Photography Inspiration

I feel like my photography has been totally uninspired lately.

I'm sure it's the time of year...I'm so tired of the harsh, hot summer sun. By the time the light is a little prettier in the evening the kids are in their pj's and we're trying to wind down for bedtime.

And I'm tired of taking pictures in my house. We've been kept out of our backyard this summer by the rabid mosquitoes, although they are finally getting a little better. So hopefully we can get out a bit more in the next few weeks.

Andrew and Caroline are both at hard ages. Caroline because she wants to RUN and Andrew because he's three and thinks it's hysterical to refuse to look at the camera. Just the thought of setting up an official photo shoot for my kids makes me anxious. I am sure it would only end in disaster.

I haven't even taken Caroline's one year pictures! :(

So what am I going to do to snap out of it?

Fall. The light is getting softer and the days are getting shorter. And someday soon it won't be miserably hot. I can't wait. Also with fall comes pumpkin patches and Halloween costumes and sweaters, all great photo opportunities.

Clickin Moms. I've been a member for years, but I've never really utilized it. Well, I'm going to start getting involved. There are awesome tutorials from lighting to post processing. I've been paying for it, I might as well use it. And really, just chatting with other photographers helps get me thinking about photo opportunities and new perspectives.

Beach Vacation. We're going to the beach next month, and I'm so excited. First we're going to be at the beach for a week! And also? Chances for beautiful photos. I'm looking forward to getting some shots of the kids and sunset photos, and if I get really wild maybe even some sunrise photos.

A New Lens. I haven't invested in a single piece of equipment this year. I got my beloved 35L 1.4 last year for Christmas, and I've used it almost exclusively ever since. I need to change it up a bit! I'm thinking of the 16-35L 2.8 or the Tokina 11-16 2.8 if I want to go really wide. I think I'd get a ton of use out of the 16-35L, but the Tokina would be so fun. Either way, I need to do something to jazz up my camera gear.

Expressive Photography from the Shutter Sisters. I love that this book talks about making the most of your everyday life opportunities. I have lots of these, I just need to take advantage of them.

So that's my plan....I hope to be super inspired again soon.

Am I alone? Does this happen to you in your creative life? What have you done to get through it?