Get out of the rut by putting yourself in new and challenging scenarios

Shooting the same type of image, of the same clients, in the same locations? All that gets boring – here’s why you should shake things up

Ionce heard a radio interview with a successful songwriter, who said that he used to write all his songs while sitting at the piano. This method worked well for him until he had about 15 years’ experience. Suddenly, the muscle memory in his hands became too powerful. Every time he sat down to compose something new, his fingers would revert to melodic tricks that he’d used before.

In 1993, researcher Anders Ericsson published the results of a study on violin students at a music academy in Berlin. He found that the most accomplished students had accumulated an average of 10,000 hours of practice by the time they were 20 years old.

When you’re on your way to spending that much time with your camera, you’ll develop muscle memory, too. That’s partly a good thing. When you can operate your camera instinctively, you can respond more quickly to the scene in front of you. But you also risk repeating yourself in your work, and routinely recreating your past images again and again. If you’ve entered this industry because you’re a creative, you’ll soon feel bored by the repetition.

That’s why it’s useful to force yourself to shoot different things. I know it’s tough finding time: running a busy business leaves very little space for much else.

So if at the end of a client shoot, there’s time left, I will try to create something new. By this point I’ve built up trust and rapport, and with the right approach – “You look amazing! I’ve got this idea that I want to try; I can’t promise it will work, but if it does, it might be my favourite image ever. Can we give it a go!?” – who is going to say no to that?

It might be a shot inspired by a magazine article I’ve read, or a scene in a film I’ve watched. I might just want to experiment with a new bit of kit, or try out an idea that’s been bubbling away in the back of my mind. The important thing is that whatever I try is at least a little bit outside of my comfort zone.

Make some time

Of course, you’re still limited, to some extent, by the people in front of you. And clients will book you based on the work they see. So if you’ve been wanting to try boudoir portraits, but all your bookings are families, then it might be prudent to hold a model call or book a pro model.

Alternatively, if you’d like to try macro, landscape, architecture or wildlife photography, schedule in some time, and then honour that commitment. Sign up for a one-day course or buy a book on the subject, then go and try it.

If you enjoy it and want to do more, you can start to build a portfolio of images to show and attract clients. Even if you decide not to pursue a new genre further, the simple act of shooting something different can reaffirm what you love to do and reinvigorate your enthusiasm for photography.

Over the past few years, I have been fortunate enough to be invited on-board as Master Photographer for a luxury cruise company. At sea, everything is different: no studio, no garden, no comfort zone. It’s different to the lighting and locations I’m so used to.

In addition, normally my clients are mainly families with young kids looking for wall art. On the cruise ships my clients tend to be older couples or families with older children, who want an album from their shoot.

So the clients are different, the light and locations are different, and instead of shooting for wall art I’m mainly shooting for albums. This has, therefore, become an annual opportunity to rethink everything I do, by working in a fresh environment with different challenges. And I come back home bursting with new ideas for the work I do everyday, too.

During Anders Ericsson’s research, he identified a particular type of ‘deliberate practice’ that made the difference to the violinist’s skills. Deliberate practice refers to time spent honing your skills in a focused, goal-driven way that pushes you beyond your comfort zone.

Similarly, the songwriter in the radio interview explained that he now sits in a different room. He composes each new piece with pen and paper before testing out the melodies on the piano, and that simple change has meant he can still create new and exciting work.

For us photographers, breaking the muscle memory habit might mean going somewhere new or trying something different. Either way, a change means that your bank of past work and visual influences will have a lesser pull on the work you create, and it might bring the thrill back to your day-to-day work.

The simple act of shooting something different can reaffirm what you love to do and reinvigorate your enthusiasm