Travel Photography How To

Creativity is an elusive gift: Sometimes it’s there, other times it’s not. And sooner or later, even the best photographers find themselves adrift in the doldrums and can’t think of anything interesting to shoot. To prepare for the next time the winds of creativity stop blowing, watch the video below from one of the world’s most prolific and notable photographers.

Bob Homes in an internationally acclaimed travel photographer whose assignments have taken him everywhere from harsh conditions on Mt. Everest to California’s sublime wine region. He’s also searched for snow leopards in the remote valleys of Nepal and for Penan tribesmen in the forests of Borneo. In this tutorial, Holmes shares his wisdom, with nine tips and tricks to save the day when creative juices run dry.

Holmes notes that “There are days when you wake up, the muses desert you, and you think you’ll never ‘see’ another photograph again.” When that happens, he says one trick is to look for natural lines in the scene—explaining that diagonal lines convey a feeling of energy and vitality, while horizontal lines typically have a calming effect.

Another technique Holmes uses is to identify a unique element or “gesture” in a composition, explaining, “The smallest gesture can make or break a photograph.” He illustrates how the positions of a subject’s hands or feet, or an abstract natural object in a scene, can “punctuate” an image for maximum impact. 

Other helpful tips include how to use slow shutter speeds to blur an image to create a sense of motion, striving to capture energy and vitality in a scene, and several other techniques to help you see things differently and jump-start your creativity. It’s all about “learning to see,” and we encourage you to take Holmes’ advice to heart.

You can see more of Holmes’ work on his website, and find other thought-provoking videos on the Advancing Your Photography YouTube channel. And don’t miss our recent story with Holmes and three other pros who share 15 tips for better composition.