Editor's note: The 2026 class of my Lightroom Classic Secrets course is open for enrollment now. Learn the tips, techniques and secrets used by the Lightroom masters. Click here for the details. Thanks for reading, Andrew.
Do you ever find yourself stuck for photography ideas? One way to unblock your creativity is to look through photos that you’ve made in the past. The aim is to look for themes that you didn’t realize existed, projects you started and then forgot about, or half-formed ideas you can develop into something more exciting (scroll to the bottom for the creative exercise).
Interesting things can happen when you do this exercise. For example, you might find photos that you made at different times that happen to go together. They have visual connections you didn’t see before. It could be the subject, the color palette, the tonality or the techniques you used. It’s something you discover after the fact, and weren’t aware of at the time.
Or you might find photos that you developed in a certain way in Lightroom or a plugin. You tried something new, then forgot about it. And when you see it, you realize you were onto something. It inspires you to try it again and see what happens.
Whatever you find, what you’re looking for are ideas that you grasped at in the past, but didn’t quite get. Forgotten images that make you think “Yes, I should try that again.” It’s one of those things that’s hard to pin down, but you know it when you see it.
This is part of the creative process. The exercise helps you understand what you’ve done in the past. Then it encourages you to think about how your discoveries can inspire or guide you in the future.
A benefit of doing this exercise in December is that it can help you plan the coming year. What are your plans for next year? What photos would you like to make? Which new places would you like to visit? What projects would you like to start or complete? What would you like to hold in your hands at the end of the year? Prints? A photo book? Zines?
Creating tangible things
For most people photography is a totally digital process. We create photos with smartphones and digital cameras. We develop them in Lightroom and look at them on computer screens, tablets and phones.
It feels like something’s been lost. It’s not the darkroom. Darkrooms are expensive to build. Traditional, chemical based printing is a difficult craft to master. Inkjet printing is easier and less expensive.
The element that’s been lost is something else. It’s the idea that the end result should be something tangible. An object that you can hold in your hand, something that exists after you’ve gone.
A portfolio website is a good start. They’re a great way of presenting your photos for other photographers to look at. They’re also useful for you. Creating a portfolio website encourages you to think about your work, identify themes and work and think in projects.
It also encourages you to curate your photos. There’s no point in adding all your photos to your website. You need to find your best images, the ones that deserve to be showcased. Then you need to think about which images go together. Have you developed them in a cohesive way? Do they look as if they belong together, and were made by the same photographer? What order should they go in?
For an example, you can click here to see my portfolio website.
The problem with portfolio websites is that they’re not tangible or permanent. A Wordpress website disappears when you stop paying your hosting fees. Your Adobe Portfolio website vanishes when you stop paying for a photography plan.
That’s where prints, zines and photo books come in. Prints are great for your home. You can display them in groups, which encourages you to look for photos that go together.
Zines and photo books are even better, especially if you don’t have an inkjet printer. A zine is like a short photo book, a booklet or magazine printed on thick paper or thin card and stapled together. I’m a big fan of zines. I like their informality and shortness. Even better, they don’t cost much to have printed.
You can see one of my zines below.
Photo books contain more photos and feel like a more serious, time consuming project. The time you need to curate and sequence the photos is daunting. If you’re new to making zines and photo books, I suggest you start with zines and work your way up to photo books.
My photography idea: Hands
I came up with this creative exercise when looking through my photos. I noticed I had lots of photos of people’s hands (I’ve used them to illustrate this article). So I added them to a new Collection to see what I had.
Now I’ve identified the theme, it will be at the back of my mind. Hopefully I get opportunities to explore it more.
Creative Exercise: New photography ideas from old photos
Your task for this exercise is to look back through older photos and find three themes that you didn’t know were there. The aim is to use them to spark ideas for your photography next year.
What I learned
I had forgotten that hands are an interesting subject. In travel photography hands can tell interesting stories about local people. I’d like to explore this theme on future trips.
It reminded me that photos of hands are a great way to show people working.
I realized that I can use plugins to explore new developing techniques. Now I’m thinking about ways to apply this idea to my flower and garden photos.
The Creative Photographer
My ebook The Creative Photographer explores seven ways that you can become a better photographer by focusing on the creative aspects of photography. Click the link to learn more or buy.
