Take Better Pictures by Finding Your Creative Spark

 "The more you know, the more you grow."

By now you may find that your interest in photography has grown beyond taking pictures of your friends and family.  

You may have started to think more seriously about including all the techniques we have covered in this blog to create more artistic pictures. 

This is a natural progression for the budding photographer.  You begin to think about creating  a picture that you have visualized in your mind.  

How does the creative process start?  

The start of the creative process depends on the individual artist.  The Creative Spark is within us all.  You must learn to use it.

For me it begins in several ways.  Sometimes it is discovering an unexpected subject and composition when I am in the field working on a project.  

At other times, it begins when I am sitting and daydreaming about an image I want to create.  The spark of an idea starts gets the ball rolling.  

When you feel the spark, you know you are on the right track.

Sitting and Daydreaming

Daydreaming may sound silly, however, when I am sitting and daydreaming, I try to visualize the picture I want to create.  I visualize the ideal weather, the angle of the sun, the lighting that will enhance the picture, the mix of sky and clouds and even some potential compositions.    In my mind, I see the whole setup for the shoot.

The Creative Spark

When I get to a location I walk around and find potential shooting locations.  I set up and wait to get the right light. I work my plan to get the pictures I imagined while I was daydreaming.  

While working my plan,  I am also prepared for a Creative Spark that may change my original plan. The fact is the Creative Spark can take me in an entirely different direction.  The plan  for my shoot gets altered as my attention moves to this new creative idea.  

Some would call it “flying by the seat of your pants”.  But sometimes that is how the creative process can over power you.   

The original plan is somehow improved by this new spark of an idea.  What could have been a ho-hum photo shoot, takes on depth and meaning.  You go beyond your original expectations and the end product is measurably better than the work you produced before the spark.

The Mighty Mac at night


The picture above is one that I visualized in my mind.  I thought I had considered everything in my mind.  What I didn't plan for was how cold it was the night I took this picture.  Everything worked but I was still not satisfied with the pictures I took.  I decided to brave the cold (did I mention that it was REALLY cold?) and waited for it to become really dark.  The result is this picture.  It required a much longer exposure than my earlier shots, but that longer exposure smoothed out the water and gave a beautiful reflection.  The Creative Spark said wait.  And, I did.

How to Help the Spark

As you are out shooting, you can help the Spark to occur by selecting a subject and then shooting it with:

  • different compositions,
  • different perspectives,
  • different lenses 
  • taking horizontal and vertical pictures of the subject 
  • and experimenting with depth of field.

As you do this, you will find you want to explore it more.  This is the spark.  You know you are on to something, now you must refine it.  Here is how you do it:

  • tighten up your composition using the rule of thirds,
  • using depth of field to give you the best image,
  • waiting for the right light
  • adjusting your exposure,
  • and exploiting any leading lines.

As you do this more, you will find that it all becomes second nature to  you. The more you know, the more you grow.  

Listen to your Creative Spark

Listening to that Creative Spark can improve your work.  It is a key element of the creative process. Listen to it.

See you next week!


If you wish to see examples of my photography, visit my website at 


See special digital downloads on my Etsy site.  You can download a digital file of one of my pictures and print it yourself for your personal use. Visit my Etsy site at https://www.etsy.com/shop/ThomasDeanImages


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