Help - I need to get ceative

[jim_j]

Not sure which thread to put this in - mods please feel free to move. I'm shooting products for my own home accessories business, and I'm quite happy with the general results.

I can set up the lights, camera background etc, but I am having real trouble designing a set. I can take the product but I can't come up with a concept or a theme to enhance the product and make it appealing as a lifestyle shot.

An example yesterday when I was at a trade show, we sell designer ceramic pots, a bit like a cookie jar. Talking to the guys on-set they were saying things like - stick some bread sticks in it and then you can you the lid as a dip for balsamic vinegar, put some herbs in it, etc. I guess it's the kind of thing shop display/window dressers do all the time, but I just can't come up with it myself.

My question is where can I learn this stuff, can anyone recommend courses, and would it be more a design course or an art course?

I live in greater London so there must be something available, I'm just not sure where to start or what it might be called.

 

[Alastair]

Read lifestyle magazines (or their websites), grab the freebies from supermarkets.. soak up what's current.

 

[Vass]

sounds similar to my problem, I have the kit, I can make all sorts of gadgets, but composing them into something that makes a good photo is nigh on impossible for my.

I was beginning to think you either have a creatvie gene in your body or you don't.
I hope I'm wrong.

Good luck in your endevours

 

[jim_j]

Cheers guys, soaking it up is one thing, but regurgitating it as something meaningful is another matter.

I believe creativity can be learned - upto a point, I need to learn how to see more creatively. I see Central St Martins have a huge number of short courses, but picking the right one is the problem. All you guys how studied photography formally must have had some training in what I'm looking for, I'd just like to know where I can learn the same things. - Cheers