101 Things to Photograph Before I Die

A while back I worked out a list of places that I will visit before I finish traveling this life. It was meant to stop at 100 but blew out to about 600 - there are just so many fabulous sights on this earth of ours.

Yesterday I came across a list of 12 things to capture posted on photopreneur But while some of them were inspirational, I decided to create my own personal list of must-shoots and I challenge you to do the same.

1. Wild dolphins
2. Fijian sunset
3. Moose in Canada
4. Pyramids
5. Dew covered rose
6. Desert sand dunes
7. Lightning storm
8. Rainforest
9. New York Skyline
10. Swiss Alps
11. Mediterranean cliffs
12. Bungy jumpers in NZ
13. Stain glass windows
14. Candle light
15. Isolated farm house
16. Derilict buildings
17. Shipwreck
18. Bellagio dancing fountains
19. Mountain sunrise
20. Bushfire
21. Venetian gondolas
22. Rusty truck
23. Butterfly
24. Lighthouse
25. Skiers
26. Horse race
27. Hand gliders
28. Monument Valley, Arizona
29. Gorillas
30. Eagle
31. Autumn leaves
32. Coal miner
33. Sistene Chapel
34. Stranded row boat
35. Mist filled valley
36. Rainbow
37. Bubbles
38. Water splash
39. Mongrel dog
40. Beauty pageant
41. Beach wedding
42. Polar bear
43. Castle
44. Uluru
45. Baby feet
46. Masked Ball
47. Buskers
48. Street theatre
49. Star trails
50. Baby chimp
51. Start of a marathon
52. Finish line of a marathon
53. Surf carnival
54. Old Timer Motorcyclist
55. Dutch windmills
56. Police dogs in training
57. Grunge band
58. Professional Dance contest
59. Reflection on a lake
60. Fireworks
61. Young love
62. Old love
63. Juggler
64. Flock of flamingos
65. Volcano
66. Rock climber
67. Field of ripe canola
68. Sand sculptures
69. Chipmunk
70. Great Wall of China
71. Country road
72. Hot Air Balloon
73. Zorbing
74. Silhouette
75. Happiness
76. Artist at work
77. Solar eclipse
78. Wild mushroom
79. Waterfall
80. Pillow fight
81. Tiger
82. Clouds
83. Panther
84. Kite flying
85. Back lit portrait
86. Gallipoli
87. Fear
88. Solitude
89. Extreme luxury
90. Morning frost
91. Pregnant belly
92. Eyes
93. Snow wolf
94. Mt Fuji
95. Bhutanese monk
96. Angkor Watt temples
97. Reunion
98. Shoes
99. Tasmanian devil
100. Masai warrior
101 Redwoods in Yosemite NP

I know some of them are cliched and cheesy, some are just general thoughts others are specific places. But while I've managed to cross some of the list, I want to try again to improve and skills and knowledge from the last time. I will probably keep adding to this as time goes on. If you want to share this list, that's great, if you want to add your own let me know I might not have thought of those ones yet. The plan is to one day publish a book using this list as a starting point of my 101 favourite images.

101 Things to Photograph Before I Die

Where to go to get Inspiration for Your Photography

Are you, like me, struggling for new ideas?
Do your creative batteries feel as flat and lifeless as last weeks left overs?

I have found a list of at least 60 ways to breathe new life into your love of photography and re-energise your inspiration.

1. Play with Photoshop
So much of photography today happens after you have pressed the shutter button. Why not experiment a bit in a image manipulation program like Photoshop and see what you can discover and create.

2. Read the Manual
Your camera possibly has more settings, functions and potential than you know about...or know what to do with. Read and try something new.

3. Watch a Movie
Imagine some of the movie sets and action as stills and learn from the professional cinematographers. Lighting, landscapes, portraits are all found in your favourite films.

4. Read the Newspaper
Or more correctly look at the pictures especially for black and white ideas. Though the Sunday paper has some striking images and photojournalism in colour.

5. Visit a Flea Market
Strange objects mean strange shapes, odd shadows and plenty of potential for unique compositions

6 Shop at the Farmer's Market
An amazing source of colour, shapes, people and displays. Added bonus is fresh dinner too.

7. Check out some Wedding Photo Websites
The images on the Wedding Photojournalist Association website might get you thinking about events from a new angle. Instead of tripods and posing, get involved in the crowd and document the scene.

8 Hit the Water
You don't have to be a scuba diver to shoot underwater. Just grab an underwater housing and hit the beach, a swimming pool, pond or dam. Remember to look up as well as down as some gorgeous images can result when the light hits the water.

9. Hit the Streets
There is a reason street photography is popular - it constantly changes and there are so many images to be found.

10. Join a Demonstration
Demonstrations are full of colour, emotion and crowds. Have a go at abstract, photojournalism, portraits or something new.

11. Watch a Sports Event
If you can't get the prime spot with the pros and haven't got a lens longer than your arm why not go to the local oval on a Saturday afternoon. You can get closer and try something new or visit a club of a sport that is not usually covered - fencing, marital arts, croquet are a few ideas.

12. Visit the Zoo
It isn't quite your classic African safari but there are still a huge array of photographic subjects that are hard to come by anywhere else. You don't have to just shoot what's in the cages (with your camera of course) but check out the emotions and reactions of the visitors (especially kids) to the animals.

13. Shoot fast at a Race Track
Race tracks (cars, motorbikes, horses) give you the opportunity to use speed in your images. Fast cars and a faster shutter speed can make for some amazing images. You could also try rally driving if are prepared to get dirty or get really adventurous and take your camera in the car for a ride.

14. Visit an Exhibition
Obvious I know, but often forgotten. Most towns have art galleries that you will find photographic images. Have a look and check out what they did to get up on the wall.

15. Browse Google Images
You don't even have to leave home for this one. Toss random keywords in your search field and see what images turn up. Admire the good ones and ask what you could do to improve others.

16. Join Flickr Groups
The images in Flickr Groups are fabulous for getting ideas on a theme, also the discussions allow you to learn how to have a go at it. It allows you to post your pictures to get feedback for improvement and things to think about.

17 Just Step Back and Observe
For portrait photographers, the impulse is to get in there and get the shoots. Sometimes though lower your camera and just observing your subject can give you new insight to their personality and reveal a whole new side. Just have your camera ready for when they do that quirky unique thing that makes them special. This is true for children, adults, weddings, animals and anything else that moves.

18. Roam the World
While this is dream of most photographers, unfortunately it is not always possible. You can however, check out the internet or travel guides for places with interesting topography and see what other photographers have done with.

19. Change Your Angle
Are you like the majority of people who shoot an object from straight in front of it. Try changing your angle and shoot from down low or above or tilt your camera and see what you can create.

20. Change Your Time
Are you stuck in a rut of shooting at the same time every weekend? Break out and discover how the light at dusk, mid-afternoon, early morning or night can change your images and ideas. It's not just the change of light that can make a difference, just changing routine can give you a new perspective.

21 Browse Stock Sites
You don't have to be a buyer to check out the images on stock sites. Have a look at the top-sellers will give you an idea of what the market wants from professional photographers, but browsing various categories will give you ideas to try with a theme.

22. Write a Blog
Darren Rowse from Digital Photography School states how much writing about photography has improved his images. Don't worry if no body else reads it; just expressing your thoughts and ideas can lead to new ones.

23. Read a Blog
Here you can learn not only what happened to produce an image but where the idea came from and get to ask any questions you might have to help you create your own inspiring shoots.

24. Buy a Photography Book
Each photography book can give you a heap of new idea. Photography guides will show you different techniques to try out while books of image collections will inspire with the techniques the professionals have used. If money is in short supply - check out your local library.

25. Browse a Bookshop
Apart from photography books, have a look at the covers of any other books to get ideas for shots, especially commercial images.

26. Check out Magazine Racks
If you can get ideas from book covers, have a look at your local newsagency at all the magazine covers. As they are designed to stand out from the crowd, take note of what catches your eye and how you can use in your photography to make your next photo stand out too.

27. Make Friends in the Photography World
Some people like to shoot by themselves, others are happy to work in groups. Everyone can benefit from feedback, ideas and discussions with others. If you can't join groups physically, then there are plenty online communities.

28. Join Photography Organisations
If you are a professional or aspiring to be one, and are not a member of a professional photography association, then join. They can assist you with insurance, legal issues plus their news, contest and interviews with fellow photographers can inspire you and motivate you to make your own mark on the comunity.

29. Shoot Yourself
Again with the camera, things aren't that bad. But if you are lacking a subject, be brave and put yourself in the picture for once.

30. Revisit Your Past
Go back through that stack of old images you have stuck away, including the ones that make you cringe. Give them another look and try the shot again with your new skills and knowledge.

31. Revisit Old Places
The same goes for visiting locations. Even if you have used a location once before, it does not mean that you will take the same image days, months or years later. The light will have changed, your skills are different and so are you.

32 Ask Questions
Some of the greatest works of art have come from asking the best questions. The first one you could try asking is "What if...?" What if I try a new technique? What if I change focus? What if I look from a new angle? What if I get a flash of inspiration?

33. Leave Constructive Feedback
As mentioned, writing blogs can help with new ideas, as will writing comments about other people's work. Ensure that the feedback you leave is constructive and specific. I love the use of the natural lighting for example is a lot more beneficial than Great Shot! Look at the details and you can begin to incorporate them in your own work.

34. Join Photo Contests
Every man and his friends seem to have their own photo competition these days. Why? It's a great way to inspire photographers to shoot outside of their comfort zone and will challenge you to look outside of your routine.

35. Choose a theme
Competitions are useful as well as offering prizes, they also give you subjects to shoot. Or pick your own theme and run with it. One great one I've found is Photo Challenge where a different theme is given on a daily basis, but has a list of past themes to give you ideas and resources

36. Check out Major Winners
Have a look at the winners of national and international photo competitions and see how far your images are those at the top and what you need to do to get there.

37. Go Back to Basics
If you have had a camera for a while and have been bending and breaking the rules of photography in order to challenge yourself, go back to when you were first learning techniques and work within the guidelines with a new more experienced eye.

38. Just Shoot it
Alternatively, are you a stickler for the rules and don't take a shoot until all the elements are lined up. What you happen if you just went ahead without all the preparation. One of the joys of digital is that it allows you to delete "mistakes" but at worst all you have used is some memory space and time, in trying new compositions, lighting and ideas.

39. Get a Cause
What are you passionate about? It is amazing the motivation that can come from working for the common good. Select you favorite cause and offer them your skills. You could end up shooting all sorts of new challenges from advertising images, t-shirt graphics to emotional demonstrations. The variety is almost as satisfying as the involvement.

40. Play with Textures
Stop focusing on the composition and light and look instead at the texture of a subject. Emphasise the sense of touch rather than sight in a series of images and see what turns up.

41. Play with Colours
Rather than be traditional, have a go at painting your pictures with bold colours and sharp contrasts. Maybe a series of different tones, or just one or two colours and see what happens to your results. Is it time you experimented more with colours?

42. Drop the Colour
At the other end of the spectrum, you could go way back to focus on black and white. Often without colour, the shadows and contrasts increase in importance and change the feel of an image.

43. Play with Settings
Are you stuck in automatic? Change the settings on your camera, play with exposure, change the ISO, alter the shutter speed or aperture. Try a fully manual mode and then learn from your results.

44. Play with a Point and Shoot
Alternatively, you might be relying heavily on all the options that come from an expensive DSLR. I dare you to put it aside and grab a little piont and shoot. Downgrade in gadgets and upgrade your creativity.

45. Just Play
One of the great benefits of digital photography is there is no cost for making mistakes. So stop stressing about if a shot will turn out perfectly or will be a cringe-inducing disaster and just take pictures, Just enjoy the experience and forget about the results.

46. Try a Different Subject
Do you favor portraits, landscapes, wildlife? Why not try a different area? you don't have a do it professionally, but trying something new will give you new skills and techniques and could inspire new ways of creating amazing images

47. Read Forums
It has been said that photography groups can be a source of inspiration and learning, but so can photography forums. You can pose questions to get specific answers, but just reading through them can get the ideas flowing.

48. Start a Project
Once you have an idea for a single image why not expand on it and develop a whole series of photographs. See how far you can take the concept and include textures, light and composition.

49. Take a Photography Class
There is always something new to learn or a new way of approaching something. Photography class make new ideas and challenges very simple - you get assignments on topics and you come up with a novel view on a theme.

50. Take Any Class
Don't limit your education to just photography. What other interests do you have? Cooking classes allow you to improve your images with food and color, as will gardening, even a pottery class could be a source of new ideas and inspiration. Plus you will meet new people to be your models.

51. Define Your Perfect Image
What is your perfect picture? Can you visualise it? Bet it's in your head right now. How can you make it work and what has to happen to make it a reality? You know the answers, now you just have to go and do it.

52. Create a Shooting Schedule
There is a lot to be said about planning ahead. Decide in advance what you want to shoot and when and put it in your diary for the next few weekends or months, but don't forget to stay flexible and open to opportunities.

53. Try a New Model
Do you always use the same subject or models with similar looks? Have a go at a completely new look, the opposite sex, a different age or ethnic group. You will be amazed at how a new model will lead to new ideas.

54. Ignore Stupid Comments
While this might not improve inspiration it could stop it from being blocked. When you ask for feedback, you will often encounter someone with something dumb to say. You need to be able to separate the constructive comments from the pointless ones in order to learn and grow.

55. Do Something Totally Outrageous
Ever thought "That won't work!" and not tried a shot! But what if it had? Give yourself permission to do something outrageous and really silly sounding and see if it works. Shoot while spinning in a circle or out of a train window and treat it as a learning experience, even if you get some really strange looks while doing it. At least you will know what if...!

56. Limit Yourself'
Some fabulous works of art have been produced under strict cencorship. So challenge yourself. Limit yourself to one object or the next ten minutes or your street. Take the challenge and push your creativity under pressure.

57. Tell a Story
Imagine a story and then go out and take the images to go with it. For ideas read your local newspaper and then expand on it. It could be the local junior sports team, a charity event, a festival or natural disaster. Learn where the story began and illustrate it through to completion. Make sure to capture all the different characters.

58. Print Your Pictures
It is all well and good to view your images on a computer screen but nothing beats printing them out and holding them, or seeing them up on your wall matted and framed. Print them and test if they still work on paper or if not how you can improve them.

59. Travel
There is nothing like going to a new site, town, state or country to inspire different images. When travelling immerse yourelf in a different culture (just be aware of local customs and protocol) to get memorable results. If you can't travel, why not check out local festivals and look at it from a tourists' perspective.

60. Buy New Equipment
If all else fails, buy something new. A new lens or filter can spark some new ideas and images.

Where to go to get Inspiration for Your Photography

What do we teach our children?

image from art4inspiration

This is an ancient Chinese proverb, that like so many teaches so much in so few words. I believe that while we can teach our children many important things, one essential element we can teach them is self-esteem. They need to discover this within themselves - while we can assist them develop it by adding positive marks on the fabric of their lives.

Self esteem can be compared to a table with four vital legs (or facets) that need to be balanced to be stable.

A Feeling of Belonging is the first leg. We all have an innate need to feel that we are a part of something larger than ourselves. A need that includes people, places and possessions. An instinct to belong, for being wanted, accepted, enjoyed and loved. It explains the bond of family, friends and teammates; it also explains why some teenagers may join gangs - this instinct is powerful, we want to belong even if it is wrong.

It's vital to make our children proud of their family, their heritage and make your home a place where they feel wanted, safe and loved. Also, make home somewhere our children want to bring friends, as opposed to a place they want to leave as soon as possible.

A Feeling of Individual Identity is the second leg, and enhances the first. We are all exquisitely unique with a one-off set of talents and traits that have never been seen before or will ever exist again in that same package. This could account for children believing their parents come from different planets.

Watch closely as your children grow and play, observe how they learn, take note of what they love to do in their spare time. It is so important to let them discover their own unique positive talents and then help nurture these into amazing skills. Remember there are some talents that cannot be measured by a report card.

A Feeling of Self Worth is the third leg, a feeling that I am happy to be me, just as I am. If we don't think that we are worthy of being loved, it is hard to accept that others love us. If we don't have our own approval, we have little to give to others.

All children need to be shown unconditional love. It is so important to separate the doer from the deed, the person from the behaviour. One of the most potent messages you can give your children is "I will love you no matter what you do or what happens - I am always there for you" This builds a sense of worthiness and inner value in our children. Along with a good night hug give them the reassurance that regardless of the events of the day you love them no matter what.

A Feeling of Control and Ability is the final leg. It is essential in this ever changing world that children have a believe in their ability to control what happens to them. This is the aspect that allows children to succeed. It is why it is vital to give children responsibility as early as possible, to give them opportunities to learn that their choices and efforts result in consequences and successes. The more they savor success, the higher their confidence and the more willing they will be to assume responsibility.

Just like we continue to encourage our toddlers to get back up after a fall and not belittle them for falling when they are learning to walk; we need to teach children that problems and setbacks are nothing more than temporary inconveniences and learning experiences. Emphasize that setbacks are not failures. When children see failure as a learning experience, they develop a willingness to take on new challenges and are less afraid to have new experiences. We all appreciate acclaim yet the highest benefit comes from when we truly believe that we are making a valuable contribution in life, measured through our own internal standards.

The more that I am involved with children, my own as well as many others I see the truth in the words of KAHLIL GIBRAN:

Your children are not your children
They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself
You may give them your love but not your thoughts
For they have their own thoughts
You may house their bodies but not their souls
For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you cannot visit
Not even in your dreams
You may strive to be like them, but seek not to make them be like you
For life goes not backwards nor tarries with yesterday

What do we teach our children?

New Pictures

Some of my favourite photos from the last month or so.

I got a new lens (a Tamron AF 28-300) and a new Speedlite flash unit so have been playing a bit more with different lighting effects. Would like to find the time to do some night city shots near the river. Actually would like to find the time to do something for myself rather than trying to fulfill everyone else's needs and expectations. Guess that is one of the joys of motherhood. I would like to say that I am extremely grateful for my two children, and realistically I do love them with my heart and soul. I do not like how they can not seem to be in the same room together without some drama happening, someone getting hurt or someone screaming - it is very tiresome. Also would prefer if they could respect the needs of others in the family and stop only thinking of themselves - might make life more peaceful. I have tried to teach them these values, and they manage to get it at school and with others - just not each other!! Can only hope that one day they will grow up to be friends, or they have their own children who can terrorise them (payback can be such a bitch).

Looking forward to the next few weeks. I am going back to the town I grew up in from my BFF parent's 40th wedding anniversary. Have mixed feelings about going back. Very excited about catching up with old friends and loved ones. Not so sure about having bad memories rekindled - there was a time I couldn't wait to escape from the place. Thankfully I can be grateful for the good times I experienced as well as the lessons I learnt at other times that I have been able to share with others and that Have shaped me into who I am today.

Also catching up with family over Easter. Steve has a few weeks off so will be in for some R&R. Then I am off down the coast for a personal development seminar and leadership where I can catch with some beautiful friends who bring out the best in me and will push me to the next level.

New Pictures