A true story about how the simple act of holding a camera can completely alter the way you see everyday things.
The problem with the real world is that we get used to it rather quickly. Our initial instincts are to instantly form an understanding of the environment around us in order to survive.
We build familiarity with it so that we are able to recognise it faster. This is a very important evolutionary trait, but it does nothing for breeding creativity in familiar spaces. That's because change is not a good thing. Change forces us to relearn what we already know, and make brand new connections with things that we are already happy being the way they are. Change requires energy, and our bodies are wired to conserve energy as much as possible.
This is where photography comes in
Photography is a creative outlet. As such, it has the power to influence a much deeper appreciation of a familiar place or subject. In fact, it actively encourages it.
For example, think of your own backyard. It's probably the most familiar outdoor space in your immediate vicinity. You have studied it a thousand times before and could probably draw its layout in your sleep.
You know there is no danger there. No monsters or wild creatures which might attack you without warning. (Mind you, I am in Australia, so the above is actually very likely to happen over here ;)
Assuming you're not in Australia, how long do you think you could spend looking at your own lawn? I mean really looking?
A minute, perhaps two? Your mind will undoubtedly begin to wander within the first few seconds, and you'll start thinking about the last time you mowed said lawn, and whether you should do so now.
You might notice all the yellow dandelions which have sprung up, and wonder if you should get out the weed killer as well.
Perhaps the weather is a little chilly, and all you can really concentrate on is going back inside. You've already seen your backyard thousands of times before. There's nothing new or exciting there.
Now consider the above scenario but with a camera in your hand
You are suddenly looking at your lawn from a completely different perspective (pun intended); evaluating it from a photogenic angle. You are walking around, looking for any interesting shapes within the grass which may make for interesting subjects.
Looking towards the sky, you begin studying where the light is coming from, and imagining the best side to stand on, so you don't capture your own shadow in your photographs.
Your knees object a little, but you begin to squat down in order to see the grass and weeds from a different angle. Those boring dandelions are now starting to look a bit more interesting from this height.
You're now imagining yourself being a few inches tall and wandering through the grass as if it were a jungle. You spot a grasshopper and a scene from Predator plays into your mind. "Whatever it is out there, it killed Hopper, and now it wants us."
Your eyes light up, as you suddenly remember that you possess a macro lens. You haven't used that thing in years. This would be an ideal opportunity to play around with it, just like you did when you first bought it and then promptly put it away.
You go back inside the house, find the lens, and mount it onto your camera.
Armed with a 100mm macro lens, you now start to fall into the flow. You begin studying your lawn while lying prone. The cold weather does not bother you anymore. In fact, you are now thinking about rain because raindrops would make the grass look so much more interesting.
Your thoughts of rain and water have now triggered another creative part of your brain. You recall something you once saw on YouTube, where a photographer used a spray bottle to simulate rain drops on some flowers which they were photographing.
You get up and head back inside to look for an atomiser.
While you're inside, you also make a trip to your camera bag to grab your portable RGB light. It's an overcast day, and you want to add the feeling of warm sunlight beaming on your freshly sprayed blades of grass, and perhaps those dandelions.
Two hours have gone by, and your camera's memory card is now full with photos of grass - GRASS!
Each shot that little bit more interesting and creative than the one before it.
You go back inside and while you're closing the sliding door behind you, your original mental image of your 'boring' backyard is now replaced with a potential goldmine of creative possibilities.
The next morning your mind is still buzzing from the awesome creative session from the day before.
You make yourself some breakfast and head out the front door. After all, yours is not the only house on the street, and you realise that many of your neighbours have beautiful flower gardens which you can't wait to to photograph. You are within your 5km allowable travel limit, and you are going to make the most of it!
Lockdown blues
The above scenario actually happened to me during lockdown. Being a street, and urban night photographer means that my backyard (my entire suburb for that matter) would usually be the last place where I would want to venture out with my camera. Lockdown forced me to see it from a new light.
Labelling yourself as one type of thing (portrait photographer, street photographer etc.) is the wrong attitude to have, as it limits you creatively.
Think of all the lessons which you could learn by photographing some boring weeds in your yard.
Then, armed with that new knowledge, think about how you can implement it next time you're photographing a model, or walking around the city and having trouble seeing any new compositions.
Below is a small gallery of a few of my favourite photos from the shoot. I only used a single macro lens, a small spray bottle, and portable RGB light.
In conclusion
Your brain is a muscle. Your passion for photography resides somewhere inside that muscle. Just like any muscle, you make it stronger by exercising it from various angles. This applies to exercising your creative muscles as well.
So get out there, and turn your backyard into a gym!
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Happy shooting!
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