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Home » Photography Tips » 5 Photo Ideas That are Fun and Inspirational To Get You Motivated
5 Photo Ideas That are Fun and Inspirational To Get You Motivated

5 Photo Ideas That are Fun and Inspirational To Get You Motivated

by Darlene Hildebrandt | Last Updated: November 10, 2022

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From time to time we all get stuck and lack motivation, right? So here are five fun and inspirational photo ideas that will hopefully get you off the couch and out doing some photography!

5 Inspirational photo ideas

Here is a quick list of the five photo ideas. Keep reading to look at each one in more detail.

  1. Look DOWN
  2. Use a fast shutter speed (freeze some stuff)
  3. Make a high key photograph
  4. Try your hand at some night photography
  5. Get a lensball

#1 Look DOWN

How often do you use a different perspective or camera angle when you’re out shooting? If you usually shoot from eye level, take on this challenge and try looking down.

One photo idea is to use a different perspective as in this photo with a downward facing angle
Shadows at midday – look down at your feet sometimes.

That means literally aiming your camera down at things on the ground, but it also means getting yourself down low too. See what is under the flower you’re photographing, look for small things.

looking down on a market vegetable and fruit vendor makes for a good photo idea
Market in Ollantaytambo, Sacred Valley – Peru
Drumheller workshop
Deer photographed from above

As well, consider getting up high for a different viewpoint. Climb a ladder or step stool, or get to the top of a parkade or skyscraper and point your lens directly down.

Changing your perspective in a literal way like this can help you also shift it subconscious ways too. If you want to develop an eagle eye this is one thing that will help you flex those muscles.

a low perspective of a bridge crossing
eye level photo of a bird on the grass
Image by David Spates
street level photo of a man washing his sidewalk
This fellow was washing the sidewalk outside a high-end shop as we went by. I got down low to get a different perspective.

To see things others miss, you have to look at the world differently. Try it and see.

#1 Use a Fast Shutter Speed

Long exposures and slow shutter speeds are often used in photography for specific effects. So, now it’s time to do the opposite and speed things up!

For this, you’ll need to find some moving subjects. Then, set your camera to a fast shutter speed and try to freeze them.

Fast shutter speed photo ideas include moving water as in this photo of a young girl playing at a pool
ISO 400, f/4, 1/2500th of a second to freeze the water.

Set your camera as follows:

  • Set it to Auto ISO (max 6400 if your camera allows you to set the parameters)
  • Use Shutter Priority mode
  • Select a fast shutter speed like 1/1000th for example (adjust as needed – faster for high-speed subjects, slower for less speedy subjects)
  • Set your focus points to zone or multiple (single point focus will be difficult to use on a moving subject)
  • Set your drive mode to high speed (take several shots in rapid-fire when you press the shutter button)
  • You may also want to use tracking focus (AF-C or Servo focus mode)

Make note that I mentioned a starting point of 1/1000th, but sometimes you may need to adjust it faster. See the example photo ideas below for the shutter speed used and the resulting image.

pelican coming in for a landing using a fast shutter speed
1/250th of a second

In the image above, the bird’s body is sharp but his wings and feet aren’t. I like this look because it still leaves a sense of motion. But if you want to freeze a whole bird in flight, you may need to use a faster shutter speed like 1/1000th or even 1/2000th.

a bird in flight frozen in time with a fast shutter speed
1/800th of a second

For this image, 1/800th wasn’t fast enough either and his head and body aren’t even sharp. You can see the focus on the rock is spot on so the shutter speed here was the issue. I should have taken my own advice and increased it!

Birds in flight make for great photo ideas such as this sea gull.
1/1000th of a second

Finally, I got it right with the image of the seagull above. 1/1000th did the trick here, but again please remember to adjust as needed based on the speed of the subject.

Read these articles for more help with camera settings:

  • How to Get Sharper Photos – 6 Essential Settings You Need to Know
  • How to Blur Photos or Freeze Motion Using Shutter Speed

Once your camera is all set, head off to find some moving targets! Using a fast shutter speed will freeze the movement of the subject.

Here are some photo ideas for possible subjects:

  • Sports photography
  • Kids
  • Pets
  • Birds in flight (tricky subject to photograph but give it a go)
  • Cars and traffic
  • Moving water like a fountain, stream, or waterfall (instead of making it soft and blurry, freeze the water droplets in midair)
water from a fountain frozen using a fast shutter speed
1/5000th was needed to freeze the water in this fountain.

Like the first photo idea above, this one is about trying different things than you usually do and just experimenting. So have fun with it.

#3 High-key Photography

If you’ve never heard of this term before, a high-key photograph is one that has the following qualities:

High key photos of a snowy scene as an example of photo ideas.
Snowy scenes are an example of high-key imagery. Image by Sebastian Coell photographed in Norway.
  • It’s often light-toned or contains lots of white
  • The image is usually low contrast with soft shadows
  • It has soft lighting
  • The subject itself is usually white or dressed in light colors
  • The background is also light or white
  • The image has very few dark tones or black

Are you getting the idea? High-key is usually light and airy with a softness about it. This is directly opposite to low-key photography which is usually dark, contrasty, and moody.

So your goal here is to find a light-toned subject, put it on a light or bright background, and make a high-key photograph. I had to look really hard to find some examples for you – this is obviously a challenge I need to do because apparently, I do not have a lot of high-key images.

Morocco tour
a boat in the water covered in birds
a reflection of the Taj Mahol in the pool in front of it
a high key portrait of a Cuban ballerina
high key portrait of a young woman

Processing comes into play here too, and you can actually add a light-edged vignette to further enhance the look. I demonstrated that in the video below.

#4 Try Some Night Photography

Night photography is a lot of fun and is one of my favorite things to do. Using your camera at night allows you to capture a world that can’t be seen with the naked eye.

This one is kind of the opposite of photo idea #2 above because you’ll likely need to use some long exposures.

Long exposures like this one of car trails on a bridge in New York make for great photo ideas.
Car trails on the Brooklyn Bridge in NYC. This is a few shots combined into one.

Here are some more photo ideas for what you can photograph at night and links to some articles to help you with settings for night photography:

  • Car trails
  • City lights or cityscapes
  • The Milky Way
  • Starry nights
  • Star trails and star stacking
  • Light painting (works best at night because you need darkness)
Star trails shot with a fish-eye lens
Star trails at night, shot with a fish-eye 8mm Rokinon lens on a Fuji Z-T1.
light trails from a long exposure
Right after sunset is Blue Hour. Don’t pack up and leave after the sun goes down and miss out on the opportunity for photos like this. This is a long exposure (f/5.6 for 30 seconds) and we painted the Hoodoos with a flashlight.
This image was created on a night photo walk in my city. A flash was used to spotlight the man against the graffiti wall. But in order to know where to place it to get good lighting I had to draw on my portrait experience.
Brooklyn Bridge at night with car trails. Camera settings Shutter Speed: 1.6 seconds; Aperture: f/8; ISO 800.
Brooklyn Bridge, New York, New York. Shutter Speed: 1.6 seconds; Aperture: f/8; ISO 800.
Night photography workshop on location shoot example of light painting
Done with a flashlight

Read more and get tips for night photography here:

  • Guide to Photographing Light Trails at Night
  • Night Photography Settings – Guide to Getting the Best Exposure
  • Night Photography Quick Tip – Adding Light
  • How to do Stunning Milky Way Photography
  • How to Photograph Star Trails and the Milky Way
  • How to Shoot Star Trails and Sample Images for You to Practice Stacking
  • Light Painting Experiments to Improve Your Photography
  • Three Special Effects for Night Photography

#5 Get a Lensball

If you’re wondering what the heck is a lensball, it’s just what it sounds like – a glass sphere through which you can photograph. It’s not something you may do a lot, but it sure is fun to play around with and experiment.

Photo ideas from using a lens ball are unlimited. Photo of a park captured in a lens ball.

Here are some tips on lensball photography to help you:

  • What is Lensball Photography and How to Get Started
  • How to Transform Your Images Using a Lensball
  • Tips for Doing Indoor Lensball Photography
Creative photo of a city skyline in a lensball in a chain link
How about combining night photography and a lensball?!

What next?

Now it’s time to get up off the couch (or sofa or whatever you call that thing under your butt!), charge your batteries, grab your camera, and get out there!

If that wasn’t enough ideas for you and you want a few more, I’ve made lists like this before. You can find them here:

  • 5 Ways to Get Unstuck When You’re in a Photography Rut
  • 5 Photography Ideas for When There’s Nothing Interesting to Shoot
  • Photography inspiration for ideas from Pinterest

So, I hope that this has given you some photo ideas if you’re stuck, bored, or just in a rut. Try something new from this list and see how it goes.

Share some of your images in the comment area below. I’d love to see them.

Cheers

Luminar Neo course instructor Darlene Hildebrandt
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About Darlene Hildebrandt

Darlene is an educator who teaches aspiring amateurs and hobbyists how to improve their skills through her articles here on Digital Photo Mentor, her beginner photography course, and private tutoring lessons. To help you at whatever level you're at she has two email mini-courses. Sign up for her free beginner OR portrait photography email mini-course. Or get both, no charge!

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