There is something called writer’s block, but we do not have that expression for photography. We should.

There is no question that photography has changed in the digital age. We have traded in dark rooms and labs for computers and CS3 or some other imaging program. What we do may not have changed that much, but how we process our images has.

I used to shoot transparencies. It was easy. I took the film and dropped it off at the lab for processing. I picked it up, edited it (as I still do), and added labels (which I now do through metadata). What has really changed for me is the processing time. Where I used to plan on one day of processing for each day of shooting, I now have to allow two days. I tell Arnie, my husband and partner, that there are times I feel more like a computer nerd (apologies to all computer gurus out there) than a photographer.

Given the hours in front of the computer screen, anyone can get into a rut and lose inspiration, so it is really important to nurture that passion that inspired you to become a photographer in the first place. One of the ways that can help you is to go out photographing with other photographers, whether one or several.

As I write this, we are up in the mountains doing final prep work for our Virginia workshop. There was time to do some photography of our own. With no cell service here, there are no distracting ring tones. There are no interruptions, and we can really concentrate on our photography.

Something will catch the eye of one of us as we walk along a stream. That will inspire the others to look and find inspiration there, too. One will find a different vantage point, and the other two will think about. One person will stand up, while another will wade into the water. We three are often attracted to the same scene, but each of us interprets that scene differently. One will do more horizontals, while another will choose a vertical format. There are different lenses used, different focal lengths.

“STOP,” someone will say as we are traveling down a road, and the driver will whip a U-ie ASAP, not always easy in mountain terrain. Peripheral vision has caught something. So we stop and photograph, waiting for the cloud to clear the sun or float into the right place for our individual compositions, or even for a shadow to fall where we want it.

Since we are not on assignment, we take the time to experiment, try new things, work a scene. We talk shop, and I don’t mean Photoshop — quality of light, filters, approaches, someone’s recent article on this or that, a painter who used light beautifully, in short, anything to do with vision and photography (yes, photographers can take inspiration from painters).

There is nothing like immersing yourself in photography to bring back the passion. No meals to prepare, no dishes to do, no appointments to keep, just going out there with others who love photography as much as you do and clicking away.

Sometimes, you cannot get together with another photographer. There are other ways to renew that creative vision and inspiration. Get a small group together and pick a subject, something you are not used to. Then give yourself a week, a month, a couple of months, whatever it is to go out and see what you can do with it.

Recently, a group of us did “The Power of One.” We had one model, one light source, one studio, one length of time to do our portrait, and one contribution for our potluck supper. In short, we were each photographing under the same constraints. The differences in our work were amazing, and we each took inspiration from that. We also went away full of enthusiasm for what we do. By the way, we thanked the model, an aspiring one, with beautiful prints printed on 8-1/2 x 11 paper for her portfolio.

There are other exercises that can help you fight photographer’s block. What is your favorite color? Go out and create images that feature the opposite of that color. For those who do not understand color theory, check out a color wheel and find your favorite color. Then look directly across the circle to find the color that is its opposite. For example, let’s say your favorite color is blue; that means you go out and find things that are orange to photograph. It shakes up your eye, takes you out of your comfort zone.

Another way to shake loose those creative cobwebs is to find a building that you can walk around. It may be a pump house; it may be a barn. Photograph it with a telephoto lens as well as with a wide-angle one. Do not only horizontals, but verticals and angled shots. Shoot into the light and then with the light at your back. See how many different ways you can portray that building.

Look at works of other artists. On our resource page, there are some amazing artists, both painters and photographers, whose work may inspire you. Go to photography exhibitions in museums. And above all, take the time to photograph. It is hard to retain that passion for photography if you don’t allow yourself time to be inspired and grow. And if you lose hat passion, photographer’s block can set in!

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