Vision Part 3: Is your inspiration killing your creativity?

You’re ready for a shoot; your camera’s ready, batteries charged and lenses polished. As you head out you wonder just what you are going to photograph today. The light is great, there is action in the air and you just know that some beautiful, photogenic scene will present itself for you to capture in all its glory.

Or will you? You are inspired, you have everything at the ready and life couldn’t get any better as a wildlife photographer.
But is your inspiration killing your creativity?


I’ve been the main culprit of being too inspired that I don’t see the wood for the trees. It actually gave me such a false impression that I believed it was true. Over the last few years I have traveled across southern Africa to many great and varied destinations. Here I photographed unique and endemic species, great sightings and of course animals in beautiful light.

Diversity prompted me think I was being creative. I got the shots, but I was sucked into the trap that creativity was found in diversity.
This was my inspiration, and it was flawed.

Creative thought is nurtured. It’s the main essence of developing a vision where you draw your own path. That is when your photography goes to a new level.

And when that happens, you wont need much inspiration...