entry fees are only 10.00 to 20.00 dollars.For inspiration in this field join the FCCP here in Florida based in Tampa a meetup group that have weekly challenges to keep you challenged and motivated .You upload your images and wonderful people comment on them.Some of My biggest sellers are images shot with a group when I got up early to meet at a local Meetup. Having other photographers around you can be very inspirational. Good luck . FCCP is the Florida center for creative photography.

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Feb 24, 2017 11:46:40   #
PW4GDF
 
Again thank you, any ideas welcome!

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Feb 24, 2017 11:54:25   #
nikonbrain Loc: Crystal River Florida
 
P.S. don't change your style it doesn't need changing you have good eye and composition. Really ...The coots are great...

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