Copyright Scott Bourne 2011 - All Rights Reserved

Summer is winding down, Fall will be here soon, school is starting up and there are 1000 reasons NOT to use your camera. You’re busy etc. But when you find yourself in that situation it’s a cue to get off your duff and go shoot. Here are five personal photo projects that you can use as a starting point to go make killer images.

1. Get out of your comfort zone

No matter where you live, chances are it’s no more than an hour (or less) to the next town. Spend a day there. Go on a photo walk. Document this “new” town that you live next to as if you were shooting for a travel magazine. Tell a story about the neighboring town with your camera.

2. Make your car a star

Take your car to a local lake or park or other cool setting and photograph it like you were shooting it for a magazine. Go all out. Detail it and then study some car shoots that inspire you. Go out and try to make similar shots with your own twist.

3. Night shoot

Take your camera out and shoot cityscapes at night. Shoot the night life. You can also experiment with some light painting. Be careful and know where you are. Your personal safety is your responsibility and while night shooting is riskier, it can also be rewarding.

4. It’s a dog’s life

Pretty much everywhere you might live there are dogs hanging around. Spend a day photographing dogs. Try different themes. Try shooting from the dog’s perspective. Try catching different dog expressions.

5. Numbers

Spend an entire day photographing nothing but numbers. Anything with a number in it is fair game. Think of creative ways to apply this numerical concept.

Personal projects are great for focusing your photographic attention on one result. This almost always yields higher quality pictures.

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