As photographers we have the freedom to pursue whatever creative pathways make sense for us given our personal philosophies and interests.
NOTE: Click on images to enlarge. To view this article in a range of other languages click on the Canadian flag in the upper right corner.
Some of us find inspiration in small details in the world around us.
We may find strong lines and an absence of everyday hustle and bustle intriguing.
For some, street photography may not focus on people, but rather on signage and services offered in unique graphic ways.
We may stumble across oddities or items that have been adapted and utilized in unusual ways.
We may find inspiration in the finely crafted componentry of mechanical creations.
Our eyes may be drawn to angles, geometric shapes and textures.
We may appreciate symmetry, balance, and subdued lighting.
Everyday items displayed in a progressive grouping may compel us to press our camera’s shutter release.
We may find visual serenity and calmness in nature.
A seldom seen physical detail may bring us inside a subject.
The emotions of a captive being may reach out to us.
Strong contrasts may focus our attention, and highlight the beauty of a carved creation.
The patterns and visual flows of nature can command our attention.
Precise moments found in nature can remind us how everything in life is interconnected.
We may see flowing lines in objects that are hard and metallic.
Experimenting with shutter speed and camera movement may ignite our creativity in a new way.
Witnessing the finality and brutality of nature may compel us to capture the moment.
The impermanence of things around us may serve as a metaphor for our own journeys of self-discovery… as superficial layers are peeled away.
Our need to form relationships and bonds may manifest in how we document nature.
Reflective views may encourage us to examine ourselves more intensely and encourage deeper self-understanding.
Finding our creative pathways involves observing things and events as they break through our awareness.
Our creative pathways are not created by the camera gear we own. Our equipment serves as a bridge that allows us to transform the creative sparks we experience on our pathways into the images we create.
Some of us follow and study the work of others with the intent of achieving clarity and inspiration along our own pathways. Without purposeful personal detachment and discernment, risks of conformity and mimicry exist.
Others prefer complete creative solitude without any outside influences or references from other photographers.
The riches along this solitary, creative road are found by the self-reliant.
Creative pathways are not found in books, manuals, or seminars. They smolder deep inside each of us. Waiting for us to reach inside ourselves to discover and ignite them into our unique creative fires. Once lit internally… they burn brightly.
Technical Note
Photographs were captured handheld using camera gear as noted in the EXIF data. All images were created from RAW files using my standard process in post. This is the 1529 article published on this website since its original inception in 2015.
How you can keep this website advertising free
My intent is to keep this photography blog advertising free. If you enjoyed this article and/or my website and would like to support my work, you can purchase an eBook, or make a donation through PayPal (see Donate box below). Both are most appreciated.
You may be interested in macro and close-up photography with some emphasis on blossoms, bugs and butterflies. If that’s the case our 210 page eBook Blossoms, Bugs & Butterflies may be of interest. It is available for download for an investment of $14.99 CDN. The best view experience will be at 100% using Adobe Acrobat Reader.
You may enjoy bird photography, and if so our 188 page eBook Handheld Bird Photography may be of interest. It is available for download for an investment of $14.99 CDN. The best viewing experience of this eBook will be at 100% using Adobe Acrobat Reader.
Sometimes all we need as photographers is a bit of inspiration. We hope you can find some of that inside Finding Visual Expression II.
Finding Visual Expression II is available for download for an investment of $11.99 CDN. The best viewing experience of this eBook will be at 100% using Adobe Acrobat Reader.
You may be interested in all of the 30 concepts covered in both of these related eBooks. If so, you may want to also consider Finding Visual Expression.
Finding Visual Expression is available for download for an investment of $11.99 Cdn. The best viewing experience of this eBook will be at 100% using Adobe Acrobat Reader.
Our other eBooks include Images of Ireland, New Zealand Tip-to-Tip, Nikon 1: The Little Camera That Could, Desert & Mountain Memories, Images of Greece, Nova Scotia Photography Tour, and a business leadership parable… Balancing Eggs.
If you click on the Donate button below you will find that there are three donation options: $7.50, $10.00 and $20.00. All are in Canadian funds. Plus, you can choose a different amount if you want. You can also increase your donation amount to help offset our costs associated with accepting your donation through PayPal. An ongoing, monthly contribution to support our work can also be done through the PayPal Donate button below.
You can make your donation through your PayPal account, or by using a number of credit card options.
Word of mouth is the best form of endorsement. If you like our website please let your friends and associates know about our work. Linking to this site or to specific articles is allowed with proper acknowledgement. Reproducing articles, or any of the images contained in them, on another website or in any social media posting is a Copyright infringement.
Article is Copyright 2026 Thomas Stirr. Images are Copyright 2014-2016 Thomas Stirr. All rights reserved. No use, duplication or adaptation of any kind is allowed without written consent. If you see this article reproduced anywhere else it is an unauthorized and illegal use. Posting comments on offending websites and calling out individuals who steal intellectual property is always appreciated!
It’s a nice piece Tom and I find my solace and peace when in nature, if it’s bird photography or macro insects it’s where my mindfulness comes to the fore.
As you are aware my SFN is hell at times and going out with my camera does bring me peace, I have pain in walking to a location but when I am in the moment I am pain free for a split second.
I have always loved birds and animals so trying to capture them gives me an interest, mindfulness, inner peace and solace
Hi Mark,
It is always good to get a comment from you as you share events in your life. It is wonderful to read that your photography is giving you mindfulness, inner peace and solace to help counteract the physical challenges you face.
Tom
No More OM 🙁
Hi Lee,
Not to worry… there will lots of forthcoming articles with images captured with Olympus/OM gear! I specifically used some of my older images to highlight the fact that we can find creative pathways with any kind of camera gear.
Tom