The Story Behind the Photo That Won $200,000 at HIPA 2024 https://petapixel.com/2024/11/13/the-story-behind-the-photo-that-won-200000-at-hipa-2024/ #howitwasshot #photocontest #winningphoto #Inspiration #competition #interview #lipingcao #hipa2024 #winner #News #hipa

How I Shot Viral Photos of the Aurora Over Dutch Windmills https://petapixel.com/2024/05/13/how-i-shot-viral-photos-of-the-aurora-over-dutch-windmills/ #northernlights #Walkthroughs #howitwasshot #netherlands #albertdros #windmills #nightsky #aurora #viral

How I Took a Photo of the Andromeda Galaxy from My Backyard

#spotlight #tips #walkthroughs #advice #andromeda #astrophotography #brennangilmore #galaxy #howitwasshot #howto #tutorial

Behind the Viral Photos of Will Smith Slapping Chris Rock at the Oscars

#culture #editorial #news #assault #briansnyder #chrisrock #howitwasshot #oscar #slap #storybehindthephoto #viral #willsmith

Photographer Captures Epic Photos of a Skier Under the Northern Lights

#spotlight #travel #walkthroughs #adventure #aurora #auroraborealis #epic #howitwasshot #journey #landscape #nature #northernlights #norway #vorgoregopmo

Photographer Captures Gorgeous Bird Photos in Her Own Backyard

#spotlight #tips #backyard #bird #birdphotography #birds #bluejay #howitwasshot #jessicakirste #wildlife #woodpecker

The Photo Behind the Iconic Columbia Pictures ‘Torch Lady’ Logo

#culture #interviews #spotlight #behindthescenes #columbiapictures #contactsheet #howitwasshot #jennyjoseph #kathyanderson #michaeljdeas #movielogo #photoshoot #torchlady

Photographer Gets Up Close with a Crocodile in Mexico

#spotlight #artwolfe #crocodile #howigottheshot #howitwasshot #mexico #nauticam #philmistry #underwaterphotography #wildlife #yucatan

How it Was Shot: Ancient Pines By Loch Tulla, Scotland

#spotlight #elementsmagazine #film #fineart #fineartlandscapephotography #howitwasshot #julianvalverley #landscape #landscapephotography #largeformat

How a Photographer Landed a Beatles Photo on His First Assignment

#spotlight #blackstar #dennisbrack #harrybenson #howigottheshot #howitwasshot #nikonsp #thebeatles

How I Captured a 40-Mile-Wide View of an Arizona Landscape

#spotlight #walkthroughs #arizona #davepoyzer #highresolution #howitwasshot #landscape #panorama #sedona #story

How BBC Earth Brought Plants to Life for ‘The Green Planet’ Documentary

#culture #news #technology #bbc #bbcearth #biolapse #davidattenborough #documentary #how #howitwasshot #plants #thegreenplanet #timelapse

Photographer Spots His Doppelganger in a John Lennon Poster

When I first saw the photograph, I was a bit confused. One was Beatle John Lennon because his name was written in bold, but who was the other similar-looking person?

Well, it’s New York photographer Eric Kogan who is often traveling by foot in Manhattan. He loves street photography as it engages him with his surroundings, and he can see something new even in mundane or familiar places.

On the afternoon of October 25, 2020, Kogan was running errands. John Lennon was not on his mind at all when he dressed up to leave his house. New York was on a COVID-19 lockdown and how he looked or dressed was not of any concern.

At Houston Street near West Broadway in Manhattan, an intersection he passed very frequently, Kogan suddenly stopped in his tracks and did a double-take. Oh, yes, it was John Lennon, but…why does Lennon suddenly look so familiar? Of course, he spotted a resemblance for the first time!

“Seeing his portrait made me take a step back and have a good look at myself,” remembers Kogan of that day over a year ago. “I was alone at the time–which was good because I don’t think I would’ve embraced the moment as much as I did if I were in company–and it made me remove my mask to study my face.

“It felt like years had passed since I saw myself from the side and looked at my profile, and what began as a quick and funny coincidence grew into a tedious image to get right. I took it from many angles before arriving at the one you see here.”

It was taken with his phone with his arm extended to keep this versatile camera out of the frame.

“Most of my street photography happens with a camera and a 35mm lens, but the focal length proved to be too narrow this time, so composing on another device felt like a new and engaging experience,” explains Kogan. “It was tricky because he was so large, printed at least 25X larger than life-size. Standing near it would dwarf me, so I fought to find the perfect distance where, thanks to the illusion of foreshortening, we appeared to be equal in scale.”

And so, a very uniquely interesting self-portrait or a double portrait was born!

Eric Kogan was born in St. Petersburg, Russia, in 1985 and lives in New York City. Kogan’s first experience with photography came in his early teens with a position at a photography lab. His first duty was processing film. He recalls his first time working in absolute darkness as a light turning on in his head as the one in the room went off. Getting creative with the medium didn’t start until college. In 2004, a fine art photography course brought him back into a darkroom.

About the author : Phil Mistry is a photographer and teacher based in Atlanta, GA. He started one of the first digital camera classes in New York City at The International Center of Photography in the 90s. He was the director and teacher for Sony/Popular Photography magazine’s Digital Days Workshops. You can reach him here.

Image credit: Photograph by Eric Kogan

#news #spotlight #coincidence #doppelganger #erickogan #howitwasshot #philmistry #selfie #selfportrait #storybehindthephoto #streetphotography

Photographer’s Solar Photo Reveals the Twisted ‘Surface’ of the Sun

Astrophotographer Jason Guenzel has captured one of his most detailed solar images in his years of photographing "the curiosities of the universe." It's a stunning photo that reveals the twisted "surface" of our Sun.

"I’ve had a lifelong interest in humanity’s exploration into the universe around us and, along those lines, my professional background is in aerospace engineering," Guenzel tells PetaPixel. "In recent years, the technology to enable astrophotography has become much more accessible to the amateur. About 10 years ago, I began very modestly and slowly refined my gear and techniques to improve the results."

Guenzel's new photo of the Sun came about after he became interested in our solar system's star and put together a dedicated telescopic rig for Sun photos. The rig consists of a $980 Explore Scientific AR152 telescope, a $130 Astronomik L1 UV/IR cut filter, a $1,200 Daystar Quark Chromosphere eyepiece, an $899 ASI174MM-Cool camera, and a $1,675 Sky-Watcher EQ6-R Pro equatorial mount. The total cost comes in at about $4,900.

"The scope has an internal filter which enables the visualization of the hydrogen plasma in the outer solar atmosphere," Guenzel says. "Without such filtration, this layer is invisible to us, but looking through it, we can see the twisted nature of the magnetic field which drives complex structure and detail."

Photographing the Sun requires overcoming problems presented by Earth, and image stacking is a technique astrophotographers turn to.

"Solar imaging is a constant battle with conditions and the blurring caused by our atmosphere is perhaps the largest obstacle to overcome," Guenzel says. "To combat this, thousands of images are captured and then compiled.

"This image began as a high-framerate live video spanning around 30 seconds. The resulting frames of the video are graded and only the best are stacked together to yield the highest quality master."

Read also : Photographer Captures Sun’s Details by Combining 150K Backyard Photos

Once the master image is obtained, Guenzel sharpened it to reconstruct the details.

"Through my work with processing these types of pictures, I’ve developed various methods of contrast enhancement to visualize the magnetic field lines within the chromosphere of the Sun," the photographer says. "Though the technique to capture each image is largely the same, I consider each piece to be quite unique. I tend to let the details contained within every one drive the decisions and the final look of the image.

"In fact, the camera and filter combination yields a monochrome image that is far removed from anything the human eye could perceive. So, as in many types of photography, there is a component of artistic interpretation present in every shot."

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A post shared by Jason Guenzel (@thevastreaches)

When it comes to giving advice to photographers looking to follow in Guenzel's footsteps, his primary piece of advice is a warning.

"I would be remiss not to mention that this type of photography can be very dangerous," he says. "Do not EVER point a telescope at the Sun without taking proper precautions, knowing exactly how to handle the energy collected and focused. This equipment is capable of causing permanent bodily harm and/or fire.

"For those still interested after that disclaimer, there are many resources available and perhaps the best way is to talk to someone doing it and learn from them. Astrophotographers love to help."

Back in 2020, Guenzel made headlines after he managed to capture the birth of a supernova in before-and-after photos. You can find more of his work on his website, Facebook, Twitter, Reddit, and Instagram.

#educational #spotlight #astro #astronomy #astrophotography #howitwasshot #jasonguenzel #solar #sun

How I Photographed Comet Leonard Over Madrid

Last week saw the last few days to see and photograph Comet Leonard after sunset at the horizon where I am located in Spain, and when my fellow photographer Javier Martinez Moran asked me to join him in an attempt to catch the comet passing behind the iconic Four Towers of Madrid, I couldn’t say no!

Javier did the planning with the PhotoPills and Planit Pro apps. He found the precise spot outside the city, getting as far as possible from the Four Towers (Área de Negocios de Cuatro Torres, Spanish for "Four Towers Business Area"), that would allow us to use a long lens to get that nice compression and to enhance the comet size against the skyscrapers.

Planning the photo with apps.

The weather was definitely on our side that day. We got an almost clear sky after sunset, and to make it even more spectacular, the high clouds showed up just before sunset to give us a beautiful and colorful sunset! It was definitely a nice "cherry on top" for the shoot.

A wonderful sunset with silhouettes of the Four Towers of Madrid.

To shoot the comet, I used a Sony a7R III with the Sigma 100-400 f/5-6.3. Having shot Comet NEOWISE last year, I knew more or less what settings to use, but this time the challenge was to get a good exposure of the city lights and the comet during a timelapse.

The final settings for the timelapse were a shutter speed of 1s, f/6.3, ISO 5000, and an interval of 2 seconds. I think the final result looks pretty epic. Even though the comet was not visible to the naked eye, you can clearly see it in the photo and timelapse (seen at the end of the video at the top of this article), and I am so happy that I was able to shoot it.

Comet Leonard above the Four Towers of Madrid. The comet can be seen as the point of light above the leftmost tower. A crop of the photo showing the location of Comet Leonard in the frame.

You can watch my vlog above to see a behind-the-scenes look at the shoot and subscribe to my YouTube channel to follow along with my work.

P.S. Javier also made a behind-the-scenes vlog of the shoot that's in Spanish.

About the author : Mattia Bicchi is a professional timelapse and hyperlapse photographer from Italy, based in London, and living in Madrid. You can find more of Bicchi's work on his YouTube, Instagram, and Twitter.

#inspiration #spotlight #walkthroughs #behindthescenes #cityscape #comet #cometleonard #howitwasshot #madrid #makingof #mattiabicchi #night #nightsky #spain #timelapse #vlog

Photographer Captures Bears Kung-Fu Fighting

Photographer Kristi Odom was shooting in the great outdoors of Alaska when she captured this unusual photo of two bears kung fu fighting.

Odom is a Longmont, Colorado-based photographer and filmmaker who is a Nikon Ambassador, an Associate Fellow of the International League of Conservation Photographers, and a motivational speaker. Her work focuses on connecting people emotionally to animals and celebrating those who have a connection to the natural world.

This bear silhouette photograph came about in 2019 when Odom was leading a photography workshop in Alaska.

"The tide was low, and our guide brought us out," Odom tells PetaPixel. "The sun was over our shoulders, putting this golden light onto the bears, then they took off and ran to the other side so that the light was behind them.

"I got really excited because I love silhouettes; there is so much mode in shape. So, I exposed for the background and couldn't help but snap away.

"I like this photo because it reflects how I felt when I was there watching the bears. Even though the bears were fighting, it seemed a bit like a dance to me, on a stage of glitter. Usually, shots of bears fighting show intensity; that isn't what I saw or felt. I felt something softer and more graceful."

The photo was captured handheld with a Nikon Z7 mirrorless camera, Nikkor 200-500mm f/5.6E lens, and FTZ adapter.

This photograph is a good example of how photographers can work with what they have even if the lighting does not feel optimal.

"The light was in all the wrong places for the iconic bear shots, but for me, it was in the perfect spot," Odom says. "Because the sun was behind my subject, I was able to silhouette the bears. I used a shallow depth of field and got super low to the ground (I was so low that I was soaking wet from taking this shot). That helped bring out the sparkles I wanted, a combination of f/6.3 and the sun reflecting off the sand on the low tide.

"For composition, I chose a center composition. I usually place the horizon further away from my subjects, but I would have lost the sparkles by taking the photo at a higher angle. The shallow depth of field also separated the subject from the background, eliminating background distraction while still showing the mountains and trees.

"I am always trying to take unique shots of nature; I don't want my images to look like something on a Google Search. […] Remember when the light turns bad, instead of putting your camera away, think about how you can use it to take something different. Use your camera to celebrate your unique perspective."

You can find more of Odom's work on her website and Instagram.

#spotlight #animal #bears #howitwasshot #kristiodom #wildlife

How I Captured My Luckiest Wave Photo

My name is Lance Wilson and I'm a 14-year-old nature photographer located on the Central Coast of California.

When the COVID-19 pandemic started, I was super bored and had nothing to do with my time. To counter that, I took up photography as a hobby. Since then I have become super obsessed with landscape, wildlife, astro, and surf photography.

I spend a lot of my time planning shots, taking shots, and editing shots. My dream is to become a full-time photographer. I also recently was awarded the title of Youth Photographer of the Year Runner Up in the Natural Landscape Photography Awards contest. I also do volunteer work for my local Surfrider chapter via social media.

Photographer Lance Wilson standing with his camera and tripod.

Last winter, I captured a "golden wave" photo during the biggest swell I've ever seen -- it was one of the luckiest moments I've ever had while doing photography.

The waves were 15 to 20 feet tall and the winds were coming from the east at probably 30 mph. I was there to get photos of surfers catching the big waves, but I wasn't getting anything spectacular. Sure, the waves were impressive, but the surfers were surfing away from me, my positioning was wrong, and the lighting was mediocre at best.

Just as the sun grazed the top of a distant hillside, the entire scene turned golden. The sunlight hitting the waves looked incredible, but I really wanted to get a good angle on the "curl" of the wave.

In the distance, I could see a wave slowly forming in an odd location, a spot where none had formed previously. I zoomed my 200-400mm telephoto lens to 400mm, lined it up with the wave, and fired away.

The lip of the wave was fighting against the wind, enabling it to crash in almost slow motion. The strong gusts pushed water up and back over the top of the wave, creating a gigantic trail of salt spray behind it. Right after taking it, I knew it was "the shot".

This photo was really my first time having that complete satisfaction with a photo and the sense of accomplishment that comes with visualizing a dream photo.

In case you're wondering about the technical details of the photo: I was shooting a Canon EOS 7D Mark II with a Canon 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS lens at ISO 100, 1/2000s, f/5.6

After I shared this photo online, the amount of support I've gotten on the photo is insane -- it was really my first time having anything "blow up". It's been a crazy but positive experience and many kind strangers have purchased prints of it!

It's pretty amazing the impact one photo can have.

About the author : Lance Wilson is an award-winning nature photographer based in California. The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author. You can find more of Wilson's work on his website, Instagram, and Twitter. You can also purchase prints, including of this wave photo, here.

#spotlight #walkthroughs #howitwasshot #lancewilson #lucky #ocean #oceanscape #seascape #viral #wave

How a Toy Photographer Shot Star Wars Scenes for LEGO

Benedek Lampert is a Hungarian photographer who has attracted a following online for his imaginative small scale photos of toys. His work recently caught the attention of LEGO, which hired him for a special campaign.

Lampert has spent over five years dedicated to the genre of toy photography, and he felt honored last year when LEGO featured one of his works on its Instagram page, which boasts over 7.5 million followers.

But then Lampert received an email out of the blue with an offer to shoot some photos for the brand.

"The email totally surprised me, I have never thought this could be possible," Lampert says. "My task was to take some photos with the LEGO Star Wars sets. It's a big step that a big company like LEGO operates with toy photographers."

The campaign is titled "This Is How We Play," and the goal is to inspire LEGO fans of all ages to see beyond the cold plastic bricks and into new worlds with their imaginations.

"The campaign reminds us that LEGO is more than just a building according to the manual," the photographer says. "It is also a source of creativity and you can use the bricks almost for anything!"

Lampert began playing with LEGO himself when he was a child. After growing up and becoming a photographer, Lampert decided to combine his loves by creating small scenes with LEGO and other toys and shooting cinematic photos of them.

For this campaign, Lampert first came up with ideas by watching Star Wars movies and TV series. Each photo takes about two days to complete. On the first day, Lampert visualizes, sketches, builds, and does test shots.

"After that I analyze the photos on the computer and try some post-processing methods," Lampert says. "After that, on the next day, I shoot the final picture."

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On the camera equipment side of things, Lampert purchased a Laowa 15mm wide-angle macro lens for this campaign.

"I can move the figures very close to the lens so they seem bigger and at the same time the background is still visible," Lampert says. "Sometimes it was difficult because of the bigger scenery and the massive perspective distortion. After all, the result is a more realistic and dynamic photo series!"

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Here are some of the other photos Lampert captured for the LEGO campaign:

Here's a 5-minute behind-the-scenes video with a closer look at how some of these photos were set up:

You can find more of Lampert's work on his Instagram.

#inspiration #spotlight #walkthroughs #behindthescenes #benedeklampert #bts #howitwasshot #lego #toyphotographer #toys

Shimmering Wall: The Story Behind This Photo Taken in 1997

In my previous article, I walked you through the making of one of my signature photographs, Fallen Sequoias, exposed in 1977. I’ve decided to use the same process in the creation of another image, made 20 years later, on a one-day hike with two friends in 1997.

The location was Hackberry Canyon, Utah. I had previously seen the upper end of the canyon, but not more than a few hundred yards, and I had also seen the lower end of the canyon, perhaps a half-mile or more, so I was anxious to see everything in between.

In those days, fully 17 years after discovering Antelope Canyon, I was still hoping -- perhaps even expecting -- to find similar slit canyons because I felt that Antelope Canyon was the discovery of a lifetime (and I still feel it was, to this day). It turned out that Hackberry Canyon was not one of them. So, with the wrong mindset, I hiked all day with a degree of disappointment that the canyon was not what I had hoped it to be.

Despite my disappointment in failing to find yet another slit canyon, I was still open to the idea of finding things of photographic interest, even if they weren’t what I was seeking. One of those things that grabbed my attention was a nearly flat canyon wall with subtle humps and bumps and troughs and ridges and black lines superimposed upon a very light, almost white, section of wall. I found a pattern that tapered to a point, standing out from the rest not because it jutted out in front of the adjacent wall (it didn’t) but because the shape was so distinctive. Somehow the tapering shape reminded me of a spinning top. Furthermore, the subtle parallel humps and depressions that crossed that section of wall reminded me of glacial tracks I had often seen while backpacking through the high lake basins of the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

So it resonated with me and I exposed a 4×5-inch Tri-X negative on that interesting section of wall. Later, after developing the negative and making a contact proof of it (I make contact proofs of every negative I expose, giving me something to study at leisure), I then carefully evaluated its potential to print to my satisfaction.

First, let me note that I make all of my contact proofs at exactly the same contrast level, all rather low contrast. That allows me to see as much detail in the proof as possible, whereas a high-contrast proof could easily lose detail in either the highlights, the shadows, or both. So, I fully expect the contact proofs to look rather dull, lacking the snap I’d want in the final image, but I want them to give me maximum information about what I have to work with on each negative. I then try to envision the steps needed to put the life back into the final print, when I study and evaluate the proof print.

This contact proof didn’t excite me. It failed to give me the feeling that I could put the tonal qualities into the final print that I wanted, which were the qualities that would make it “sing.” So I set it aside and forgot about it. Recently, reviewing old contact proofs, I ran across this one. Who knows why, but this time I felt the possibility was there to make the print I originally wanted but had previously dismissed.

One reason could be the enlarging paper I’m using today, Fomabrom, made in the Czech Republic. I’ve worked with excellent papers in the past, but this is the finest enlarging paper I’ve ever used. Perhaps I saw the possibilities in that contact proof because of the Foma paper, and the way I’ve learned to work with its remarkably rich qualities. (Yes, I’d recommend it for any darkroom printer…and I’m not on the payroll to say that!)

The other reason might be the greater sophistication of my evaluation, along with accepting that Hackberry Canyon wasn’t the slit canyon I had been hoping for. (It’s possible that I set it down years ago because it didn’t satisfy my desire to find another slit canyon.)

So, this time I decided to seriously evaluate it. I cropped the negative slightly but at an angle, thus eliminating a few bothersome details in two of the corners. Perhaps those corners were the things that made me set the negative aside years ago, and perhaps I never thought of cropping the image at an angle but this time the angled cropping made a huge difference. Over the years I have found that careful cropping is very effective in improving the quality of an image. So, although I always want to use the entire negative, I never hesitate to crop to improve the final image.

In the darkroom I print to get the shimmering tones in the triangular section that tapers to the point at the bottom of the image. Then I burn the two lower corners at much lower contrast to darken them perceptibly from the brighter center portion. Not too much darkening; not too little; just the right amount to allow the center to stand out from the two lower corners. Finally, a little selective bleaching helps to highlight the shimmering qualities in the oblique, parallel humps, and depressions in the sandstone wall, giving it a metallic quality.

It’s surely an abstract image. I imagine it’s one that some viewers will be attracted to, perhaps studying the many little details, whereas others will turn away from it quickly, seeing little of value. It’s a fact that some people simply do not find abstract images attractive. Others are attracted to the enigmatic qualities inherent in abstraction. I find it very attractive, and that’s the most important thing to me in deciding to print or display any image. The salability of the image is of no importance because I found long ago that neither I nor the gallery owners who have displayed my work were ever able to decide in advance whether or not a photograph had real sales potential. So, I simply evaluate how strongly I feel about it. If it resonates with me, I’ll show it and discuss it at my workshops, or have it displayed in a gallery exhibit. That’s my sole consideration.

This article is courtesy ofELEMENTS Magazine. The ELEMENTS is the monthly magazine dedicated to elegant landscape photography, insightful editorials and fluid, clean design. Inside you will find an exclusive and in-depth articles and imagery by the best landscape photographers in the world such as Charles Cramer, Christopher Burkett, Hans Strand, Rachael Talibart, Christian Fletcher, Charlie Waite, and Steven Friedman, to name a few. Use the PETAPIXEL10 code for a 10% discount off the annual subscription.

_About the author: Bruce Barnbaum is one of the most prominent photographic thinkers and educators in the world. His iconic book, “The Art of Photography, A Personal Approach to Artistic Expression,” is widely recognized as the bible of photographic thought, insight and instruction. Bruce is also known as one of the finest black and white traditional darkroom printers. His work is represented by galleries in the United States and Europe and is in the collection of museums and private collectors worldwide. _

#editorial #spotlight #abstract #abstractlandscapephotography #brucebarnbaum #elements #elementsmagazine #fineartlandscapephotography #howitwasshot #landscapephotography

How I Bring My Sketches to Life as Conceptual Photo Art

For a digital artist like me, getting those unique ideas for my images is one of the most important things. I see the ideas in my dreams, when I read a magazine, when I’m out for a walk, or pretty much anywhere. I have learned that ideas are everywhere if you just allow yourself to see them.

When I get the idea, I see it in my head as a “flash”. I see pretty much every detail, but I need to sketch out that idea quickly into my notebook so I don't forget it.

These sketches work as a guide when I start doing the image itself. When I look at the sketch, I’m able to remember all the aspects of the image I saw in my head. Of course, every image has a different process when I start putting all the pieces together, but that is another story.

Below you can see a bunch of my sketches from the small notebook I carry pretty much everywhere. There are always some tweaks to the concept or the image itself, but many times my sketch and final image almost are one to one match as you can see.

Leaving Home. Running Out of Time. Layers of Being Human. Stormy Relationship. 2020. Edge. Gary V. Turn the Blind Eye.

In my notebook, there are many more similar sketches just waiting for their time to be created as a final image.

So how do I come up with these ideas? Here are 5 tips on how you can create your own original conceptual art.

#1. Sketch Out Your Ideas as Soon as Possible

When you sketch the idea, even with the crappy stick figures, you are able to previsualize your image and you will remember it better when you come back to it. So keep that notebook available at all times. I use a small Moleskine notebook that usually is in my bag, where I dribble my tiny sketches. And when the time is right I breathe those sketches into reality.

#2. Allow Yourself to See New Concepts, Steal Like an Artist

Years back after reading a book called Steal Like an Artist by Austin Kleon, everything changed with me how I create new concepts. When you allow yourself to steal (not copy) ideas all around you are able to combine those multiple ideas into one unified new concept. So don’t copy someone’s image or idea but rather save some parts of it and combine it with some other idea.

#3. Add Randomness to Your Thought Process

When creating new concepts for your images try not to research things that you know. Try to research things that you don’t know. For example, I have often used Wikipedia's Random Article button to expose myself to new articles and visuals that I’m not definitely looking for. These random articles might initiate something new for your thought process and you might come up with a new unique concept.

#4. Random Word Generator

You can also use a Random Word Generator to create, say, 3 totally random words and try to imagine those words as an image in your head. I would recommend you to use 3 words and then try to visualize those words as a new conceptual image. This will be a fun exercise for any artist.

ABSTRACT, FUR, MACHINERY.

Now try to see that image in your head. I’m definitely getting some weird images in my head. Maybe a new concept is born yet again?

#5. Creativity Needs Time

I often heard the argument that “I don’t have time to create anything new.” Well, we all have the same hours to spend during the day. The older we get the more excuses we just have to NOT be creative. Give a child a cardboard box and they will turn it into a car or even a space rocket. We are just too lazy to see creativity around us.

If you want to create unique concepts and do conceptual images, you need to invest time. And yes I know that time is our most precious thing, but if you allocate the time of a single Netflix episode to creativity, I’m sure you will create a new unique concept also.

Invest that time in reading random articles, going out, and trying to see those unique concepts all around you. Write them all down, previsualize them, and then when the time is right put your energy creating those visions into reality. Do the work!

About the author : Antti Karppinen is a photographer, digital artist, and retoucher based in Finland. He is an internationally award-winning commercial and portrait photographer. You can find more of his work over on his website and blog. This article was also published here.

#ideas #inspiration #tips #anttikarppinen #bts #creativity #howitwasmade #howitwasshot #skeching #surreal