Photography Motivation with Small Projects
Keeping motivated to shoot through mini self-made assignments.
Since picking up a camera for the first time the motivation to use it has ebbed and flowed. Sometimes the consistency exists and I have found myself downloading hoards of files to cut, edit and export. Most of the time though, this consistency doesn’t exist and the gear remains dormant and untouched.
Time is the defining factor, but also motivation. Like many hobbies and interests - you love doing them when you can, but this comes by planning and allowing time - and making it a regular habit.
Photography can be quite an individual ‘sport’. Clubs and communities are awesome, but they don’t always lead to the consistent self-motivation required to do more photography.
Small Projects
I have recently introduced small projects. The brief: aim for between 4 - 10 images that wrap around a theme. One small project per week.
The results are not intended to be groundbreaking, but consistency. Consistency is key. Making it out - sometimes without any real structure or main theme - to wander, observe and notice is becoming a regular habit.
Many of the ideas for a theme to base my small project around come from observing everyday, normal stuff. When I have the theme though, it’s usually enough to work with.
Key Ingredients for Small Projects
To be honest, the following ingredients are not going to blow you away. But take that as a good thing - you can start right now.
First up, get your camera near the front door. Have it in your bag - carry it wherever you go. Ditch your wallet or purse, take small amount of cash, a debit card and some ID, and carry your camera.
We are not talking about a hike up a mountain for sunset with tripod and four lenses. Grab a body, with fixed lens, spare battery and formatted memory card. I have found myself using prime (35mm) lens for my small projects, manual focus and aperture ring on the lens itself. This means I am forced to move my feet, and slow the heck down.
Now for the hardest part. Getting out the front door!
Treat this like going for a run; the hardest part is leaving the house. Once achieved, the rest becomes easier and easier.
Start local. This doesn’t need to be a half-day trip to a unique location, it can absolutely be a 30 minute walk around your neighbourhood. This might at first feel mundane, but it’ll force you to focus, to notice and to observe.
As ideas start to free themselves you’ll automatically start searching for new scenes to build the project. The two examples above were not pre-meditated, they grew from another small project. Are they pure photography genius? No, of course not.
Finishing a Small Project
Do they need to finish? Or do they become a medium project for a while, overlapping with other small projects, and then possibly making it to a larger body of work? Who knows, I don’t think I will answer that.
The example above I don’t think is contained to a small project. It has sparked new ideas for small projects - extensions of, maybe - but I wouldn’t say it has ‘finished’.
After trailing this approach I now find myself with several ideas or small projects running concurrently. This is giving me the motivation to shoot - not wandering aimlessly or wondering when the opportunity will come to shoot an epic scene in a stunning location. I feel like I am developing my craft all the time.
My Usual Small Project Gear
My approach to gear is fairly lax. For small projects, I am working on the ‘less is more’ basis and mostly using my Fujifulm X-Pro1 with a TTArtisan 35mm f1.4. It’s slow, low maintenance and makes an awesome clunk when you press the shutter. I also have to put it in ‘shoot without lens’ mode because of the manual nature of the lens - I love it.
Substack
I have started sharing images and posts on Substack. If you’re not familiar, it’s a social media platform aimed at creating. So far, my experience has been pretty positive - a refreshing shift in the current social media landscape!