How to Stay Inspired in Film Photography

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In any creative endeavor it’s normal to have periods when you lose the enthusiasm and excitement for the hobby you usually love. Film photography is no different. Perhaps you find yourself going to the same places all the time and shooting the same subjects without doing anything new. Or perhaps you’re not picking up your camera at all, feeling that you’re no longer learning anything new or that nothing interesting will result from the effort.

If this sounds familiar we’re here to help with some tips to shake the cobwebs away and get your imaginations back up and running.

Look For Inspiration in Art

Consuming artwork by others is always a great way to kickstart your own imagination. Photobooks are a perfect starting point and provide a different experience to viewing photography online. In books we tend to linger over the images longer, and view them more thoughtfully than we would if we were just scrolling through instagram.

Credits: adam_g2000

Visiting art galleries and watching films can also influence us enormously and help to build a library of visual references outside of photography to draw inspiration from.

And even non-visual artforms can be incredibly effective in sparking new ideas. Listening to music and reading novels can imbed an atmosphere or frame of mind that we then feel excited to capture in photography.

Try Using a New Piece of Gear

Have you only ever shot film with a standard SLR or rangefinder? Maybe pick up something fun like a point-and-shoot, a fish-eye, or an instant camera and see how it transforms not only your photos but your whole creative approach.

Credits: paolinegiroux, warning, katehook, -dakota-, mafiosa, veraelisa_beth & candenoya

But don’t worry, we’re not suggesting you need to go out and buy a new camera every time you feel a lack of motivation. Even the smallest change can make a huge difference. Try something as simple as a new filter or a shutter release cable and experiment with the new range of options it gives you.

Of course the easiest way to shake things up and transform your photography is by trying out a roll of film you’ve never shot before. If you’re used to shooting color negative film, try using a black and white film, or one of our color-shifting LomoChrome films.

Travel!

One of the best ways to find inspiration is simply to explore a new place. When you’re traveling suddenly everything is a subject worthy of photographing. We know you’re probably daydreaming about stunning waterfalls of Iceland, or the beautiful colonial architecture of Cuba, or one of many other dream destinations for photographers, but new and exciting locations can also be found close to home.

Credits: ah_sher, inine, pmonroe, why-yu & boredbone

Micro-adventures are a perfect way to inject some novelty into your photographic pursuits without traveling halfway around the world. You’ll be surprised by the places you find on a daytrip away from your own doorstep.

Get Involved in the Analogue Community

Film photography can be as sociable or as solitary as you make it and for some people the quiet, individual approach of film photography is part of the appeal. But we find that too much isolation tends to lead to creative stagnation.

Credits: artlens

Connecting with other analogue enthusiasts and inspiring each other is one of the most rewarding aspects of our community. Taking part in a film swap is a wonderful way to experiment and collaborate to create images you could never have dreamed up alone. So check our calendar for upcoming events and get involved. And of course join Lomography’s growing online community and share your photos on your LomoHomes!

How do you keep yourself inspired through times of low motivation? Let us know in the comments!

written by alexgray on 2022-11-08 #culture #art #travel #inspiration #tipster #community #motivation

8 Comments

  1. ilcimento_com
    ilcimento_com ·

    Photobooks, photobooks and photobooks.

  2. polaroidlove
    polaroidlove ·

    Looking at art books, sometimes the front covers of books are inspiring (and what's inside as well)
    and going for a drive and seeing statues or a sculpture, old buildings. :-)

  3. 24horas
    24horas ·

    Trying different film stocks, pushing and pulling film, different developers and techniques.

  4. stereograph
    stereograph ·

    no Photobooks, no photobooks and no photobooks!

  5. sonvisen
    sonvisen ·

    I often find new inspiration in trying cameras that limit my options in the field. Box cameras, old bellows cameras, subminitature cameras, meniscus lens cameras. They are often dirt cheap. The results can often be surprising or interesting, if not technically great. :)

  6. alexgray
    alexgray ·

    @sonvisen yes! great shout, experiment with weird gear and see what comes out.

  7. filmxela
    filmxela ·

    i am actually getting inspired here in this website

  8. acrom
    acrom ·

    It's not difficult to stay inspired in film photography. At the contrary, it's difficult NOT to stay inspired in film photography!

    GAS is an easy way to get inspired. Because when you've got what you want, you want to - learn how to - use it. For example, I have some flashes (given to me) and recently I wanted to work with them and discovered both where malfucntioning. A friend told me not to buy a certain model as he has one for me to use. Normally I am a 'good weather' photographer, but in wintertime with bad light conditions learning more about flash is inspiring (and yes, the market is remarkably attentive with Godox Lux flashes, alas the Senior model has a built in battery hence less durable). Reading magazines (like the Dutch "in eigen land", a joint quarterly national travel inspiring magazine of Colombus travel, Roots and fietsactief - cycle-active in Dutch) also gives a boost of photographical inspiration. There's lots of 2nd hand and new inspiring books, magazines and online material, like and certainly not limited to the Lomo magazines and Lomo homes. Try a new film format, get some oldies e.g. 110 or 127 film using stuff or - more expensive but versatile - a 4 x 5 graflok on which you can put a 120 film back, the Instax Wide Lomograflok and the - still available 4x5 sheetfilm. Exchangeable lenses can widen your perspective or narrow it, depending on focal length. Diferent film types, like negative, positive, color shifting, low resp. high ISO, B&W, Washi, cut from areal film photography, pre-treated with fluids or laser and so on, give inspiring differences. Make shifts in subjects, from landscape to architectural, portrait to macro or tele. Do follow a workshop developing your own (B&W) film, visit old cam shops and photographica markets.

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