Breaking the Winter Photography Blues

January winter Arbor, did not have to walk far for this one.

Welcome to winter, you wake up and see another gray on gray day. Your camera gear is ready to go but you are not too excited about what to shoot. Take the challenge below and enjoy the gray on gray light to improve your creativity.

When it comes down to it we are only shooting light. Gray on gray is still light. Sure it would be nice to have a post cold front with lots of clouds, wind, fast changing weather, and sun. That will come but, in January/February try getting present with the conditions.

In the winter I go out with minimum gear for a drive or local walk. I do this to it keep me sharp, present, and step away from the office to enjoy the winter days. You can see the results in my Recent galleries, most are not store worthy, but I learned something on every shot.

January 2024 Wave sucking up mud off the bottom.

What to shoot, well most times you never know unless you have a shot list on a job. Specific shot you want for your store, clients, or festivals. So embrace the freedom of just driving to a new location, or walking down your street, opening your eye to the world around you. You can practice seeing the world more through your lens, a great skill that takes time. What I am talking about is very different, than taking out your phone and doing a snap shot. For a lot of people this makes them smile which is great. For me I am into fine art photography as limited edition large canvas prints.

January surfing. **Shadow Surfer**, love the way the white water highlights his shadow.

Another great reason I enjoy this so much is to test new ideas. Push certain gear to the limit. Try settings I never used on my camera bodies. Taking only one lens at times pushes me to find the creative use for that lens outside what I normally used it for in the past. This brings me back to an exercise I do every few years. Take a look below if you would like to take this one step further, and have the discipline.

Testing lens on a very cold (5 deg F), icy January 2024 sunset, gray on gray with a rare touch of color.

One Month Photography Challenge

You need to have your manual camera (not your phone) in full manual mode, nothing automatic in any way. No auto, shutter speed, ISO, aperture, focus, zoom if you are using zoom, everything has to be in manual.

I have done this a lot in my photography career, learning something new or relearning every-time. My sister a great artist/photographer was the first to open my mind up to this skill, as kids using our Olympus OM-1 film cameras.

My sister was great at making me to think about the light first, not the subject. Sounds simple, but it is not. Try this exercise and it can help teach you to think light first, pushing your creativity. And hopefully you will have a great time learning, while seeing the world in a different way. Not thinking this is limiting you, thinking just the opposite, you are expanding your creativity.

Self Portrait, January in Dusseldorf Germany, after a long day filming at the boat show.

When I first did this in 1975 life was not all about instant gratification, phones, apps, social media, but the people/world around you was what mattered. And back then we did not see any of the photos until the end of the month when we used up a roll of film.

For one month, we use to do it for one roll of film. You get one shutter a day. Only one frame, one click of the shutter per day that is it, in full manual. When and where is up to you. But before you hit that shutter think about the light you are capturing, and then the subject. So make sure you set your camera to shoot just one frame.

There will be days that you mess up the shot, oh well, just put the camera away and learn from the mistake, that is how we learn. I have done that often in this exercise, but then realizing it is a great way to slow down to learn, and be present.

Think of the painter out with their easel painting, the whole time they are painting that canvas it is all about the light and the one frame in front of them. Photography gear is easy to use, but to do it well is far beyond auto settings and just snapping away. The human brain exceeds AI and you create your own vision, that is art.

January Holly Tree, some times it is right in front of you in the yard.

This time of year is perfect to do this exercise in the gray on gray days and push your skills. I bet 5-7 days in you will be surprised what you are shooting. Opening your eyes to the world right in front of you that you never take the time to see. Will the shots be keepers, rarely, but that is not the point, it is all for you to learn, not for social media, it is just for you.

I would love to hear how this works for you?

Have Fun, and See you Soon, Paul