Change the Way You Take Photos Forever

So, maybe you take pictures for scrapbooking. Or perhaps you're the family's genealogy expert. Or maybe you just enjoy taking photos of the world around you.

Regardless of why you take pictures, we all need a little variety in our lives. You can only take a picture of the same people and places a few times before it begins to feel stale and contrived.

So here are a few ideas to get the creative photography juices flowing.

1. Try a different angle. Sure, you could take a picture of the clouds in the sky, but how about framing them through the moon roof of your car? Or the skylight in your living room? Or the collapsed roof of an old barn? Something typical can become spectacular when you put it in a different context.

2. Go somewhere new. Once I'd taken a handful of pictures in our new backyard, I was hooked. We've got different trees, ponds and animals than we've ever had before. New subjects and interesting places should make you smile! Try the neighborhood park, the center of town or just somewhere you've never been before.

3. Photograph people, not things. I remember a journalism professor in college getting upset because we were taking boring newspaper pictures. He said that the fire wasn't the most important picture - it was the family's reaction to the fire. It wasn't the room that was important - it was the people who filled the room. Think people, not stuff.

 4. Add some contrast. If you normally shoot during the day, take a few pictures at night. If you normally take pictures of your family in the house, take everybody outside. If you always take photos of people, do some still life, and vice versa.

Basically, if it's something you're comfortable with, quit doing it. Get out of your comfort zone and change the way you take pictures forever.