Beginner Inspiration for photographs?

[RichJones]

I am just getting into photography and although I have an idea of the style of photographs I want to take, I just wondered where you all find the inspiration or ideas for your photos.

 

[viewfromthenorth]

Start with things that you are interested in or are nearby. There's plenty of inspiration in the forums here, or on the likes of flickr, 500px, etc.

 

[TheBigYin]

I started to write something then remembered something I read earlier today which sums it up much better than I could...

snip...

I don't think we create great pictures until were engaged with the subject, I think a camera is a secondary interest for great photographers.

Shoot what you love, the inspiration will come from within you and drive you forward. Nothing could get me out of bed at 4 o'clock to wait for a sunrise and perfect cloud formation over a pretty landscape, or to trek for miles and sit in silence waiting for a lesser spotted nut warbler, because those things don't inspire me, in fact they don't interest me at all. I can only push myself to create images of things that interest me. If the subject isn't interesting, the photography is pointless.

Strangely, I come at this from a completely opposite style of shooting - but come to the same conclusion - I know Phil really enjoys shooting people... personally, I hate it with a passion (2 weeks of being relief Ships Photographer on Canberra just before it was decomissioned left me with a profound loathing of pointing the camera in the direction of anyone), but love shooting still-life work where I can spend days and days tweaking the composition (or indeed building an entire "set" including making most of the props) - and I actually got into photography in the first place as a method of recording some of the fantastic views that I was experiencing as a keen climber/mountaineer back in my mis-spent youth. I'm with him on the "birds on a stick" though...

 

[Suvv]

I agree with the above, look through all the pictures posted on here and find out which forum you look at most and which shots you like. I love walking and like shooting landscapes, a single tree with the right lighting is fantastic for me.
Having said that I do a lot of bird watching and can sit in a hide for hours with my scope but I do not take close up pictures of birds, they do nothing for me. Birds in their environment is completely different, although if people post them on here they get told that they need a longer telephoto

 

[-Rob-]

Have a look round this forum, there is some great content to inspire. 500px is also very good for inspiration, I look at it daily.

 

[bearthephotographer]

Read lots and lots of books. Talk and listen even more. Find things that interest and drive you, and make them your topics.