"I am the spirit that negates.

And rightly so, for all that comes to be

Deserves to perish wretchedly;

'Twere better nothing would begin.

Thus everything that your terms, sin,

Destruction, evil represent—

That is my proper element." – J.W. Geothe.

The 1930's RustThe 1930's Rust

"The 1930's Rust" - title inspired by a Gary Numan song he wrote for Marti Caine.  I created this using various software including Corel painter and a Wacom graphics tablet
 

“Creativity can change the way we feel about something and will stay with us for eternity.” - John Hegarty - (Creative Advertising Genius)

"The solution to each new problem or challenge should begin with a blank canvas and an open mind, not with the nervous borrowings of other people’s mediocrities." - George Lois (American Advertising Legend)

I'd like to think we are all creative people, but often people come up to Bergit and myself and say "wow - you are so creative" as if that is something exceptional.  Then they go on to cite various images we have in our portfolio for various clients of ours where we have tried to be original, different, eye-catching and thought-provoking.  Basically, just doing something that is not your ordinary run-of-the-mill photography.

I thought this was normal, until I began to look into it a bit deeper.  We are all capable of great ideas, of that I am sure, but I think sometimes we don't explore it fully or create the right conditions for creativity to thrive.

In this two-part blog we'll look at what "creativity" is and what defines it - and you may have your own definitions - that's great!  Let's get a discussion going.  Then, in part two, we'll look at practical things you can do to nurture creativity, get the ideas flowing.  Get yourself into "The Photographer's Gym" with some exercises that will steadily improve your creative well-being.

As I researched more I found out striking examples of why Bergit and myself, unwittingly, are creating an environment where we are getting a real kick out of coming up with innovative ideas, not just in photography, but in all areas of our lives.

Bergit and StarBergit and Star	Adrian playing "Nash" the guitarAdrian playing "Nash" the guitar
Bergit enjoys some quiet acoustic meditation	Adrian reliving his days playing in a band

For a start, in many research articles they recommend to embrace learning:  Curiosity is the foundation of creativity.  Cultivate a mindset of continuous learning and exploration.  At the start of 2024 we graduated from Truro & Penwith College and University Centre in Cornwall, Great Britain, after spending six months intensively studying digital marketing, content creation, copywriting, and marketing planning.  We've loved every minute of it and it’s made us hungry for more courses!  We've been like children in a sweetshop in their extensive business library!  And the ideas have been flowing.  Surrounding ourselves with like-minded people, many of whom are younger than us, has given us a real energy boost!

Another piece of advice we’ve picked up - Diversify Your Interests: Engage in a variety of activities, hobbies, and subjects.  

Cross-pollination of ideas often sparks creativity.

James Dean ClassicJames Dean impersonator God of The UnderworldGod of The Underworld

Apart from our photography and film-making, not many of you may know about all the other "creative" things we do, which we sometimes take for granted.  I love being creative in the kitchen, and experimenting with Masterchef inspired cooking.  It's relaxation for me.  So is my music.  Bergit had no idea about anything musical up until a couple of years ago, but wanted to learn on my synthesiser keyboard.  She started with zero knowledge of keys, notes, sheet music - an absolute beginner.  In less than two years she's leaned the notes, and also to read music.  Not satisfied with this she expressed an interest in learning the guitar, so we bought a second-hand acoustic.  Buoyed on by this we then bought a brand new electric guitar - a Stratocaster copy - and in Jimmy Hendrix white and cream colours.  After that, an electro-acoustic Fender Dreadnought.  We've purchased an electric piano, and turned a spare room into a music room where we can play, improvise, jam, whatever and get our creative muscles exercised.  What's this got to do with photography?  Nothing and everything.  It keeps the unconscious part of our minds active and open to new ideas.  We've got large photos printed and displayed on the walls so we are surrounded by imagination.  Furthermore, just as in photography you learn to bend energy (sound waves and light waves) to create something.  Light and sound carry many similar characteristics.

Bergit also knits, crochets and sews.  She's not going on "Sewing Bee" anytime soon, but she is being creative.  She designs her own knitwear, so when I say I want something designed around Lord of The Rings or Game of Thrones, she produces knitwear to order!  Again, it is part of being creative that we often take for granted.  It keeps the brain active and open.  It keeps asking questions instead of just ticking over.

Too Bad She Won't LiveToo Bad She Won't Live

Some of you may have seen the artwork I produce on a graphics tablet using software like Blender, Painter and Krita.  I can use the graphics tablet to paint scenes from poetry, from films or song titles.  It's yet another outlet for creativity that actually benefits us in the business.  I use this to create storyboards for the promotional videos we produce for our clients.  I use my music keyboard MIDI system to record and mix tracks to accompany the videos.  Sometimes the music gives me ideas for new shoots, and other times the images produce music in my head which I later write down and refine.

Oh yes, did I also mention that Bergit is restoring an old doll's house?  More planning,  gathering inspiration, researching styles, co-ordinating patterns and colours, designing rooms and layouts.  You get my point.

Being creative is NOT holding your camera at an odd angle and saying you are being creative by using a "Dutch Tilt".  You are simply not holding the camera straight!  If, however, you are taking your inspiration from Robert Krasker's cinematography in "The Third Man", and using the angles to emphasise parts of the image, then that would be considered creative.  There has to be some thought and intention behind your actions.

"In the act of Creativity, being careful guarantees sameness and mediocrity, which means your work will be invisible." - George Lois (US Advertising guru)

Tilts can be used to create "Lines of Tension" and "Lines of Ease" in your compositions.  Lines falling over into an image can be quite dramatic and unsettling, and gentle slopes down to a focal point in a composition can be quite restful.  That's just one example.

Berlin Film NoirFilm Noir 1930's Berlin

It took me five years to be able to photograph this scene in a private apartment block in Berlin.  I love the cinematography of Robert Krasker.
 

Ever been tempted to buy a pack of colour presets for Lightroom or LUTs for Photoshop or Premiere Pro?  They make look great in the samples shown on the advert, but simply applying them all to your own images wouldn't be creative.  Just copying what others have produced is not being creative.  Maybe try your own colour grading to suit the mood of your images?  There are numerous ways of doing this, but I still love Adobe Speed Grade.  I use it for both stills and video.

Look for examples in the cold tones used in Game of Thrones for Winterfell and the scenes shot in the North, and compare them with the warm tones used in King's Landing and Dorne.  Nothing psychedelic or overdone, just simply being creative in using subtle tones to enhance an image and give it an immediate sense of time and place.  Take a look at Katy Perry's video for "Chained to the Rhythm".  Her subtle pastel colours give this a glorious sense of nostalgia, reminiscent of some films in the 1960's, while still being rich and full of colour.  Or look at some films shot in full Technicolor, such as "Rebel Without A Cause".  James Dean's red jacket really stands out in this film, and is an important part of the storyline.  The film started being shot in mono and then a creative decision was made to reshoot in colour.  His coat is referenced in Don McLean's "American Pie".  Another example of one artistic medium influencing another and generating creativity in the process. You'll Never Find A Rainbow If You're Looking DownYou'll Never Find A Rainbow If You're Looking Down

One of my father's old film camera gave me the idea for this image shot using a Chaplin look-alike and an old retro cinema.

So, being "creative" is not merely doing things differently.  It is finding new ways of doing things, and always in an effort to do things better.  The attempts may not always pay off, but it will be a learning process nonetheless.  The intention should be to build on what has gone before and to improve and create something new and better - not merely different for the sake of it.

"Creativity is fundamentally an effort to connect with others. The play you write, picture you paint or song you sing has a clear destination. It must fly towards, and take up residence in, the mind of your audience." - John Hegarty (Bartle Bogle Hegarty)

When I worked in London creating photography for advertising campaigns I was always included in the original discussions for generating ideas.  These were never at set times.  Never can you all sit down in a room and switch on creativity.  We went away and ideas came when we least expected them.  Apparently Keith Richards had the riff to "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" come to him in a dream.  He woke up, recorded it on a tape player by his bed and went back to sleep.  In the London office I was not the account negotiator but as I was involved in bringing ideas to life I was included in the brainstorming process.  There was something to advertise - and we all had to write down our initial ideas of approach.  Brands have to be memorable.  It is very difficult to buy into something if you can't remember what it is!  It has to occupy the very specific spaces in the hearts and minds of the customers who want what you offer.  This is fundamental for all photographers - and so often we forget and just believe people will come to us even if we don't offer what they want!  Then the photographer complains they are not getting the business.  Is that the customer's fault?  Or are we not creating something that is loved and desired?

That Could Be YouShower to Stage Promotional Photo

A promotional image for a choir formed to raise funds for mental health charities drew its inspiration from an old REM song.

So, back in London, we came up with ideas for the advertising.  We compared notes and they were usually all very similar and predictable.  We then had another think to produce something more diverse.  We called this the "overnight test".  Often it was several nights.  Ideas take time to germinate.  By the time we had performed the exercise three times all of us had gone into different and unexpected directions with our thoughts.  This is where creative originality took shape.

Bergit and I were once at a business networking meeting where another photographer, obviously impressed by us, claimed they did "exactly what The Barnetts do"!  It raised a few eyebrows, some stifled laughs, but generally created the impression that the other photographer was a copycat and couldn't produce original ideas.  It dealt their reputation quite a blow.

"Creativity isn't about predictability – it has to surprise and challenge, it has to be daring and yet motivating." - John Hegarty

In part two we will look at practical ways you can exercise your creative mind.  A sort of "Photographer's Gym" if you like.  Methods you can use to explore ways of exercising your creative thinking.  Routines for you to expand your ideas into new avenues of searching and learning.

When playing music there is a theory of "muscle memory".  The brain creates pathways that allow for almost automatic playing of certain passages or chord changes.  They become inbuilt little "subroutines".  When your performance is practiced and polished you can play certain pieces of music almost instinctively, without thinking, and that allows you to focus on the subtle nuances of your playing.  It frees you to allow expression and creativity.

I can get up in the morning and go straight into playing some of my favourite pieces of music almost intuitively.  I don't think about what chords I am playing, but my fingers move over the piano keys of their own accord - they just know where to go!  Then I can put my creative expression into the music.  It may be some thoughtful classical music that I can get lost in, or maybe some rhythm & blues where I just start rocking.  When I have the fundamentals locked down, it frees me to concentrate on emotions.

Some Day When You'll Grow Lonely   

Watching old black & white films often provide inspiration for something Cinematic, Exciting, Sophisticated, Timeless and Classic

When starting in photography it is easy to get hooked up on concentrating on where to frame your subject, thinking about Rules of Thirds or Golden Ratios.  We can get bogged down in getting our lights at a particular angle because we are following some tutorial or diagram.  The resulting images can be competent, but lacking in flair.  It becomes that unremarkable meal in a restaurant that is perfectly cooked, by the book, but lacking in surprise and excitement.

Myself and Bergit can often find ourselves going into auto-mode when creating sets and putting up lights for each other.  We do a lot without thinking, and that frees our minds to concentrate on the special elements that can make an image stand out.  Remember that just doing something quickly does not mean it is done well.  Research and practice your craft thoroughly is one of the rules of success.  Don't just get a new camera with 50,000 focus points and the ability recognise 1,000 faces in fractions of a second - they are gimmicks and won't make you more creative!

Neither should you be shooting hundreds of frames every hour - it simply wears your shutter out!  You should be asking yourself - Is it creative?  Is it improving on something that has gone before?  Is it going to connect and be memorable?  Is it going to fundamentally change the way someone feels?  Is it going to "wow" them?

If your images are to stand out, then they need to have a "Big Idea".  Of course they should be technically competent, but those skills should be second nature.  Your idea should fly right into the soul of the person who you are aiming at.  These could be beautiful portraits or wedding images that reduce the recipients to emotional wrecks (in a joyous way).  They shouldn't be saying "nice photo" - that's not enough.  The same with brand photography - it's got to grab the viewer and force them to feel something and get the message firmly and unforgettably implanted in their soul.  (That's an example of Advertising Overdrive)!

Ask Questions:  Challenge assumptions and inquire about the world around you.  Curiosity thrives on questions.

As children we asked questions.  Sensible questions to us.  Because we wanted to know things and discover things.  We made suggestions for improvements, and asked "what if . . . " with our enquiring minds.  As we grew older it seemed somehow inappropriate to ask such things.  Adults would say "don't ask stupid questions".  We should already know the answers, the elders told us.  And gradually we stopped asking and enquiring and we settled for the norm because "that's just the way things are."  For some of us anyway.

Seashore ReflectionSeashore Reflection

A photo my late father took on his Rolleiflex - just seeing his own reflection in a different way.  Creativity can often come about from simple things.

If you know the wonderfully funny and poignant coming-of-age film "The Breakfast Club" you will know exactly what the teenage Allison Reynolds means when she says:

"When you grow up, your heart dies."

Many years ago before he became very famous and went to Hollywood I was chatting to novelist, artist and filmmaker Clive Barker (Hellraiser, Nightbreed, Candyman) in a phone call and I asked him about the existence of the monsters in his books.  He said his beliefs were very Freudian - if the monsters exist in his mind, then they exist.  Somewhere.  Anywhere.  They exist.  If you can think of these things then they come from somewhere and exist somewhere.  Clive was already a hero of mine and I remember his words to this day.  It was inspiring for me to chat with someone with so many creative thoughts.  He never stopped believing in Puff The Magic Dragon, or Father Christmas - his creativity kept asking questions.  Another great lesson for us creatives.

So you need to exercise your creative brain.  In the next part of this article we go into some practical things you can do throughout the week to stretch your ideas and help you find new ways of improving your photography.  We can give you some starter ideas for projects which are simple to do, but pose challenges for you to overcome.  Just spend a little time in our "Photographer's Gym" and you will be begin to feel all the better for it.

If you can't wait for Part Two, and want to connect with us - find us on Facebook as ourselves or Barnett Photo Studio, on LinkedIn or many other places - be creative and drop us a line!