26 17 August 2019 I http://www.amateurphotographer.co.uk I subscribe 0330 333 1113
FINDING INSPIRATION
perceptions,it canclearyour
mindofanynegativity,’hesays.
‘Afreshperspectiveinstilsa positive
outlookonhowyouseethingsand
thiscanleadtonewideasornew
waysofphotographinga familiar
subjectorlocation.’
Respondingtosetbacks
Insomeinstances,a fresh
perspectivecanarisefroma
life-changingevent.Tenyears
ago,wildlifephotographerDavid
Plummerwasdiagnosedwith
Parkinson’sDisease– anincurable
conditionthatmanywouldregard
asreasonenoughforputtingthe
cameraawayforgood.‘You’re
certainlytestedwhensomething
likethathappens,especiallyasa
youngperson,’saysDavid,whowas
40 atthetime.‘I’vealwaysbeen
consideredquitedriveninmy
attitude,butthegalvanisationwas
therealisationthatI’venocontrol
overanythingaroundme.Noneof
ushas.Whatwedohaveultimate
powerover,shouldwechooseto
exerciseit,is ourreactiontothings.
I decided, “Look, I can’t change this
disease. I can’t cure it. I can either
beunhappyandmiserable,orI can
justgetonwiththingsandchoose
tobehappy.”So,I chosetocarryon.’
Davidhascontinuedtoworkasa
professionalphotographer,leading
phototoursoverseasandrunning
workshopsnearhishomeinWest
Sussex.Hehasalsowrittena
best-sellingbook:SevenYearsof
CameraShake. ‘Ona personallevel,
Parkinson’shasmadememore
mentallyrobustthanatanystage
inlife.I’mhappierthanI’veever
beenbecauseoncea personlearns
toexercisethatpower,nothingcan
getyoudown,really,andI usethat
attitudeinphotography.Myviewis
if I don’tunderstandsomething,I
giveenoughtimetounderstandit.
So,thediseaseina waywasthebest
thingthateverhappenedtome
becauseit justtestedmeandI
developeda strategyfordealing
withjustabouteverythinginlife.’Newprojectsandskills
Davidalsoadvocatestacklinga new
subjectorattemptinga different
techniqueasa meansofstaying
motivated. ‘Nothing floats my boat
like a project,’ he says. ‘I think it’simportant not to settle into a
style, but to try different genres of
photography and push your skills.
I do a lot of infrared trigger
photography of owls in flight at
night and technically it’s quite
demanding, but wow, does it teach
you a lot more about photography!
I don’t think that learning process
ever ends, unless you let it end.’
Richard Peters agrees. He visits
Africa regularly and sometimes
photographs species that he would
otherwise ignore, to keep his mind
alert to new ideas. ‘I often overlook
vultures as ugly and unphotogenic,’
he says, ‘so spending time looking
for photo ops with them stops
you falling into the routine of
photographing the same species
over and over.’
Ross Hoddinott also advocates
the benefits of shooting a new
subject. ‘If I’m really struggling,
I try to visit somewhere completely
new that I haven’t been to before,
or photograph a different species
I’ve not shot before, just to get those
creative juices flowing.’ Unlike
many of his contemporaries, Ross
doesn’t devote his photographyFind out more about the
photographers featured
in this article:
Ross Hoddinott
http://www.rosshoddinott.
co.uk
Richard Peters
http://www.richardpeters.
co.uk
David Plummer
http://www.davidplummer
images.co.uk
Seven Years of Camera
Shake, by David
Plummer, published by
Unbound, is available
from Amazon or
directly from David’s
website: http://www.
davidplummerimages.
co.uk/7-years-camera-
shake-2
Jim Brandenburg
http://www.jimbrandenburg.
comPhotographing a subject others ignore can renew your creativity
Try a new technical challenge such as infrared trigger photography
© RICHARD PETERS
© DAVID PLUMMER