I am currently unemployed and have a lot more time on my hands. This is not great for the budget but a real opportunity to take more photos. The problem is because I am taking photos of anything and everything I am not taking shots of anything in particular. My photos are showing my disinterest and lack of purpose so I hoped you could make suggestions on what I could photograph, perhaps suggest projects for me to take on?

I have 35mm and digital SLRs but limited lenses. I enjoy looking for and picking out detail but don't have a macro lens. Black and white is as appealing as colour.

I live in Sheffield but don't drive so would ideally go to locations within walking distance or easily accessed by public transport.

I am fed up job-hunting and want something good to come out of my time off and more purposeful photography would definitely be a bonus.

Thank you in anticipation of your responses - I have always found people on here to be very friendly and extremely helpful.

What sort of thing do you enjoy doing ? It's good to pick subjects you like, as well as ones that sell well.

Had a look at your website - is Stock photography your thing ? If so there are a multitude of Stock libraries out there - you could sell a range or specialise in one type of image (some stockers just do people photos, others do food photography for example). Also you may need to decide if you can be arsed selling the same image through multiple libraries or go exclusive with one (like I did with istockphoto.com).

Let us know what you're into :)

Thanks for the response Grissom. At the moment there is nothing on my website because it all seemed a bit hit and miss and unfocused and a bit bleurgh (for want of a better word).

I enjoy botany pictures but only snap what I like, so will look into researching that more. I enjoy wildlife photography but don't have the kit for my (over)ambitious shoots.

Definitely think you are right in saying find one area and stick with it. That's what I am trying to do in essence. I have the website more for personal pleasure than commercial gain but if a few sales gets me some more kit then I am well chuffed.

Not sure that my photos are of a good enough standard to sell through somewhere like istockphoto. That was part of the reason to find one subject or area, to practise and practise and hone my skills and generally improve as a photographer and take more commercial shots.

I am open to all suggestions of what to shoot as think that it might be something unexpected that gets me excited. If it has commercial value, fantastic, but at the moment it is about finding a subject that will get me focused and passionate again and really enjoying my photography.

A lot of people go to istock these days just because the standards there are higher than on other outlets - the learning curve is steeper but that can help you learn faster :)

They have a forum thread pimping tree pics at the moment on istock that is quite inspirational :

http://www.istockphoto.com/forum_messages.php?threadid=72672&page=1

as is this guys portfolio :

http://www.istockphoto.com/whiteway

and others that have posted on that thread

Some people of course have made it by selling images on their site just like you are - I like Scott Bourne's work for example

http://www.avianstock.com/

Mind you, I think his wedding snaps at $15-25,000 a wedding probably help support his bird photography (although he may not be doing that so much now he's doing http://www.twipphoto.com ) :)

I'm a member of istock but having trouble passing the questionnaire :blush:

anyone have any tips :thumbsup:

Have you read the training manual ?

http://www.istockphoto.com/tutorial_1.0_account.php

:)

cripes it's hard :o

Getting back to the OP... Kelly, you could try running through the photography competition subjects...

Water (April)
Publlic Houses (May)
Three (June)
Decay (July)
Happiness (August)
Wheels (September)
Architecture (October)
Flora & Fauna (November)
Night in the City (December)

While they may not all be exactly to your taste, photographing something different will get you thinking about the subject and maybe trying techniques and locations you've not used before. You'll find examples of others' work on many of these subjects knockling around the forum already if you need further inspiration. And if nothing else you might come up with a competition winner along the way! Just a thought.

Thanks Impinabox - that sounds like a cunning plan. And thanks again to Grissom for all his advice.

one really good way to kick start your photography going in a direction is to set yourself 'trigger' words - i.e. you think of a concept i did one set called points of view... it was so much... and within that concept you build up photographs of various ways to meet the 'critria' of that concept.... its a good way to use your artistic brain aside from pointing a camera :D

As you are not working at the moment, why not go to college to study photography.
I went to Norton and the course there is great. The lecturers know everything and are very helpful.
Do a full time course and not part time as the latter is not free.

If you're wanting assignments have a look on the Digital Photo School forum. They set a new one pretty much every week, and there's also a list of previous assignments if you want to "catch up". They've definitely given me some focus, rather than just taking pictures of whatever.

Do you have an address for the Digital Photo School forum please? And thanks for the suggestion.

http://digital-photography-school.com/forum/showthread.php?t=2182

That's a link to the complete list of past assignments :)