This is my July/August President’s Message published in “The Photographer” magazine.

“If you can dream it, you can do it.” ~Walt Disney

My favorite photography challenges are Personal Projects because they are vital to creativity. How do you get that spark back?

Do what you love

What are you passionate about? What do you love to photograph (regardless of what pays the bills)? What do you enjoy other than photography? I love to incorporate things I love into my photography. Like to eat? Try food photography. Like to ride horses? Photograph an equestrian event. Like cars? Learn Light Painting with John Hartman at Texas School! I love animals, and found a connection with primates.

Try something new

Alternatively, photograph something completely out of your comfort zone (no fear, remember? If not, refer back to the Jan./Feb. issue). One of my favorite days was a class at TPPA Photogenesis in 2015. In my business, I was doing portraits and weddings, but I was feeling a bit stifled creatively. I signed up for Mark McCall’s class photographing vintage airplanes and pin-up models … totally out of my wheelhouse! I was a bit nervous, but when we arrived at the aircraft hangar, the models were beautiful, and the planes were fantastic. Mark taught us about lighting and posing, and we all had a blast! I am not sure anyone ever saw the images I created that day (although I was thrilled with how they came out), but that was not the point. The point was to do something I enjoyed (photography) and do something different. I came away from that weekend refreshed with a new perspective and excited to create new images for my clients. Thanks, Mark!

Collaborate

Another good option is a collaborative photo shoot with other vendors, which worked well for me when I was photographing weddings. I would team up with a venue, a florist, a bridal shop, an invitation shop, etc., and we would stage a room for an event that I would photograph. I captured all the details of the place settings, flowers, and stationary. We would bring in a model to wear the gown and photograph her all over the venue. Everyone contributed to the project, and we all gained images for our portfolios. They also liked working with me because they knew my style and knew I would share images with them. Win-win.

Volunteer Your Skills

Do you have the heart of a volunteer? Do you want to share your talent with those who could benefit the most? There are many organizations that can use your help. Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep offers grieving families heirloom portraits to remember their precious babies who do not get to go home with them. National Adoption Day photographers celebrate newly created families. You can also volunteer to photograph animals at shelters for their websites to help them get adopted. Whatever touches your heart, there is a place for you to provide your services and make someone’s life better.

Do it regularly

Personal projects have different timelines. Remember, this is your project, and the goal is to make you happy, so you determine the rules. Think about how often you have to commit to it, how long you want it to take, and what is the final goal. A project could be defined as photographing the life of a bouquet of flowers over a week to create individual images, a series, or a composite image. It could also be photographing a national park and creating a book out of the images. Maybe you want to do a 365-day challenge and create something every day for social media! Go for it!

I challenge you to start thinking about a Personal Project. How will you revitalize your creativity?

Take the Challenge: Create Something for Yourself.

I cannot wait to see what you accomplish! Share with me at Shawna.Hinkel@gmail.com.

Shawna Hinkel, M.Photog., CPP

TPPA President