Creative Photography: What It Is and How to Get Started
The term creative photography means different things to different people, but for me, it's about capturing more than what’s in front of the lens. It’s a way of working that blends imagination, emotion and personal expression to produce images that appeal to you on a personal level. The images often reflect how we feel about a place or a subject, showing something of what it means to you, not just what it looks like. Rather than recording the world exactly as it is, creative photography is a means of interpreting or expressing it in your way and making photographic art.
This approach sets it apart from conventional or straight photography, where the goal is often technical accuracy or faithful documentation. Creative photography bends the rules, invites experimentation and makes space for surprise and discovery.
Why does creative photography matter?
In a fast-moving world of scrolling and taking snapshots, creative photography invites you to slow down, to connect with your subject and see things differently. It allows for emotional depth, visual storytelling and artistic voice. It doesn’t require expensive kit or perfect technique, just curiosity and the willingness to try something new.
Photographic art can be created in-camera or on a computer, but it’s often most satisfying when it is at least partly created in-camera, taking a mindful approach.
Types of Creative Photography
There are many ways to explore creative photography, whether you’re working digitally, using film or experimenting with alternative processes. Each of these approaches can shift the mood or meaning of a photograph or a piece of photographic art. Some techniques add softness or blur, others introduce unpredictability, colour shifts or abstract elements. There’s no single ‘right’ way to work, only what resonates with you. Above all, give yourself permission to play.
Creative photography isn’t about perfection. It’s about process, surprise and seeing the world in new ways. Some images will fail. Others will feel fresh and exciting. Each one teaches you something and helps you find a way of expressing yourself. Here are some examples:
In-camera creative photography techniques
ICM (intentional camera movement) - deliberately moving the camera during exposure to create blur.
Multiple exposures - overlaying two or more images. These can also be created post-capture.
Long exposure - using a slow shutter speed to blur moving elements in a scene. In daylight this often requires the use of an ND (neutral density) filter to enable the long exposure time without overexposing the image.
Exposure control to produce images that are brighter or darker than the original scene.
Light painting - moving light sources during a long exposure to illuminate parts of the scene or create trails of light.
Pinhole photography - shooting with a very small aperture (often homemade using a camera body cap) to capture long exposure images with lots of depth of field but that are soft because of diffraction.
Infrared - using infrared film or a converted digital camera to create black and white or colour images created by infrared light rather than visible light.
Creative colour and monochrome - using in-camera colour settings (or post-capture editing) to create images in black and white or with colours that are different from the original scene.
Image Credit: Angela Nicholson. This image was shot using a Lensbaby Sweet 22 lens on the Sony A1.
Creative lenses and filters
Lensbaby lenses - these create a number of effects including, sift focus, blur and swirl, in some cases the images have a sharp area surrounded by the blur or swirling bokeh.
Lensbaby Omni Creative Filter System - these filters can be used on any lens with a filter thread. The system allows you to position crystals and gels etc in front of the lens to reflect and refract light for creative effect.
Vintage and modified lenses - these often have optical 'flaws' or characteristic that can be used to deliver creative effects.
Free lensing - the lens isn't mounted on the camera but held just in front of it.
'Toy' lenses and cameras like Lomography cameras and PocketDispo lenses - again these have characteristics and flaws that make them of interest for creative photography.
Prisms, glass balls and homemade filters - the world is your oyster here, just hold them to your lens and see what you get.
Cameraless and alternative processes
Cyanotypes, anthotypes, lumen prints and other experimental or handmade printing methods using light-sensitive materials
Post-Capture Creative Photography Techniques
Multiple exposures - combining two or more images using software that allows you to blend the layers so all are visible in some way.
Compositing and layering - this is similar to multiple exposure photography using software, but in some cases, only certain elements of an image are used with another. Textured layers are popular for adding depth, interest and mood.
Colour, exposure and contrast adjustments - Most image editing software has a large collection of tools that enable you to alter the colour, contrast and exposure of images either globally or locally.
Image Credit: Angela Nicholson. A strong neutral density filter enabled a 30-second exposure to blur the movement of the water. The colours and contrast were adjusted post capture using Adobe Camera Raw.
Getting Started with Creative Photography
You don’t need a lot of gear to give creative photography a try. Many creative techniques work with basic equipment or simple adjustments. Here are a few ways to get going:
Start with light and tone
Use natural light and adjust the exposure settings on your camera to explore contrast and mood. If you're shooting in manual exposure mode, you can adjust the shutter speed or aperture (or ISO) to change how bright or dark your image is. If you're shooting in aperture priority or shutter priority mode, the exposure compensation control allows you to adjust the image brightness as you like.
Experiment with high key (bright) or low key (dark) looks. Switch your camera to monochrome and focus on form and structure. You can do this on a phone or any camera with manual settings.
Try ICM (Intentional Camera Movement)
Intentional camera movement is an interesting and enjoyable technique that introduces blur to images by moving the camera while the shutter is open. The speed, smoothness and direction of the movement has an impact on the result, so it's worth experimenting and trying different exposure times. If you're trying ICM for the first time, put your camera in shutter priority exposure mode and set a shutter speed of 1/15sec. Then, compose the image you want to shoot and move the camera a little in the opposite direction that you plan to move the camera during the exposure. When you've reached the endpoint, begin moving your camera as smoothly as you can and press the shutter release. Keep moving the camera until you are sure the shutter has closed again.
Think of the camera movement like a golf swing, just as you have a backswing and follow through with a golf club, move the camera before and after the exposure to achieve a smooth movement.
If your image has the right amount of blur - hurrah! If you'd like more blur, try setting a longer exposure time (say 1/8 sec instead of 1/15 sec). If you want less blur, either move the camera more slowly or set a shorter exposure time, perhaps 1/30sec.
Shoot Multiple Exposures
Many cameras have a multiple exposure mode that allows you to shoot a sequence of two or more images that are composited into one. For your first multiple exposure images, try setting your camera to record two exposures.
You shoot the images as you would normally, but when you take the second image (with a mirrorless camera) you can see a ghostly version of the first image when you shoot the second. This allows you to align everything as you want before taking the second shot.
If your camera doesn't have a multiple exposure mode, you can use image-editing software to combine images and textures. If your preferred editing software doesn't support layers, try using the Snapseed app on your phone - it's free. Once you've opened an image, you'll find 'Double Exposure' listed amongst the 'Tools'. Just tap on the ‘Add image’ icon to add the second layer. If you make a mistake with the selection, tap it again to add a new image.
Lensbaby make slots of lenses and lens barrels or bodies that accept interchangeable optics.
Experiment with different optics
A Lensbaby, vintage lens, toy camera, modified lens or creative filter can produce images with character and flaws that are often missing in modern 'clinical' digital photography.
Lensbaby offers a huge range of lenses in different mounts that produce effects including 'Velvet' (soft focus), 'Sweet' (a central area of sharp focus surrounded by blur), 'Edge (a band of sharp focus with blur either side) and 'Twist' (a central area of sharp focus surrounded by swirling out of focus areas).
Read our Guide to the Best Lensbaby Lenses
As mentioned earlier, there's also the Lensbaby Omni Creative Filter System that allows you to introduce stretch effects, blur, reflections, flare and more with any lens. Similarly, you can use prisms, crystal balls or even a bit of cling film for a simple, creative effect.
Read Paula Wilks’ Guide to Capturing Creative Effects with Lensbaby Omni
Alternatively, you may enjoy combing the secondhand lens stock in camera stores and in charity shops on the lookout for a vintage lens that you can mount on your camera via an adapter.
Another option is 'free lensing'. This is when you shoot without having the lens connected to the camera. Instead, you hold it close to the camera (as close to the mount as possible) to let in light leaks. Move the lens a little to shift the focus and let in more or less light.
Explore traditional processes
Making cyanotypes, anthotypes or lumen prints is an enjoyable hands-on way to explore creative image-making without a digital screen. These methods slow down the process and encourage you to think differently about light and time. Take your time and enjoy the process.
SheCreates
SheClicks community members share their approach to creative photography.
Name: Paula Wilks
Favourite camera for creative photography: Sony A7RV
Favourite type of creative photography: ICM and Lensbaby Omni filters, separately and together
Website: paulawilks.com
Instagram: @saxtraction
If you could only pick one creative technique to use, what would it be and why?
At the moment, I'm obsessed with ICM, but I might hedge my bets and say ICM plus Lensbaby Omni filters together to get the best of both worlds
What is your approach to your favourite creative technique?
I immerse myself in it fully so that it's all I do for a while, experimenting with different subjects and different ways of using the technique and then working out what works well and what doesn't. Gradually, I find that I'm developing my own style with it and I'm more consciously choosing how and when to apply the techniques
How did you first get into creative photography?
The (in)famous Lensbaby party at Fuji HoP in 2022 when we got to try out the Lensbaby Omni kit
What inspires your creative work?
Emotions, I think. Very often, I found that when I took 'straight' photos, they didn't really show the true beauty and magic of the view that I could see - I feel that the techniques I use help to capture the magic I see in person. I also see parallels between the type of photography I do and the genre of music I love - jazz. Both manipulate, embellish and expand on the original versions to create something different and tending towards the abstract.
Do you plan your creative images or go with the flow?
A bit of both. I usually have an idea of the kind of images I want to produce and only take the kit with me that I need for those. I'll stick with it for quite some time because I often find that it takes me a while to get into the zone and start getting the images that I want, and I don't like to give up too soon. Having said that, if an unexpected opportunity or idea occurs to me and I'm able to exploit it, I will.
What do you enjoy most about creative photography?
The freedom it gives me to really express myself.
Do you have any go-to gear or settings you reach for when you’re feeling creative?
I use the Lensbaby Omni Creative Filter kit a lot, and also neutral density filters. I prefer the magnetic filters for ease of use (both Urth and Kase). I have been warned off the variable density filters so have avoided them. I use a variety of lenses, including some Lensbaby lenses. I always edit my photos to a greater or lesser extent using Lightroom and maybe Photoshop to get the images I'm really after. Finally, my wellies have become an indispensable piece of kit, along with a boot jack.
Read our Urth Magnetic ND Selects Filter Kit Plus+ Review
How do you keep pushing your creativity when you feel stuck or uninspired?
I go to the coast and leave the camera behind (or at least in the bag) for a bit and just watch the waves and the tide, taking in the rhythm and patterns.
Is there a technique that you haven't tried yet that you want to?
Not really - possibly extreme macro, but I'm not sure I have the patience (or eyesight) for that
What advice would you give to someone who wants to try creative photography but isn’t sure where to start?
Don't expect to master it straight away - it needs a bit of a different mindset. Take the successes and build on them until your hit rate improves.
Paula’s Favourite Creative Photography Images
Name: Janina Wilde
Favourite camera for creative photography: Fujifilm X-T5
Favourite type of creative photography: Multiple exposure, ICM, creative shutter speeds
Website: janinawilde.com
Instagram: @janina_wilde1
If you could only pick one creative technique to use, what would it be and why?
Multiple exposure (ME) - it gives me the creative freedom to be me. I can create what I want to, taking time and thinking about what I want the image to portray so it can convey what I was feeling at the time as well as what I was seeing. On top of this, all my images are unique as the process has so many artistic choices throughout. That means every image I produce is mine, and only mine.
What is your approach to your favourite creative technique?
I am not a great planner when it comes to my photography. For a first look at a location, I tend to go and take what is there.
For in-camera ME, I have a variety of techniques in my head and I assess which would look best for the subject in front of me and use that. Sometimes I will also note the need to return in different conditions, which I sometimes achieve.
Creating ME in Photoshop takes time and headspace, it's not something I can do in 5 minutes. I generally know the mood I am trying to create before I select my subject image and work through the layers until I am happy that what I am seeing is what I want to see. Sometimes the image comes together in 5 minutes, and sometimes it is 25, and occasionally even longer!
How did you first get into creative photography?
Initially, I was inspired by a single image on a creative photography course and the chance to be told how it was made. I was told about Pep Ventosa, who was my first well-known inspiration and I haven't looked back since.
What inspires your creative work?
Ultimately, I guess it is emotions as I like to portray how the real-life sight made me feel, whether that is in nature or architecture, which are my two main loves to photograph. I have also learned more about art through leading my 'inspired by the artists' and 'inspired by the photographers' courses and I can see influences from the artists and the photographers in my own work.
I really like to try new ideas, so I would like to introduce words and specifically poetry, as an inspiration into my work as well.
Do you plan your creative images or go with the flow?
It depends! I am much more a go-with-the -flow when I am out and about with a camera, but I usually sit down at my computer to create with an idea of what I will be creating in that time. I like both approaches as I don't feel stifled by planning or rudderless by not planning. It's a balance that works very well for me.
What do you enjoy most about creative photography?
Not sticking to any rules. Obviously, there is psychology behind what we all find aesthetically pleasing to look at and subconsciously, I will be using those rules as I like to produce images I like to look at! There are techniques that work best in certain situations, but the images I like the most are usually ones where I 'have a go' and 'see what happens', whether that is in camera or post processing.
Do you have any go-to gear or settings you reach for when you’re feeling creative?
In-camera multiple exposure is much easier and more fun with a lighter camera and lens, so the Fujifilm X-T5 works well. I use Lightroom and Photoshop as my artist’s easel when I am creating out-of-camera pictures.
How do you keep pushing your creativity when you feel stuck or uninspired?
I am rarely stuck or uninspired as I am more constrained by time than anything else! I do have a mental list of all the projects that I want to begin or keep going, so I have a choice to turn to when I get the opportunity. Also, I don't push it - if I am really tired or have already had enough screen time and it's raining, I will do something non-photography related. I find trying to make myself do something when I don't want to is an immediate block for creativity.
Is there a technique that you haven't tried yet that you want to?
Yes, many! But the one I want to try next is multiple exposure of different forms of ICM. At the moment, I tend to use very short movements on a reasonable shutter speed. I have now purchased some magnetic ND filters, which should make it easier for me to play with longer shutter speeds and therefore movements within the technique
What advice would you give to someone who wants to try creative photography but isn’t sure where to start?
Have a look at the Sheclicks Facebook Group and Instagram to identify what sort of creative images you like producing and then find an article, webinar, course or workshop to help you get started with techniques to produce those images and experiment from there.
Janina’s Favourite Creative Photography Images
Name: Liz Hammond
Favourite camera for creative photography: Canon EOS R7
Favourite type of creative photography: ICM, Multiple Exposures, Vortographs, Torchlit
Instagram: @LizHammondPhotographer
I love to experiment with different techniques including cameraless techniques such as lumen, cyanotypes and anthotypes.
Some techniques I will just try once, others I return to periodically, and some become my everyday photography techniques.
Vintage lenses were a bit of a lockdown vice, but Lensbaby lenses and optics often beat them for room in my kit bag, the Sweet 22 and Double Glass II being my current favourites.
Read our Lensbaby Sweet 22 Review
I like to shoot film but have got a little out of the habit recently.
If you could only pick one creative technique to use, what would it be and why?
Don't make me choose!
For camera-less lumen-based prints, including cyano-lumen. I love that you never know exactly how the paper will react with the subject matter; that they can blur the edges between photography and art; that the prints themselves are both physical and fugitive; they feel like little treasures when you pull them out of the light-sealed container. Luckily, you can photograph them to share and even play with them in editing software if you like. I have played a bit with salt fixing the prints, but that is still a bit of an experiment.
I like techniques that have a large element of serendipity, so for example, camera-based ICM, because for me it captures best how the world feels.
What is your approach to your favourite creative technique?
I find I can be a bit more spur-of-the-moment with the straight lumen prints. Something will catch my eye, and I will wonder how it would look. It could be fallen insects or leaves, or a fresh flower. The photographic paper is very sensitive to light and so you need to plan your composition first, which can take a little time, but the print itself can take less than a minute or much longer depending on the effect you are after. The cyanolumens take a bit more equipment to make and dedicated time, not to mention needing the sunlight, so more planning and then waiting for the right conditions.
Which camera (if any) do you use most for creative photography?
Photographic papers: colour and B&W give very different effects. I use a kit mix for the cyanotype chemicals. Then I use my Canon EOS R7 for photographing the Lumen prints, and also for ICM.
How did you first get into creative photography?
My mum was a very creative person and not only encouraged us to try different arts and crafts, but really experiment with whatever process we were exploring.
When I got into photography (way back in the film days) and read magazine articles suggesting techniques like cross-processing or home-made filters, it just seemed natural to give it a go... the limiting factor for me was risking the cost of a roll of film and the processing costs.
What inspires your creative work?
Emotions are definitely a strong factor in the creative response I have to what I encounter in the world around me. Some things live with me a long time before I find the right way to express it.
Do you plan your creative images or go with the flow?
It normally starts with something that sparks my interest, but I'm open to whatever happens as I try things and may end up going somewhere completely different from what I intended, and that is fine. I think the most interesting stuff happens when you just go with the flow.
What do you enjoy most about creative photography?
That it takes me somewhere outside of time and I don't always know how I got to the result.
Do you have any go-to gear or settings you reach for when you’re feeling creative?
I mainly use Ilford papers and the Jacquard cyanotype set for the cyanolumens.
How do you keep pushing your creativity when you feel stuck or uninspired?
First, I will try telling myself that I am not allowed to take/make any photos for a week. Normally, on the first outing without my camera, there is something that captures my attention and not having my proper camera to hand gets me back on track.
Secondly, there are couple of links that list and have examples of creative photo techniques, and I browse through those until something catches my fancy. Often I don't even do that particular technique; it just gets me excited about all the possibilities there are to explore.
Is there a technique that you haven't tried yet that you want to?
Loads!
Sewing/cutting and 3D construction using physical prints is something that has appealed for a very long time. It has echoes of my mum's embroidery. Seeing the work of Sujata Setia, who won the SheClicks Spotlight Award 2025, and how powerfully she has used that language definitely makes me determined to explore the possibilities of this.
Read about the SheCicks 2025 Awards
What advice would you give to someone who wants to try creative photography but isn’t sure where to start?
If you know a technique that you want to try, I think a short workshop can be great. This is how I first explored cyanotypes and it gave me the confidence that it was something I enjoyed and could attempt at home. By doing a workshop, you can try without having to pay for equipment and materials up front for something that is an unknown quantity.
Over time, the internet has made the basic 'how to' information readily available, and if it seems safe, easy enough and not too pricey with start-up kit, you can just jump in and give things a go. This is what got me into Lumen prints and anthotypes.
If you really have no idea of what technique you'd like to try, use your favourite search engine to look at image examples and see what appeals to you. Mainly, don't be afraid to fail, enjoy the process and keep trying different things till you find the ones you love.
Liz’s Favourite Creative Photography Images
Name: Abi Coop
Favourite camera for creative photography: Canon EOS 5D Mark IV
Favourite type of creative photography: Creative lenses and accessories (Lensbaby Omni, lensballs), freelensing and multiple exposures
Website: wildandlovedphotography.mypixieset.com
Instagram: @abicoop28
If you could only pick one creative technique to use, what would it be and why?
Creative lenses - I love how they allow me to create images that reflect how the world feels to me. They not only transform my photography, but also deepen my connection to art and enable to me express my creative vision in a unique and extraordinary way.
What is your approach to your favourite creative technique?
I begin by considering my subject, the mood I want to convey, and the story I want the image to tell. With this in mind, I choose the most fitting Lensbaby lens from my collection to bring that vision to life. In addition to the various focal lengths, each lens offers a different character; dreamy blur, velvety tones, dynamic distortion or creative bokeh. This intentional pairing of lens and subject allows me to create compelling images that capture the moment and evoke emotion.
How did you first get into creative photography?
I was first introduced to Lensbaby by my dear friend and talented photographer, Regina Boston. Her obvious passion for the brand, as well as the stunning images she created using them, inspired me to try them out for myself. My first Lensbaby, the Velvet 56, remains a firm favourite to this day.
What inspires your creative work?
I'm inspired by colour, pretty light, interesting shapes and textures, stunning sights and cute animals - yes, bees are cute!
Do you plan your creative images or go with the flow?
99% of the time I go with the flow, although I do often have themes in mind for my various projects as I shoot.
What do you enjoy most about creative photography?
What I enjoy most about creative photography is the freedom to express my unique perspective. I love that I can create something that is a little bit different to everyone else's work. I get to capture how I see our beautiful world and the moments I witness, in my own authentic voice.
Do you have any go-to gear or settings you reach for when you’re feeling creative?
My Lensbaby Velvet 56 and my Edge 35 are always the two lenses I will reach for first if I'm heading out to create and I’m not sure what I'll be inspired by.
How do you keep pushing your creativity when you feel stuck or uninspired?
My strategy when I feel uninspired is to get outside in nature and to start shooting anything. I look around, see what I am drawn to and just begin. Often, these images will get deleted later, but it helps to get my creative juices flowing.
Is there a technique that you haven't tried yet that you want to?
I'd love to try steel wool photography
What advice would you give to someone who wants to try creative photography but isn’t sure where to start?
Have a chat with someone who does the creative technique(s) you want to try, and then just give it a go! Don't expect to produce anything worthy straight away, but remember that with digital photography it doesn't matter. You can delete all the practice shots, but every one of them is part of the learning curve. You'll find what works and what doesn't. Enjoy the process, persevere and eventually you'll make magic.
Abi’s Favourite Creative Photography Images
Name: Lynne Blount
Favourite camera for creative photography: Canon EOS R5
Favourite type of creative photography: Multiple exposures, ICM, creative lenses/crystals, colour, colour colour, digital collage
Website: lynneblount.com
If you could only pick one creative technique to use, what would it be and why?
Multiple exposures as this method provides the most opportunities for creating something very different to everyone else. The images I create cannot be copied by others and I can never reproduce them. It is my go to method.
What is your approach to your favourite creative technique?
I always prepare before I make ME images. As they can produce more random results than representational photography, I think carefully about the kind of image I want to make. For me, it's about creating the 'essence' of a scene rather than the reality. I like to re-imagine the world. I preload either images I have made before or images I have made using multi-media approaches on to my camera to use as base images for in-camera multiple exposures. I carefully choose the colours, shapes and textures to enhance the subject and maintain a reality in 'the essence'.
Which camera (if any) do you use most for creative photography?
I use a Canon EOS R5 as it allows me to preview the finished image before I push the shutter button. This in turn, enables me to 'make the image' using compositional techniques.
How did you first get into creative photography?
I have been interested in multiple exposures from my twenties, having asked my wedding photographer to try the effect over 50 years ago! After I retired, I joined a local camera club. I was very disappointed after a visit to photograph puffins that my images were the same as everyone else's. Serendipity also played a part on a trip to London when I unwittingly altered the white balance and made a very different-looking image that inspired me. At this time, I also came across the work of Valda Bailey and Doug Chinnery and their creativity and support enabled me to pursue a very different path.
What inspires your creative work?
My main inspirations come from nature and my love of particular places, Italy being my happy place. Creative inspiration for me is everywhere I look. It is a way of life as I am always looking and considering the next idea. I rarely leave 'the zone' when I am out and about with friends and family - my searching for images and regularly using my IPhone in shops and cafes, so that I can then use them to infill my digital collages, can be extremely irritating to those around me. There is always an image to be had or made!
Do you plan your creative images or go with the flow?
I mainly plan because too much randomness often fails to provide me with a good composition. The multiple exposure process is very difficult to do well and regularly because it depends entirely on the order in which settings are chosen, the quality of light at the time, the colour of the object being photographed and the white balance and blend mode chosen. I usually have an idea of the kind of image I want although I am always open to being outside the box and even forgetting there is a box!
What do you enjoy most about creative photography?
I enjoy the complexity of the method as it works both my brain and my creative muscles. I love the fact that my images cannot be copied and that I can stand next to my photography partner, shooting the same subject and yet achieve completely different results. To me, it's pure magic!
Do you have any go-to gear or settings you reach for when you’re feeling creative?
My go-to gear evolves and depends so much on the subject area. I always use my Canon R5 for multiple exposures or my IPhone for collage infill images. My current lenses are the RF Canon 100-400, Canon 24-105 and Canon 70-300 Mk II. I like to play with my Lensbaby Velvet 85mm and love the vintage Minolta 35-70 for ICM. There can never be any' go to' settings for multiple exposures, it is all experimentation.
I process my raw images in Lightroom before blending layers in Photoshop. I rarely use filters and try to keep processing to a minimum, although the viewer often surmises that I use far more processing techniques than I do.
How do you keep pushing your creativity when you feel stuck or uninspired?
I am lucky in that I nearly always have images I want to create in my head. I often cannot achieve them in the way I want though, so I take natural breaks and I refuse to get worried if I have no ideas, as I know from past experience that an idea will emerge at some point. I also constantly look at all forms of art and I have belonged to many creative groups. Tate Modern never fails to inspire me so, if I am in a dodgy phase, I get on the train to London!!
Is there a technique that you haven't tried yet that you want to?
I have explored most genres in photography, street, portraiture, seascape, wildlife, macro etc. I am now very interested in methods that involve multimedia combined with photography, and this is the path I am currently open to exploring more fully.
What advice would you give to someone who wants to try creative photography but isn’t sure where to start?
Start simply indoors with what is available. Vases purchased from charity shops can provide many opportunities for creative work. Don't put flowers inside the vase, think creatively outside that vase. What textures can you add? What shapes may complement the overall composition? Play like a 5-year-old and experiment like a scientist! Stop making representational images for a period of time and immerse yourself in creative approaches only. Don't give up!
Look at the work of Doug Chinnery and Valda Bailey and other artists. Join a creative group. Learn from others and watch creative photographers as they describe their methods on different platforms. Immerse yourself in all art!
Multiple exposure techniques, like all photography, take the usual 10,000 hours of practice and the same measure of patience and tenacity. To do it well requires not only inspiration but also the understanding that failure is part of the learning. It is never a case of seeing something, using the 'appropriate' settings and pushing the shutter and moving on. To create a workable multiple exposure requires at least a 20 to 30-minute stand or sit and much experimentation with the settings and compositional elements. Expect to fail 10-1 at the very least. Plan your images e.g. If travelling abroad, what colours, textures, shapes provide the essence of the place. Half close your eyes and imagine!
Lynne’s Favourite Creative Photography Images
Names: Glenys Garnett
Favourite camera for creative photography: Fujifilm XT5 and Ricoh GRIIIx
Favourite type of creative photography: Multiple exposures, ICM and abstract photography
Website: ggcreativeimages.co.uk
I enjoy doing multiple exposure, ICM and a combo of both as I especially love abstract photography. I also like black and white photography because it removes distractions and I can concentrate on form and composition. Shallow depth of field images are also a favourite because I love creative bokeh. But I'll try anything if it gets me to where I want to be creatively. I'm a very experimental photographer, so I tend to try out different lenses, filters, film simulations etc until I get the look I want in-camera.
If you could only pick one creative technique to use, what would it be and why?
This is a hard one for me because my work is driven from a visionary starting point and I choose the technique that will best realise that vision. This answer may be different in 6 months or a year, one of my favourite genres is urban architectural abstracts using multiple exposure, though I'm doing a lot of black and white high contrast photography at the moment with lots of grain, soft focus and creative depth of field with some ICM or multiple exposure if it tells the story.
What is your approach to your favourite creative technique?
I do as much as I possibly can in-camera, so I am always set up with a specific Film Simulation Mode and I switch between these as required. With multiple exposure, my mindset is always, how can I present this subject in a different way? My mantra is 'don't photograph the subject for what it is: photograph it for what you want it to be'.
The two in-camera blend modes I tend to use are the Average and Bright, with Bright being my favoured mode for more abstract urban images and the Average mode for foliage, flowers and woodland
How did you first get into creative photography?
In around 2017, I found myself getting bored doing straight landscape photography and realised I was making images I thought other people wanted to see rather than exploring my own vision. I acknowledged that I needed to reinvent my approach, so I took some time away to rediscover my creativity. I started by exploring multiple exposure and ICM, and this led me down a different path with my photography.
What inspires your creative work?
I'm very much inspired by art, especially when it comes to abstract photography, so early and middle 20thC artists like Malevich, Mondrian, Kandinsky, but my biggest inspiration is drawn from the abstract impression painters, like Rothko, Still, Motherwell and Klein etc.
I love the work of photographers like Haas, Siskind and Leiter, and I'm a big fan of Daido Moriyama and his "are, bure, boke" style, characterised by grain, blur, and creative depth of field. I'm constantly reading and exploring other photographers and artists’ work
Do you plan your creative images or go with the flow?
It really depends on the subject matter. If I have a particular project in mind, then that sometimes requires an element of planning. However, I like the freedom and unpredictability of just going out with the camera and seeing what happens. For me, curiosity and experimentation is the key to creativity.
What do you enjoy most about creative photography?
The freedom to express myself the way I choose, it frees me from the traditional confines of photography and allows me to not worry too much about rules. I often use text in my images, a reflection of my background in graphic design. I want to make images that are unique and meaningful; they don't need to be technically perfect, in fact, I'd rather they weren't. It's important in my photography to notice meaningful things like gestures, feelings, expressions, connections, and especially the small, mundane things that I want to remember.
Do you have any go-to gear or settings you reach for when you’re feeling creative?
My favourite lens is whatever is on the camera at any given moment -the Fujifilm 35mm f1.4 at the moment, but I adapt and work with what I've got. I always carry black mist and ND filters with me and all my camera buttons are set up for specific use, like multiple exposure, film simulations etc. I carry the Ricoh GRIIIX pocket camera with me all the time, it's great for regular and multiple exposure images. I edit in Lightroom, although I often transfer my images from camera to tablet and do a quick tweak in Snapseed if needed to get them on social media quite quickly. I've recently bought the Lensbaby Omni kits, so I'm having fun experimenting with that.
How do you keep pushing your creativity when you feel stuck or uninspired?
I used to worry about losing my mojo, but I realised it's a part of being creative; you can't be in constant creativity mode all the time, it can be exhausting. I just let it come back naturally, which it always does, usually sparked by something I've seen or read. I usually go off and try something different like make a paper collage, read some poetry, watch a film. The worse thing you can do is to try and force it. Getting together with other creative people can usually spark something in me, and it's encouraging to know they all feel the same and also go through it.
Is there a technique that you haven't tried yet that you want to?
Not really. It's important to realise it's not any specific technique that makes you creative, it's how you apply it to tell your own story and realise your own vision.
What advice would you give to someone who wants to try creative photography but isn’t sure where to start?
To consider yourself an artist you have to think like an artist. Photography is a form of personal expression that allows you to showcase your unique perspective. You have to have vision. Embrace experimentation and practice consistently, you will fail a lot, but don't let that stop you. Learn the basics of your camera’s settings and find out everything you can do with it, and play. You need to get to the point where you are using the camera instinctively and then your creativity can start to kick in.
Learn many techniques, but think of techniques as something you have in your photography toolbox that you can pull out and use for a specific reason or subject matter; don't use them just because you can. More than anything - have fun!
