Summer days are upon us! While your camera may be at the ready, do you have any ideas on what to shoot? If your creative juices are running low, just relax. AI has some summer photography suggestions for you. Yes, AI can also be useful to photographers with stuff apart from image editing or generative imagery.
I put the following prompt into ChatGPT and Bing Chat (Microsoft Copilot):
What are some ideas for photographers that don’t have any ideas on what pictures to take this summer?
ChatGPT fired off a large list of summer photography ideas:
- Local Festivities and Events: Document local festivals, parades, or community gatherings. These events often offer vibrant colors, interesting characters, and unique cultural moments.
- Nature and Landscapes: Explore nearby parks, nature reserves, or even your own backyard for beautiful landscapes, flowers, insects, or wildlife.
- Street Photography: Wander around urban areas or small towns to capture candid moments of daily life, interesting architecture, or street art.
- Water Scenes: Visit lakes, rivers, or the ocean to photograph water activities, reflections, sunsets over water, or even underwater scenes if you have the equipment.
- Food and Markets: Visit farmers’ markets, food stalls, or local restaurants to photograph delicious dishes, colorful produce, or the hustle and bustle of food vendors.
- Summer Sports and Activities: Capture action shots of sports like beach volleyball, surfing, hiking, or even leisure activities like picnics or outdoor concerts.
- Portraits: Take advantage of the longer daylight hours for outdoor portraits of friends, family, or even strangers (with permission).
- Weather and Sky: Summer often brings dramatic skies, including thunderstorms, sunsets, or clear starry nights for astrophotography.
- Travel and Exploration: If you’re traveling, document your journey with photos of new places, people, and experiences.
- Macro Photography: Explore the intricate details of flowers, insects, or even everyday objects with a macro lens.
- Historical Sites: Visit local landmarks, monuments, or historical sites and capture them from unique angles or during different times of the day.
- Abstract and Experimental Photography: Experiment with light, shadows, reflections, or unusual compositions to create abstract or artistic photos.
- Summer Fashion and Style: Document summer fashion trends or street style in your area.
- Family Activities: Capture moments of joy, bonding, and everyday life with your family or others enjoying their summer activities.
- Environmental Portraits: Photograph people in their natural environments, such as artists in their studios, farmers in their fields, or athletes in training.
Microsoft Copilot has some different and perhaps more specific summer photography suggestions:
- Capture Sunlight in the City: Take advantage of the warm sunlight and long daytime hours. Look for sunbeams filtering through fresh leaves, shining windows, or glistening bicycle wheels.
- Picnic Photoshoot: Arrange a picnic outdoors and focus on either food photography or capturing authentic emotions of family and friends gathering. Laughter and shared moments make great images.
- Soap Bubbles: Capture mesmerizing soap bubbles – they’re short-lived but beautiful. Photograph someone blowing bubbles or use a large bubble wand for gigantic ones. The fleeting nature of bubbles mirrors the essence of summer.
- Golden Hour and Blue Hour: Shoot during the golden hour (just after sunrise or before sunset) for warm, soft light. Experiment with silhouettes and shoot into the sun. During the blue hour (just before sunrise or after sunset), capture magical twilight hues.
- Underwater Photography: If you have access to a pool or the beach, try underwater photography for a unique perspective.
So, there you have it: 20 ideas to keep you busy. Do you prefer Copilot’s or ChatGPT’s suggestions? Choose your favorite and ask some deeper, more specific questions and see if you can get even more creative ideas.
