Originally posted by blackcloudbrew One thing you can do is to always have your camera with you.
This is basic. ALWAYS have a camera with you. Whether or not I'm carrying the K20D (which is as much as possible) I will ALWAYS have a P&S in my pocket. I have a no-skid pad at the edge of my car dashboard, with my K20D positioned as I drive, so that I can always stop and shoot. Walking around (other than in my boring home locale) I have the K20D over my shoulder or around my neck or at least in my carry-bag.
[I was going to say that if you don't have a camera on your person, you aren't a photographer. That is incorrect. Some noted photographers never touch a camera, just set up lighting and positions, and let flunkies handle the sh!t-work. But that's on another level.]
Yesterday my lens-of-the-day was a 162mm enlarger lens on bellows and tubes, set for non-macro photography, with focus from 20cm to infinity. I shot from the car window, and walking on the street. I wandered inside a craft-antique retail warehouse, shooting artifacts and grab-portraits. I shot cloudscapes and cityscapes. And with my P&S, I shot panos to stitch together. I always watched for shots. Whenever my hands weren't otherwise occupied, I shot.
All that is grab-shooting. Planned shooting requires a bit more... well, planning. If you have a picture in mind that you want to create, allocate the time for it. Say your regular commute takes you past some picaresque scene. Give yourself the time to stop and compose and shoot. To FORCE yourself to take the time to make a picture, use a tripod. Do whatever it takes to slow yourself down, stop moving, concentrate on images. Use the camera as a tool (and excuse) for useful meditation.
Last edited by RioRico; 05-21-2011 at 09:57 AM.