Coffee And Cameras: Finding Inspiration

{Previous posts:  Editing, Selfies, Composition}

Finding Inspiration on Instagram is so easy and one of my favorite things to do!  In this edition of Coffee & Cameras I want to share with you how I stay inspired. I am always working to create images I am proud of that people want to double tap!  Here are some of the ways I do it.

1.  Hashtags.  This might need to be a post in itself.  I think hashtags help a lot in the Instagram community.  I LOVE organization and the hashtags do just that.  They organize everything you like into neat tidy lists.

Pick a word or phrase and hit the microscope at the bottom of your screen.  Type in your designated hashtag and search away.  I can lose myself for hours in searches.  It is such a simple way to find new accounts to follow and see different ways of thinking, when it comes to creating a photograph.

A great weekly one #WPH....{weekend hashtag project} is run by Instagram and I always find the photos they end up choosing for their blog inspiring.  The exercise always pushes me to want to be as good as the ones they pick.

You all have seen this image up on Insta all over the place.  I think it appeals to me so strongly is because it is the definition of me.  I'm a bit of a homebody, I love my coffee and I love being cozy!  It took many times to get it just the way I liked it and even then I was nervous to post it.  BUT being nervous is a good thing...so I did it and I'm happy I did.

2.  @Instagram Suggestions.  I don't follow every suggestion from Instagram, but they know their community and always feature someone worth looking into.  A person working the app differently and creatively.

A few of their features have become my favorite accounts:  @the_line_up, stopping strangers on the street for a quick portrait session is completely outside of my comfort zone, which means it could be a good thing!  Would you do it?

@polina_che, I fell in love with her photography of floras, but come to admire her sense of style and consistency.  If you look at my Insta, it is not very consistent looking.  As a brand, you wouldn't know straight away looking at a photo that it was mine.  That is something I would love to develop more in the coming year.

@nikolaikrusser, I've always been a fan of ballet and seeing it captured on "film" mesmerizes me.  Finding entire accounts dedicated to the art is a must follow for me and inspires me outside in my own dance life, which in turn inspires the photos I take in my normal life.

3.  What are the people you are following liking?  Have you ever gone to your comments page and clicked on the "following" tab at the top.  If you do you will see a list of what people you have chosen to follow and what they are liking.

The images are quite small, but I like that.  It makes me pick and choose which images I want to view closer.  The small images pull me in and make me want to see more.  That is exactly what I want for my own photography.  I want it to jump out at the viewer and make them want to like it.  Don't you?

I love the high saturation on this image.  I love the large amount of blank space and I love that it captures exactly how that day was.  Living in LA can be a bit overwhelming, but when you step back from a situation and look at what makes the something unique you can discover what you didn't know you could ever feel.

4.  Photo A Day Challenges.  I've been a participate in the Fat Mum Slim Photo A Day Challenge since 2012.  Before that even I was pushing myself to create one good image a day, but I didn't ever think it could be more than that.  Since then this particular photo a day challenge has been apart of my daily life.

I find myself pushing myself everyday to create something worthwhile, interesting and different.  Sure some days I get lazy, I don't like what I've come up with or I just don't like the prompt.  But it always keeps my brain thinking and observing my surroundings.

I am going to admit that sometimes I just am in love with an image I create.  Is that weird?  I guess not since that is what I strive others to feel when they seem my images.  This one was one of the very first of FMS photo a day challenges of 2015 and I just love it so much.  It feels like me, but not actually showing me.

Pink, Union Jack and my Lamplighter "tattoo."  Nerdy & Girlie.  That is what photography should be, you in an image without having to actually see you.

Did you find this post helpful?  Is there a certain topic you would like me to tackle in the future?!  Let me know in the comments below and don't forget to share if this post helped you!  

NEXT TIME on Coffee and Cameras:  Finding The Light

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