Looking at other artists' work can benefit your photography in many ways. From expanding your perspectives by studying different techniques and styles to simply motivating and encouraging you, there's a lot to gain.
Coming to you from Adrian Vila of aows, this insightful video explores how to find and collect inspiration from various sources. Vila highlights photo books as one of the best ways to learn from the masters and get inspired. While there’s plenty of inspiring work online that you might not find anywhere else, it's not just limited to photographers. Interviews, quotes, and other forms of art can also spark your creativity. Vila believes we are in a golden age of photography, with incredible work being put out every day. Despite the noise on social media, if you curate your feed carefully, the algorithm can reward you with interesting finds.
One key point Vila emphasizes is the importance of proper websites over social media profiles. Social media is great for discovery, but a photographer’s website allows them to showcase their work the way they want. Unfortunately, many photographers don't have updated websites. Nonetheless, finding a well-maintained website can be a goldmine of inspiration, especially if it includes a blog. Vila subscribes to most photography blogs he finds using an RSS reader, highlighting how blogs, YouTube, and podcasts are great sources of inspiration.
Vila shares his method for collecting and storing inspiration. He uses the Apple Notes app, which syncs across devices, making it easy to access anywhere. He creates a note for every inspiring photographer he discovers, including links and other information. He also keeps random notes for miscellaneous inspirations. This system ensures that whenever Vila needs a boost, he can quickly access his curated inspiration.
To collect this inspiration, Vila checks if the photographer has a book worth buying or borrowing. Even if he has the book, he likes to have the work on his phone and tablet for easy access. This way, he can study the images, make notes, and refer to them whenever needed. He emphasizes that he only does this for work that truly inspires him, avoiding the creation of an overwhelming encyclopedia of content.
Vila uses this collected inspiration not just to admire but to analyze. He studies composition, subject matter, angles, and light to see what he can apply to his own work. He asks himself if the techniques or locations could be useful for his photography. Most importantly, this collection serves as a source of inspiration during tough times, like long road trips when he's feeling uninspired. Being able to open his notes and see incredible work can reignite his creative spark. Check out the video above for the full rundown from Vila.
One thing I like to do is go to the credits of my favorite films and google the names of people that have anything to do with the visual production of that film. Sometimes you'll find that these people are pretty dern tootin good picture snappers.