DIY Photography

Your one stop shop for everything photo-video

  • News
  • Inspiration
  • Reviews
  • Tutorials
  • DIY
  • Gear
Search

Submit A Story

Limit yourself to get out of a creative rut

Oct 31, 2017 by Dunja Djudjic 4 Comments

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • WhatsApp

Getting stuck in a creative rut has happened to us all. It’s frustrating and it sometimes looks like it will never end. Fortunately, there are ways to make yourself inspired and start creating and enjoying the process again. Rachel and Daniel from Mango Street propose one of the ways in their latest video: restrain yourself.

It may sound contradictory: you already feel restrained, and now you need to add even more limitations. But, the truth is that this can push your creativity forward and actually make you more creative. Have a look how Daniel and Rachel applied this method.

The couple challenged one another to take photos only under certain conditions, or in other words – with various limitations. So, Daniel had to take photos only while lying on his back or shooting through his legs. Rachel was only allowed to shoot with the camera above her head, or while lying on her belly. Daniel had one set shot only with manual focus, and Rachel with the shutter speed of 1/30 or slower. The point is – each restriction forced them to think within the limits imposed on them.

The reasons to get stuck in a creative rut are many. But I believe one of them is the overwhelming amount of possibilities and choices. This is why posing certain restrictions can make you more focused and forced to think within a certain framework.

As for the limitations, there can be plenty of them. You can limit yourself to shooting only with a prime lens under specific conditions. You can start an alphabet challenge and shoot only with a toy camera. Or like Rachel and Daniel, you can shoot only with specific camera settings or from a specific point of view. Either way, you will have the challenge to focus on, and you’ll start creating and enjoying photography again.

[Take Your Photos to the Next Level When in a Creative Rut | Mango Street]

FIND THIS INTERESTING? SHARE IT WITH YOUR FRIENDS!

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • WhatsApp

Related posts:

Use these eight tricks to get out of a creative rut in no time Getting out of creative rut: what happens when a portrait photographer tries to shoot street photos These seven great tips are guaranteed to get you out of a creative rut 8 creative camera hacks in under 90 seconds that you can try yourself

Filed Under: Inspiration Tagged With: challenge, creative process, creativity, Mango Street, Photography

Dunja Djudjic: from diyphotography.net

About Dunja Djudjic

Dunja Djudjic is a multi-talented artist based in Novi Sad, Serbia. With 15 years of experience as a photographer, she specializes in capturing the beauty of nature, travel, and fine art. In addition to her photography, Dunja also expresses her creativity through writing, embroidery, and jewelry making.

« Emulate Slit Scan Photography for Beautifully Weird Images
The story behind the iconic Steve Jobs portrait »

Submit A Story

Get our FREE Lighting Book

DIYP lighting book cover

* download requires newsletter signup
DIYPhotography

Recent Comments

Free Resources

Advanced lighting book

Recent Posts

  • Ace your next portrait shoot with these composition tips
  • This is how to get photography clients on Instagram – even with few followers
  • “I prefer using smaller cameras” – an unorthodox take on size
  • A pigeon scares a meteorologist as it photobombs a live camera
  • Photographer files lawsuit against NFL receiver and teams after shoving incident

Udi Tirosh: from diyphotography.netUdi Tirosh is an entrepreneur, photography inventor, journalist, educator, and writer based in Israel. With over 25 years of experience in the photo-video industry, Udi has built and sold several photography-related brands. Udi has a double degree in mass media communications and computer science.

Alex Baker: from diyphotography.netAlex Baker is a portrait and lifestyle driven photographer based in Valencia, Spain. She works on a range of projects from commercial to fine art and has had work featured in publications such as The Daily Mail, Conde Nast Traveller and El Mundo, and has exhibited work across Europe

David Williams: from diyphotography.netDave Williams is an accomplished travel photographer, writer, and best-selling author from the UK. He is also a photography educator and published Aurora expert. Dave has traveled extensively in recent years, capturing stunning images from around the world in a modified van. His work has been featured in various publications and he has worked with notable brands such as Skoda, EE, Boeing, Huawei, Microsoft, BMW, Conde Nast, Electronic Arts, Discovery, BBC, The Guardian, ESPN, NBC, and many others.

John Aldred: from diyphotography.netJohn Aldred is a photographer with over 20 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter - and occasional beta tester - of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.

Dunja Djudjic: from diyphotography.netDunja Djudjic is a multi-talented artist based in Novi Sad, Serbia. With 15 years of experience as a photographer, she specializes in capturing the beauty of nature, travel, and fine art. In addition to her photography, Dunja also expresses her creativity through writing, embroidery, and jewelry making.

Copyright © DIYPhotography 2006 - 2023 | About | Contact | Advertise | Write for DIYP | Full Disclosure | Privacy Policy