Creative Mindset: How To Make Better Photos And Have Fun
Creative photography opportunities abound in travel destinations like Antarctica.
Your mindset determines your reality and pursuits like creative photography are as good for the mind as they are for the soul. Your photos document your journey through life, your own, unique worldview and how you perceive the experiences that unfold around you.
Adopting a creative mindset will enable you to make better photos and have fun doing so. Photography is an artistic endeavor like no other, and the photos you produce are a great way by which you can engage your creativity and build a more positive, agile and creative mindset.
I believe that creative photography can help you make sense of the trials and tribulations that come your way and help you navigate your way back to a more meaning rich and purpose driven life.
It all starts with a creative mindset, and in this post we’ll explore how you can eliminate negativity, cultivate a more positive and creative mindset and use that to have fun while making better photos as you travel the world.
As a way of laying down a solid foundation for our exploration of the creative mindset, we’ll first explore the following:
Key facets associated with the notion of mindset
Why the cultivation of a creative mindset is essential to a happy and creative life
Some of the more common mindsets, one or more of which you’ll likely identify with
After that we’ll move onto a range of practical, easy to implement tips and techniques that will allow you to push through negativity and tap into a more creative mindset, which will be a great help when you’re out and about making photos.
You’ll find the process to be interesting, fun and fully immersive.
Now what’s not to like about a simple and fun process that enables you to make better photos by tapping into a more positive and creative mindset?
Let’s begin!
Your Mindset Creates Your Reality
There’s no doubt that your mindset creates your reality. We may not be able to change what happens to us, but we can determine how we perceive the events unfolding around us.
Whenever you slip into a negative thought be sure to catch yourself and, thereby, stop the negativity of that same thought adversely affecting your opinion of others and of the world around you.
Not only will this practice help you develop a more positive outlook on life, you'll create a reality for yourself that's happier and filled with purpose and meaning.
There’s no doubt that choosing to see the world around you in a more positive light can provide you with the confidence and energy to push through a whole range of difficulties and challenges.
Life is full of obstacles, real and imagined. But a creative mindset allows you to push through and beyond all manner of barriers. No longer will you see a hill as a barrier, but as a motivation to explore and discover what lies beyond.
It’s that very attitude that will enable you to create more visually interesting and thoughtful images. And, may I say, that’s where the fun is. Not in the camera or lenses you have to carry, but in your ability to tap into your creative potential and make photos that explore your own, unique vision of the world around you.
Just remember, photography is a life enhancing endeavour. Developing the right mindset isn’t just essential to creative photography. It's also at the heart of being able to create a happier, healthier and more meaning rich existence.
It’s essential to cultivate a positive mindset for creative souls.
Mindset For Creative Souls
Creative souls are, by definition, sensitive. Often empathetic by nature we are open to the sorrows of others. In many ways we are selfless.
However, to ensure our own creativity is not adversely affected by the troubles of others, we do need to protect our own space and make sure we allocate enough time to our own creative endeavours.
The best way to do so is to ensure we nurture a creative mindset through the work we do and the people with whom we choose to spend our time.
Do all you can to avoid bullies, insensitive and narrow minded people. It’s likely you’ll have to deal with them at work or in team sports. And sometimes doing so is unavoidable.
The trick is not to become sucked into their own, very limited worldview. Stay polite, but do not engage is the best advice I can give. I only wish I’d followed that same advice throughout my own life.
These days I do all I can to spend what free time I have with good, decent folks who are interested in issues beyond petty politics and, like me, are searching for more meaningful connections and developing a more tolerant and informed worldview.
Your Creative Life | The Future Is Now
We are a product of our background. Important elements that affect our identity include the following:
Place of birth and where we were brought up
Age
Gender
Religion/spirituality
Politics
Ethnicity
Cultural practices
But we are also a product of our parents and the education system we spent a good deal of our lives surviving.
All of that is, pretty much, written in stone. From that point of view we are unable to change our past. Yet we can determine our future, but only if we change our present.
Sometimes the changes we make will be actual but, more often than not, it’s how we view or perceive our present situation that matters most.
Buddhism teaches us that the now is really all there is.
By changing our perception of who we are and the circumstances surrounding us, in the here and now, we are in the perfect position to create our actual reality, both now and into the future.
I believe that acting on this understanding is essential to building and maintaining a creative life.
Best of all, we don’t need to be card carrying Buddhists to do so.
Dreamer mindset explored in peaceful and calm waters off Antarctica.
Examples Of Mindset
There are many different examples of mindset, and it’s not uncommon for each of us to identify with one or more of the examples listed below.
In my case I identify most strongly with the dreamer mindset and also with the social mindset, into which I seem to fit comfortably.
Dreamer Mindset
Do you have the ability to dream big and to believe that anything is possible?
I feel that the dreamer mindset is, somehow, stripped away from us as we pass through the education system.
It’s no wonder that made truly great leaders and thinkers (e.g., Alfred Einstein) faired relatively poorly at school.
Dreaming is a delightful state of mind. But while great discoveries might come about after an apple falls on your head, your potentially great discovery or grand plan may not be proven or realized without a lot of very hard work.
Growth Mindset
If you’re into self improvement you may fit the criteria referred to as the growth mindset. These folks love pushing boundaries and constantly seek ways to better themselves.
Having a belief in abundance and looking forward to a bright and prosperous future are hallmarks of people with a growth mindset.
We will likely all experience our share of scarcity in life. However, a mindset based around abundance and opportunity can see you through many of life’s challenges.
Business Mindset
Do you love the idea of providing a valuable service to people and helping to change the world along the way, while working for yourself and making your own path through life?
Then you’re well suited to the business mindset, commonly associated with entrepreneurs.
To change the world for the better, in a way aligned with your own authentic self, is the dream that’s realized by our most agile minded and creative entrepreneurs.
A present day example of an entrepeneur displaying a business mindset would be Elon Musk. His contribution to a more environmentally friendly and sustainable world, manifested through his company Tesla, and his efforts to accelerate the adoption of electric cars, solar power and energy storage is fast becoming a reality.
Just like the great Steve Jobs before him, Elon Musk is one of our world’s greatest entrepreneurs, expending his energy in an extremely disciplined and sustained manner to realize his dreams and make our world a better place.
Social Mindset
Folks with a social mindset love spending time with friends and are happy to engage with strangers. These folks are often well suited to solo travel.
Fear Mindset
While it’s a universal experience, existing within a fear mindset is a poor way to live a life. Fear can be a crippling experience and you’ll never achieve your dreams or live a life of purpose and meaning by being afraid.
Nonetheless, fear can be a powerful motivator, so long as you recognize it for what it is, take control of it, and harness it to your advantage.
If, however, you feel limited or disempowered by fear, I recommend you seek out professional assistance to give you the skills you’ll need to change your mindset whenever you feel the negative and disrupting nature of fear appearing in your life.
Lazy Mindset
A lazy mindset can lead to a life of sloth, which is a very debilitating existence.
Fast food, social media and too much TV can lead to a life that’s far too passive.
You’ll never experience the beauty and majesty of our world or immerse yourself in pursuits like creative photography if you limit yourself to living a virtual life as an armchair traveller.
And it all starts with a more positive, life affirming mindset. After that the simplest and best action you can take is to get off the couch and get outside, into the light and into the fresh air.
Envy Mindset
Becoming obsessed with what other people are doing is certainly not the way to live your life. Envy leads to jealousy, which is a very negative state you do not want to exist in.
Be less concerned about how much better off you might think other people are, and be more concerned about creating a more positive mindset that will lead you on a path towards a life of contribution.
It is in this state that your life will transform into one of meaning and purpose. Motivation will no longer be a problem for you. As a result your creativity will be unleashed and you’ll begin to have fun making photos that showcase your own vision and more accurately reflect your true, inner nature.
Forget your past and move on by developing an agile mindset.
Forget Your Past
Your past is valuable for the lessons it teaches you. However, for better or for worse, your past is behind you. To move on with your life it’s necessary not to dwell upon negative experiences from your past.
In some cases it may even be best to try and forget your past.
I'm not about denying the past, but about remodeling ourselves so that we can live the life we were born to live. And by that I mean a life of meaning and contribution.
And this journey starts by catching negative thoughts, whenever they arise, and adopting a positive mindset.
Remember, while you can’t always control what happens to you, you can control what you make of what happens to you. In other words your mindset determines your reality.
How To Develop An Agile Mindset
Creative photography is underpinned by an agile mindset. By staying positive you’ll be in a better position to invest the energy and enthusiasm required to get out and about and find connection with the world around you through the photos you make.
Potential and talent, when unrealized, are like giant albatrosses slung around your neck. Together with self limiting beliefs, they are what holds you back from realizing your true potential.
Lack of confidence, procrastination and fear are the enemy of all creatives. They are most unwanted bedfellows.
My suggestion is to spend less time sleeping and less time moping about. Get up, get out and move on with your life. It’s a lesson I’ve had to learn, again and again, over the years.
Staying positive is important for creative souls. You’ll find that developing an agile mindset will help you adapt to change and adversity and keep you on track to living a life based upon contribution and creativity.
It’s a simple message, but a great truth. Which is why I’m repeating myself.
About to Travel?
How To Make Better Photos and Have Fun Doing So
What Story Can You Tell Through The Photos You Make?
Your photos possess an enormous power in their ability to tell stories. It’s in this way that the communicative power of the photo to convey mood, emotion and feeling, and to explore the trials and tribulations associated with the Human Condition can be showcased.
It’s said that a picture is worth a thousand words. I believe that’s absolutely the case with a great photo, one that’s important to you or simply an image that triggers powerful memories and connections from your own life.
The images in this post that I made in Antarctica bring back intense memories, most of them joyous, and I could easily write a thousand words based around either of these pictures.
Likewise, I feel the image of the long discarded machinery, photographed during a snowstorm on the beach at Deception Island, and the photo of the King penguin’s feet provide interesting visual elements from which stories, including fictional accounts, could quite easily flow.
As a photography tutor I’d also have no trouble deconstructing each of these images, over a thousand or more words, from the point of view of technique and composition.
So, while I believe that an individual photo can certainly be worth a thousand words, a more comprehensive way to tell a story with your photos is through the construction of a photo essay.
I’ve written a comprehensive post on this concept titled Photo Essay: Recipe For Success which showcases images I created on a track across the spectacular Huangshan (Yellow Mountain) in China.
Your Photos Should Explore Emotions and Relationships
Convey a Sense of Atmosphere in your Photos
Take a look at this photo made on a hike I completed across Mount Huangshan in Eastern China. Famous for it’s breathtaking views, the clouds only parted twice during my three day adventure.
But it was the middle of winter and, the bleak weather meant I was spared from experiencing thousands of tourists treading the same steep, stone pathways I endured on the hike.
What’s more, being hemmed in by clouds compressed the world around me and narrowed my sense of three dimensional space. To create interesting images I used compositional elements such as line, shape and texture whenever I could.
At other times I concentrated on a more minimalistic approach, opting for black and white or a monochromatic color palette.
Pay Attention to the Quality, Direction and Color of Light
Quality, direction and the color of light are critical factors all photographers should think about, each and every time we make photos.
Of course, you also have to be aware and deal with the challenges often associated with the intensity and contrast of the light and how that effects the dynamic range (i.e., contrast) of the scene you’re depicting.
Is the quality of light hard or soft, and how will that effect the way I approach my photography?
What is the direction (front, side or back) of the light in relation to the subject I’m photographing, and where should I stand and/or move my subject to best take advantage of that light.
Is the color of the light warm (e.g., sunrise), neutral or cool and how will that effect the mood and emotion of the photos I’m making?
Be Mindful of Color and How Best to Use Color Creatively
There are many ways to work with color in the scene you’re photographing. Examples include the following:
The color of the subject
The relationship between colors (e.g., subject and background) within the scene. Are these colors complimentary, harmonious or analogous to each other and how will that impact upon the success of your image?
Does your composition consist of predominantly monochromatic or contrasting colors?
Concentrate Your Vision on Details Within the Wider Environment
It’s amazing how easy it is to move around the world without noticing fascinating details that, without careful observation, you might so easily pass by.
Think of a tulip garden or a landscape filled with wildflowers. While it’s great to take the wide view and incorporate as much of the scene as possible in your photos, perhaps the more interesting and unique images are the close up explorations of a single flower.
You might, for example, choose to render that flower razor sharp and further emphasize it through selective focus and a shallow depth of field, by placing it against a blurred background.
Focal Length, Perspective, Viewpoint and Framing Create Unique Photos
When it comes to the focal length of your lens, the perspective you create with your choice of lens, the position of your camera (i.e., viewpoint) in relation to your subject and the relative distance between your subject and the background
Likewise, whether you opt for tight or loose framing around your subject can have a significant impact on the story your photo tells and the emotions it elicits from your viewing audience.
A very tightly framed or cropped photo can suggest your subject is restricted, xxx or xxxx. Conversely, a more space between the subject and the edges of the photo suggest notions of freedom, exploration and the opportunity for expansion.
Capture Life as it Unfolds by Freezing a Moment in Time
The are numerous ways to take a creative approach when photographing movement. A fast shutter speed, often achieved by selecting a high iso and a physically wide lens aperture (e.g., f/2.8), when combined with a fast burst rate, is the usual way to freeze fast moving action in a photo.
By doing so you are, effectively, freezing time. This technique is unique to photography, whether still or video, and allows us to document and study motion in ways that are beyond the capacity of our eyes to see while the action unfolds.
Perhaps an even more creative approach to photographing motion is the notion of recording movement within a still image. It might help to think of it as time-lapse photography.
Simple keep the camera’s shutter open for an extended period of time to record movement (e.g., water) within an otherwise stationary or static scene.
The actual shutter speed you’ll need will depend on how fast the subject is moving and how blurred or undefined you want it to appear in the photo you make.
In the case of a waterfall, a shutter speed of around ⅛ second is a good starting point, though you may prefer the effect that’s produced from an even longer or slower shutter speed (e.g., ½ second).
But water tumbling down a rock face, as is the case of a tumultuous waterfall, moves at a different pace to water in a lake or the sea during a relatively slow moving tide.
NZ pic.
How To Change Your Mindset and Become More Creative
If you’re unhappy with the way your life’s going it might be worthwhile embarking on a travel adventure of your own.
Those folk who desire a more active adventure, and are physically able to manage one, have several options.
An adventure based around physical activity such as trekking, cycling or mountain climbing.
A curated tour built around an immersive cultural experience involving local cuisine, fashion or craft.
Contributing to an overseas charity through teaching or building projects.
Seeking connection and self discovery through an artistic endeavor like creative photography.
However, whatever kind of adventure you choose, you might first need to change your mindset to make the most of it. And an agile mindset is essential to helping you make the most of what will be outside of your normal, everyday experience.
Do You Love To Travel?
Do you love to travel, whether in your own country or abroad? If so, how would you describe your approach to travel?
Do you travel in search of action and adventure?
Do you travel as a passive sightseer?
Do you travel in search of cultural immersion?
By choosing one of the above options you have, most likely, described your current life, whether you're at home or on holiday.
But are you happy with your answer? In truth, does it describe the life you currently lead or the life you feel you were born to live?
If you're at or near retirement age more passive experiences might be appropriate. The same could be said for those with young families or those with poor health and/or very low levels of fitness.
Perhaps the demands of life are so taxing that what's right for you is a few weeks pampering by a pool or beach in a gorgeous resort.
It might be that the most adventure you seek is an excursion into town for a local curry.
The good news is that there are loads of wonderful holiday experiences designed to meet your specific needs and stage of life.
However, while relaxation is good for your health, prolonged bouts of sloth and disengagement from the world is not the answer to changing your mindset.
Why Do You Travel?
Is travel primarily about spoiling yourself with all manner of fine food and accommodation? Perhaps it's about an active pursuit like scuba diving.
For me travel is, first and foremost, a set of experiences. Travel is an amalgam of the things I see, the people I meet and what I learn about myself along the way?
So why do you travel? Is travel, primarily, a passive pursuit for you?
Do you expect to be entertained, or do you travel with the intention of seeking out authentic and mind expanding experiences by exploring the unknown through a creative pursuit like photography?
And how important is having fun to your travel adventures and the photos you make?
These are important questions when it comes to deciding which country to visit and the kinds of accommodation, events and activities you want to either witness or actively immerse yourself into.
Life, travel and creative photography off Cuverville Island in Antarctica.
Life, Travel and Creative Photography
Here are some important questions that, as a creative person, you really should be asking yourself.
Do you make sufficient time in your life for creative pursuits like photography?
Are you making enough photos and do those photos convey your own authentic vision of the world?
Are you interested in enhancing your photos on the desktop? Do you have the skills to do so, in an efficient and organized manner?
Are you doing enough to share your photos with the world and, by doing so, allowing your life's journey to provide encouragement to others to embark on their own adventures and explore their own creativity.
Personally I think it’s a great endeavour to encourage other people to embrace the joy of creative photography to explore their own, unique path through life?
Let’s not forget that the photos you make contribute to your legacy after you’re gone, and it’s through adopting a life affirming and creative mindset that your legacy will more accurately reflect your true inner self, the person you really are.
Conclusion: A Creative Mindset Leads To Better Photos
“I’m a teacher who’s always learning.
I’m a traveller forever journeying. ”
My view is that travel is the best education there is and I’m so fortunate to live a life based around travel and creative photography.
It’s by no means an easy life. But it’s great fun and I love how photography allows me to enter a creative mindset. It’s such an easy and immediate way by which I’m able to connect with my inner self and, in doing so, tap into my own authentic nature.
That’s the reason why no one takes photos in quite the same way I do. You see there’s only one me, just as there’s only one you.
Indeed it’s a truly great time to be a photographer. I find inspiration and motivation in the fact that, as a creative soul, my photos do more than simply document the world around me.
I don't take photos. I make photos that explore the connection between that which is seen and that which is experienced in the beauty of the moment.
My photos celebrate the sublime beauty in all things and I’m so happy you’ve found your way to my website and blog. I do hope you’ll return again soon.
In the meantime, if you’d like to improve your own photography, feel free to reach out and contact me directly.
