Emotions Are an Inexhaustible Source of Inspiration for Your Photos

For this collection of art pictures devoted to monkeys, I worked for 3 years in remote areas.

Tip # 2: Practicing Humility

Although it is difficult to define inspiration, I can say that these are very creative periods in the life of a photographer artist.

Creativity may disappear for a time and then suddenly resurface for an unknown reason.

One thing is certain. As a photographer, I have shown immense humility when I managed to create a collection that had a high success rate with my customers.

I am aware that I have worked for many years, and yet my success is not permanent, but fleeting.

I know from experience that the aftermath of a particularly prosperous period of inspiration can be very flat in terms of artistic creation. Humility must be in order. The word inspiration has two meanings:

It relates to artistic creation.
It is also on the physiological process of breathing with the lungs.

I find it strong relationship between the two senses fascinating. Indeed, when you breathe, your lungs fill with fresh, oxygen-rich air that enables you to live and perform physical and intellectual activities.

Eventually, the two definitions of the word “inspiration” are related even if they are used in different contexts.

Tip # 3: Bringing Your Emotions Alive in Your Photographs

Artistic inspiration involves enriching yourself with new ideas which will allow you to create original works.

Inspiration encourages you to create photographic works that have a strong emotional sense.

Inspiration allows you to recreate pictures either in shooting or in post processing that accurately reflect your emotions and messages.

Inspiration is a particular vector. It will allow to channel your creative energy to transform your state of mind in which you are at a given time in a photographic work. Then, you will share it with a large or more intimate audience. You are going to live your emotions in artistic photography.

In my case, when I create interesting photographs that properly translate my emotions and feelings for a particular audience, I realize that the one thing that enabled me to do so was an absolute state inspiration.

Tip # 4: Creating Unusual Photographs

I believe that inspiration is given. It is not the result of one’s own personal work. Inspiration is the consequence of the state in which you are striving to attain through great concentration. It is what I call the “state of grace”.

Inspiration allows you to create more harmonious and suggestive photographs than illustrative photography, such as stock images.

Inspiration allows you to travel further and to perform better then if you were to not be in this state of grace.

In your artistic photographs, try to take unusual photos. Believe me, it is extremely difficult!

Tip # 5: Learning to Manage the Cycles of Creativity

Since the time I began creating artistic photographs, I have found that the state of inspiration is not a permanent condition.

In my case, it is a temporary, transient state. As I will describe in the following paragraphs, you must create the conditions necessary to achieve this state of grace where you can easily imagine your photographic goal for future collections.

Personally, I am a professional photographer. People work with me. As an entrepreneur, I have obligations towards them. The tasks of invoicing, accounting, communication, marketing, management are part of my daily life as any entrepreneur. Still, I must find time to seek inspiration and create photos. Thus, the secret is strong organization.

I have learned to manage the cycles of productivity in my life.

Even if you are not a professional photographer, you must have daily tasks to fulfill, whether personal or professional. Just like me, you must learn to manage these cycles. Creative cycles appear after professional or personal cycles have occurred.

When I act like a businessman, I am glad to read photo books or photo magazines. I am not trying to be creative in photography, as it would be a waste of time.

However, once I have time to create, I can travel to open spaces of nature. I seek isolation once I have completed my mundane tasks. It is during these particular cycles that I am looking for inspiration.

It is sometimes difficult to be patient, but time has shown that patience is worthwhile.

Finally, inspiration is a particular cycle that you must prepare for. You must know how to manage it. This is the price to pay to be able to create collections of interesting photographs.

Tip #6: Searching for Inspiration Is Not a Mystery

I have often discussed with other photographers this question of inspiration.

Some people have told me about a trance-like, second state of communication with another world. Some photographers claim that a person creates through them as if they were only puppets of an external force.

I do not encounter that state of mind when I am inspired. I am rigorous in my work.

I know my limits. I am pragmatic. I have a very advanced scientific background. I believe that everything has an explanation even if I do not fully understand it in the present moment.

Moreover, I have economic obligations to my company which I must keep in mind for my employees who depend on met.

For me, inspiration is ultimately a state of fullness during which I cast off the responsibilities of daily work and the outside world to solely focus on my art.

I refocus, searching for the creation of unusual pictures with strong emotional potential.

Tip #7: Cultivating Inspiration

I have explained to you how I manage to find inspiration through a state of grace.

With experience, I have come to realize that inspiration takes time to grow.

You must be patient. Never rush things. Indeed, I have already tried to force inspiration, creating unnecessary stress. The expected result was the opposite of what I was looking for.

I used to say that I liked to be slow to allow the elements of creativity to play out in my environment.

However, I have learned to be honest with myself and acknowledge that fact I like to be active. I like to think, listen, watch, observe, and use my five senses to create new sensations and experience new emotions. Once all these little seeds are planted, I wait for them to grow.

This period of growth may be quite long, from a few weeks to a few months. It is during that time that I complete my commercial work and marketing.

When I am harvesting the results of all my efforts, I am able to create for weeks. Then, I have a real creative springboard for my art.

Cultivating inspiration is not an overused expression. It is through sowing small seeds and being patient that you will harvest the fruits of your expectation.

Tip # 8: Finding Inspiration Requires Fullness

September 2017. Wildlife Photo Project on Large Wild Animals in Kenya

During the month of September 2017, we journeyed to photograph the large animals of the Kenyan plains. Our goal was to create environmental black and white animal photographs. This trip was also punctuated by stages for the photography of landscapes and people. The specific weather conditions allowed us to reach our goals and return home with more than twenty interesting shots.

A Multi-stage Journey

Kenya is best known for its large animal reserves such as Maasai Mara, Samburu, Amboseli, Tsavo, etc. In total, Kenya has nearly fifty-two nature reserves or parks.

To craft our photographs of large mammals, we opted for the Maasai Mara. We chose accommodations not far from the famous crossing where tens of thousands of wildebeest traverse to Tanzania.

But the Maasai Mara was only one step in our journey. We chose Lake Magadi not far from Shompole to make photographs of landscapes and Maasai villages. We also made a stop at Lake Navaisha to photograph the fishing eagles in action.

It was a very satisfying but tiring trip. Kenya has few paved roads, and most are only sloped paths where it is difficult to exceed thirty kilometers per hour. The distances on the maps often appear short but the time it takes to drive down could be lengthy. During this trip, when we needed to travel one hundred kilometers, it often took us three to four hours.

But this inconvenience was a real advantage because it forced us to take time to appreciate the beauties of the landscapes and the kindness of the Kenyan villagers.

September 2017: A Month of Unusual Weather

Usually, during the month of September 2017, it does not rain in the Maasai Mara. The grass is yellow and very low, allowing photographers to easily capture animals in the open.

September 2017 was an exception, as it rained heavily each day. The vegetation in the Maasai Mara was very green and tall, providing abundant food for wildlife.

Taking advantage of this strange weather, we photographed soft lights at unusual times. We took photos in the midday, whereas the morning sessions usually ended around ten o’clock, with the afternoon sessions beginning around four o’clock.

Extraordinary Landscapes

This special weather allowed us to make very beautiful photographs of landscapes. We are passionate about trees in isolation when their forms are evocative. We were especially pleased with the region near the Shompole wetland. The skies were scattered with magnificent clouds. We created very artistic photos that perfectly reflected our project’s purpose. It is not often that we meet such conditions.

We were surprised by the decline of trees in the Maasai Mara. Our guide explained that trees are disappearing because of termites that feed on wood. On the ground, this phenomenon is quite visible because in place of the trees remains only small mounds of earth signifying the presence of the massive trunks. Apparently, this phenomenon is growing and whole forests have already disappeared, leaving room for vastly empty grassland regions.

Encountering Maasai Villages

During this trip, even if it was not our photographic specialty, we chose to spend a few days in Maasai villages to better understand how this ethnic group lives in a world that is becoming more and more modern.

We were fortunate to spend some wonderful days in villages not far from Lake Magadi. In the morning, we shadowed shepherds who were leading the herds of cattle to pastureland in wetlands ten kilometers away from the village. In the evening we returned with them. This daily transhumance allowed us to capture breathtaking photos of the locals’ lives. We will forever remember the shepherds enclosed in clouds of dust guiding the herds towards the pasture. The Maasai constitute a people that proud of their culture and traditions. However, our experience was very different the clichés conveyed by the films like "Out of Africa". Finally, we truly savored each moment of this incredible trip.

The Choice of Black and White

Kenya is a country of vibrant colors captured within landscapes, clothes, and decorations. However, we have found that the photos are most beautiful in black and white. The presence of textures, structures, and stripped scenes encourages us to use this creative and artistic technique to highlight details of our priceless photos.

The use of black and white simplifies a photograph, focusing it on a key point. We hope that the emotions we felt and the intense beauty of nature will be smoothly conveyed to viewers.

The photos that we reveal in our news were developed quickly to give an idea of our future developments.

These interesting photos will be added to our collections of art photographs, in the theme "shades of blacks and whites".