Why are my photos boring?
This post may not make easy reading but if you don’t mind a few home truths and are willing to do the work, read on.
There aren’t any quick fixes to boring photos mostly because photos are boring for many different reasons. Skim through this post and then come back and address the idea that felt most relevant to you. There’s no judgment here. If you’re looking to improve your photography that’s nothing but a good thing.
The photo you see in your head is different to the one that you take
This happens because your camera doesn’t see like a human. You need to get to know your gear and continually review your images to see how your camera does see. The field of view will be different depending on which lenses you use (read more here) but most importantly the camera doesn’t have a brain.
Your brain overlays what your eyes see with your life’s experience; your camera just clinically shoots what’s in front of it. This is why you think your subject is bigger in the frame than it really is or overlook a telegraph pole poking out of someone’s head.
You might also be suffering from what Ira Glass calls the “taste gap”. As a beginner with good taste you are continually disappointed that your photographs don’t meet up to the high standards you have and you might not know why. Some people give up. But all you need to do is be a bit introspective and analyse what you don’t know so you can take steps to improve. Acknowledge that nobody is born an expert and then relax and enjoy your journey.
Read this post: Change to a learner’s mindset
You don’t know what makes an interesting photo
Educate yourself. Read widely, visit exhibitions (online if necessary), talk to people who know about interesting photos.
You have a limited circle of influences
You’re in a bubble. You follow the same kinds of people online, you watch the same style of movies, read the same kinds of books. You even eat the same food week in, week out.
Photographer Jay Maisel’s advice to those wanting to take more interesting photographs is this: “Become a more interesting person”. It’s simple advice to follow. Start moving out of your comfort zone. Nudge your curiosity out of hibernation. Read a new book, watch a different film, research a photographer whose style is different to yours.
Emma wrote a workbook for photographers wanting to make more interesting photographs called A Creativity Workbook for Photographers. It’s available on Amazon and has many more ideas like this one to help you move your photography on.
You take the easy shots and move on
Stop and be in the moment. Commit to a scene and don’t leave until you’ve squeezed every ounce of inspiration out of it.
You don’t know why you’re shooting
Shots with a message or an intention tend to be stronger and more complex than miscellaneous snapshots.
You think the answer is in presets
Presets, filters and special effects can make a photo appear interesting in much the same way a lick of paint can make a wall look better. But you’re just papering over the cracks, to mix metaphors. You’ll find it more satisfying to discover a composition that you love or a place that inspires you.
Boring light
Start to see light as an element in your photograph, separate from the subject, foreground and background. Light doesn’t need to be bright or subdued to be interesting but you do need to pay attention to how it falls on the scene, how it affects contrast and how it competes with or complements your message.
Have you ever even considered what makes interesting light? Consider it now and then go and seek it out.
Boring composition
Composition is “where you put everything in your frame”. Often you can’t physically move things - you can’t move a tree or a post box - but you can move your feet to change the position of things in the frame. Take a shot and review it. Could you improve it by moving to a different viewpoint? Not sure? Try it anyway. Review again. Move again. Repeat for as long as you can manage.
The second module of Emma’s beginner’s photography course A Year With My Camera breaks composition down into easy-to-learn principles. Join here and get started today (it’s free by email):
You don’t have anything interesting to photograph
It’s not the subject that’s boring it’s the way you approach it. The subject is never, ever boring. You can take absolutely fascinating photographs of mundane, dull objects with the right mindset. Try it today: challenge yourself to take an interesting photograph of a fork.
You’re in a rut
If you’ve lost your phojo (photo mojo) you need to bump yourself out of it. The easiest way is to make photography fun again. Take photos that make you smile while you’re shooting.
Read this post for more ideas: How to get out of a photography rut.
