One of the best things I was ever told was to let others inspire me. That wasn't directly said
to me but in an online class I took. It really stuck with me because I have always been someone that feels like being inspired is copying. Don't get me wrong there is a fine line. However, inspiration comes from everywhere. From within, the world, your past and from others. It's Okay to be inspired and decide to base something you're working on from something someone else did.
Take the inspiration and mold it into something of your own. Eventually the line of inspiration will be so far along, the original may be completely different than the newest one.
One thing that I love for maternity portraiture is using tossed fabric. At some point in time, it started with one person and now the whole industry does it. We all make it our own and hand edit them differently.
Driving around Nashville and visiting all of the local middle Tennessee parks for future maternity photography sessions is something I do to find inspiration. If you ever see somewhere that someone else used for a photoshoot, go there and think about what you can do. How can you make that place special? Maybe a bridge used by another artist inspired you and using it to create your own artwork is okay.
I recently say another photographer use a heart bowl for twins. I loved the idea and made my own set. I only had one heart bowl, so I needed to photoshop one in. I styled mine differently and used a floral background. I really made it my own. Now that I have done it, I have even seen others do it too. Everything circulates around.
What is something you really loved and felt inspired by? Did you feel the artistic spark to make it your own?
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