Photography Ideas for 2024
If you’re looking for photography ideas and inspiration for 2024 and beyond, the list below is meant for you. Many photographers find themselves in a bit of a creative rut from time to time, or they just want to try out something new rather than taking the same types of photos. The ideas collected below will be useful either way, helping you enjoy photography to the fullest and practice interesting new techniques along the way.
Try Out a Different Genre
One of the easiest things you can do if you’re looking for some excitement is to try an entirely new genre of photography. If you’re a landscape photographer, try shooting portraits. If you’re a wedding photographer, find some architectural scenes to capture. Or dip your toes into one of the more difficult genres of photography to master – astrophotography, microscope photography, underwater photography, and so on. We have a whole list of important photography genres that might give you some ideas. Or just try to branch out within the genre you already prefer. If you’re a wildlife photographer, look for animals that you don’t usually photograph. If you’re a portrait photographer, try taking portraits of strangers rather than clients or people you already know. Get out of your usual routine, and you’ll improve your skills almost every time.
One of my cats looking at a Wasp like its food not understanding that that kind of food has a sting in its tail.
Start a daily photo project
When many people start photography ideas, one of the first things they’ll think of is a weekly or daily photo project. It’s quite common to hear about projects like this online, and for good reason – they keep photography on your mind throughout the year. Even if you don’t do a strict photography project, it is still a good idea to take photos regularly throughout the year, without major gaps. You don’t want to lose any creativity or muscle memory for your camera.
Use a New Post-Processing Style
Experimentation isn’t the only part of photography in the field. It applies just as well to post-processing work – even more, perhaps, given the extraordinary number of post-processing tutorials available to try out wildly different types of photography. Try out double-exposure post-processing techniques. Turn your images into more of a conceptual piece, where you are blending multiple photos into one. Add text to an image so it looks like a poster or magazine spread. You don’t need to be a Photoshop master to make something interesting and creative – though you will improve your editing skills along the way.
Do Some Macro Photography
Macro photography is much more accessible than people tend to think. You don’t need an expensive macro lens – just the equipment you already have, plus an extension tube. Even a 50mm prime lens and a single extension tube are going to get you great close-up images, although it takes some time to learn the right techniques for macro photography. If you want more capabilities than an extension tube, you can find some inexpensive macro lenses that are older, third-party, or manual focus only. Either way, you won’t regret getting macro capabilities in the end. It is one of the best ways to take amazing photos in almost any location and time of day.
Experiment with “Wrong” Settings
No one should shoot handheld images with a 5-second shutter speed, or macro photos at f/2.8 with nonexistent depth of field. Except when you should. In reality, there are a lot of “wrong” camera settings that just don’t work for typical images. That’s fine if your goal is to get a perfectly sharp photo that presents your subject in the standard way. Sometimes, though, experimenting with unusual camera settings will give you a better result than any other method. So, next time that you’re looking for some new photography ideas, try shooting the same old subjects with very different settings (including different lenses and post-processing styles). Do a whole street photography session with a telephoto lens and long shutter speeds, or a landscape photoshoot with the widest aperture on your lens. Whether or not the photos work out, they certainly won’t be ordinary.
The cat looks at me like he saying it is my chair. Notice his paws are tucked under him meaning he is happy and comfortable.
Recreate a Photo You Like
Sometimes, you’ll see great images online or elsewhere that make you wonder what techniques the photographer used. The best way to figure out is to try recreating the photo for yourself. This is similar to how many artists will attempt to recreate famous paintings from scratch, learning new techniques along the way. That’s the goal here, too – adding new techniques to your toolkit for later, not trying to steal someone else’s work. It’s disingenuous, and perhaps copyright infringement, to publish your version of another photographer’s image while passing it off entirely as your own.
Recreate a Photo You Like
Sometimes, you’ll see great images online or elsewhere that make you wonder what techniques the photographer used. The best way to figure out is to try recreating the photo for yourself. This is similar to how many artists will attempt to recreate famous paintings from scratch, learning new techniques along the way. That’s the goal here, too – adding new techniques to your toolkit for later, not trying to steal someone else’s work. It’s disingenuous, and perhaps copyright infringement, to publish your version of another photographer’s image while passing it off entirely as your own.
Photograph Friends and Family
Even photographers who don’t usually shoot portraits are almost always better than non-photographers at photographing people. But I find that many photographers, regardless of their usual genre, just don’t take enough pictures of their friends and family. This isn’t just for your own sake, although that’s an important part. It’s also something that many people find useful to have, for many reasons – their website, social media, spouse’s desk, and so on. And, of course, it provides a chance to practice different lighting and shooting styles with someone who will forgive you if the photos turn out badly.