10 Ways To Overcome Your Winter Slump | Photography Tips
WINTER IS COMING.
And no, I don't mean that as a reference to Game of Thrones (but since we're on that topic - who doesn't love GOT!? I'm SO ready for season 8!)
Summer is gone and we've officially moved into fall. For many that means busy season, but for others that means the winter slump is coming.
Previous to last year, I was pretty proud of the fact that I had never come across a photography slump. I'm not gonna lie - I don't pick up my camera everyday. I work a full-time job and I just don't have a reason to pick up my camera everyday after working 8 hours.
But I had never felt like there was a time when I actually didn't want to pick up my camera. Like actually AVOIDED my camera because I was so lacking in the inspiration department.
That was until last year.
When the slump hit, it hit hard. The thought of even picking up my camera was exhausting, and I felt a little depressed about it. I've never looked at my camera and felt resentment, but I legit felt a bit of hatred towards it for a while. (It was just misplaced emotions, and my camera and I have moved past it since then - no worries).
When the slump hit I was desperately looking for ways to move past it. I didn't want to stay in that space of negative feelings about photography. I came across a lot of suggestions and eventually landed on one. Below I'll share how I overcame my slump as well as share some ideas for you to beat your own slump.
10 Ways To Overcome Your Winter Slump
1. Photo-a-day challenge
This challenge involves you taking a different photo everyday. How long you continue the challenge is completely up to you. You could do it for a month, or go all out and span the challenge over a number of months.
It can be difficult to think of something different to photography everyday. One tip I have for completing a photo-a-day challenge is to search for a pre-constructed list of prompts. If you google this type of challenge, there are plenty of prompt lists available to choose from.
A second tip I have is to definitely consider joining a group. Having a group of participants with the same goal will help keep you accountable and motivated.
As I always recommend about any journey you embark on, give yourself grace. If you don't pick up the camera one day (or three), don't stress. This is more about pushing your way through a slump than it is about stressing yourself out or creating a masterpiece everyday, so keep that in mind.
2. Self portrait challenge
Challenge yourself to take a certain # of self portraits over a given period of time. Keep it interesting by giving yourself themes to stick to.
I know self-portraits can seem daunting, but remember this: no one ever has to see these photos if you don't want them to. You can share your self portraits as inspiration for others, or you can keep them to yourself as a personal project. Either way, it's a great way to push yourself if you ever hit a slump
3. One lens challenge
This challenge is pretty simple - keep one lens on your body and only shoot with that lens for a given period of time. I would recommend choosing a lens in your kit that doesn't get a lot of use. Using your favorite lens would be too easy, so don't go with the cop out option.
Similarly, choosing a telephoto lens with multiple focal length options isn't really a challenge. So, for example, if you decide to go with your 24-70 lens keep it at 24mm and only shoot at that focal length.
4. Free lensing challenge
This one is also pretty self explanatory. You're only allowed to shoot using the free-lensing technique. If you've wanted to try out the technique but have never been able to quite get the hang of it, this is a great way to try something new, challenge yourself, and master the technique all at the same time.
Things to keep in mind: soft focus is okayyy. I know we tend to put emphasis on having tack sharp focus in our images, but free-lensing requires letting go of that mindset.
Once you get the hang of free-lensing it's very freeing, so enjoy of challenging yourself with something new as you attempt to master it.
5, Macro challenge
This is another challenge that would be useful in learning to master a new technique. Only shoot macro for a certain period of time, but be sure you don't get stuck in another rut.
Remember that there are plenty of interesting things to shoot in a macro-manner besides just flowers. Look around your home for other details that would be awesome to capture on a macro-level to keep this challenge fresh.
6. Black and white challenge
Only shoot in black and white OR convert all the photos you take to black & white in post-processing. Removing color out of the equation forces you to really evaluate the scene before you snap your photo, making sure it's visually interesting enough to stand strong as a black & white image.
7. Shoot like film
In the days of film you didn't have the opportunity to snap 20 photos in 3 seconds and choose that one that stood out from the other 19. You had to be patient and wait for "that moment".
You could snap a photo, look at it in the back of your camera, fix your settings then shoot again. You had to get it as close to right as possible before even shooting to avoid wasting film.
Shooting like films means you pretend you have a roll a film and only 12 shots to use. You can ever turn off your screen preview to really get the full experience and prevent yourself from cheating.
This challenge should force you to slow down, really evaluate the frame and all of the different aspects within it, and consider the moment before you shoot. Sounds like an awesome way to push yourself not only creatively but technically as well.
8. Mobile photography
Take your cell phone, hit the streets, and shoot. Pretty simple.
I would even encourage you to edit on your phone as well if you're participating in this challenge. If you're looking for ways to improve your mobile photography skills, you can find some tips by clicking here. The last few times I've been to New Orleans (earlier this year and last year), I only used my iPhone as my camera to document my trip.
I also relied only on my iPhone when I visited Austin, Texas last year. Using your iPhone as your main camera pushes you creatively to figure out how you can get the shot you envision with a camera with limited capabilities.
9. Alphabet challenge
There are 2 ways to complete this challenge:
(a) photograph the actual alphabet wherever you come across them throughout the day. Once you've captured the entire alphabet, create a collage putting all of your captures together.
(b) each day capture a different item that begins with a letter in the alphabet. You can choose to capture one item for each letter, or a few items for each letter. Then at the end of the challenge you can create a collage with these items to showcase your captures.
10. Color challenge
Remember that slump I hit last winter that I mentioned earlier? Well, a color challenge was my way of pushing through and finding inspiration again.
Towards the end of my challenge, I even encouraged others to join me via instagram by using the hashtag #cgp_colorchallenge. Once the weather warmed up and I felt I was able to naturally tap into my inspiration again, I stopped doing the challenge.
I am, however, thinking of starting it back up again in a few months, so if you'd be interested in joining drop me a comment below and let me know!
There you have it! 10 challenges to help you avoid the Winter slump and keep your inspiration pumping until Spring comes back around.
Are there any challenges you think I should have included? How do you usually avoid succumbing to the photography slump winter can bring? I'd love to know!
Other helpful posts for creatives:
How To Find Your Photography Inspiration
How To Make Any Location Work for Beautiful Photographs