Exercise does not have to be a word that summons up visions of situps and the gym.

It happens to all of us. We lose our mojo or our creative muse decides to go on holiday and we’re left feeling like we just can’t figure out what to do.

Nothing is clicking (pardon the pun) when we pick up our cameras. We know we feel like creating but we just don’t know what we want to create.

exercise

Here’s a little exercise that can help you

Choose a ‘thing’ or a theme. When you’re out with your camera, be on the lookout for whatever “thing” you choose. It could be feet, garbage cans, vegetables that look like faces, bicycles, maybe it’s doorknobs or handles — you name it! Get creative, and pick a subject that you don’t normally photograph.

exercise

What will this do?

First of all, it will get you to stop thinking so hard about trying to create something. Doing an exercise like this is just that, exercise. Exercises allow you to let go of any need to get a perfect shot. Just go with it and press the shutter. Take it a step further and put your camera on Auto mode. Then all you have to focus on is finding your theme or subject. That’s it. No thinking about anything else.

exercise

This exercise will push you to start noticing and seeing more when you’re out taking photos. First, you’ll start seeing bicycles (or whatever your theme/subject is), then you’ll begin to see further and more. Maybe it’s just a tire in a field or a lost bike bell on a sidewalk. Pretty soon you won’t NOT be able to see the ‘thing’ you chose to photograph. 

Share

I’d love to see what subject or theme you’ve chosen when you do this exercise. It can be a lot of fun, kind of like a scavenger hunt in search of only one item. Share your images in the comments or the Photofocus Community and tell us how this exercise worked for you. I look forward to seeing what you’ve found.