The creative process has long intrigued me. The answers to how and why each of us create are as unique as there are people in the world. Some of us are drawn to specific subject matter, which becomes our focus… a passion. Perhaps it is a fleeting moment that moves us. A shape. A colour. The way light is interacting with a subject.  This article discusses photographic inspiration.

NOTE: Click on images to enlarge.

For me, photographic inspiration often comes from seeing flowing lines and colours. Some subjects simply stop me in my tracks because of their perfect balance of colour and form.

At other times I may observe a paradox. Like a calm, green water surface behind some twisted and tortured trees. There is also the power of a complimentary colour pallet.

Getting in close to a subject and thus experience it in a new and different way, is also a source of photographic inspiration.

How all of the small parts of something combine into a unified subject causes feelings of amazement in me.

The power of contrast and light is all around us. My eye is often drawn to the magic of light.

I love the intermingling of shapes.

Repeating patterns, whether natural or human-made, always grab my attention. Capturing them in a way that focuses only on the pattern while obscuring the bigger subject creates a question that begs to be answered. What is it?

Preserving a moment that I may never see again is a source of inspiration for me. It could be a human interacting with the environment.

Or a gift sent by Mother Nature for me to observe.

Sometimes there is drama that jumps out at me… compelling me to compose an image.

Or a feeling of peace and serenity that is here and now.

An object’s purpose may be so direct and chilling that it may inspire a simple composition.

A pattern may remind me of societal pressures to conform… to fit in.

Photographic inspiration may come from seeing the world in less defined ways.

Or experiencing the delicate details that can touch our everyday lives.

I find beauty in the intersection of angles, colours and shapes.

I love the power of simplicity.

And also finding form and flow in complex things.

Going back and reviewing our images is a worthwhile endeavor.

It can put us back in touch with the roots of our photographic inspiration.

As we understand more about the things that inspire us… we learn more about ourselves.

How we have changed over time.

Allowing us to figure out another small piece of the puzzle in becoming ourselves.

To help us overcome the inevitable bumps that will happen along the way.

Technical Note:
All photographs were captured hand-held using camera gear as noted in the EXIF data. All images were produced from RAW files using my standard process.

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