Inspiration Collection - June
This month I wanted to do something a little different, and pull together some pieces of inspiration that weren't directly photography related. It's so important to be inspired by a variety of things, and to look outside of one specific art form or source of media. Be creative, look to unexpected places for inspiration and think about how that can feed back into your photography - you might be surprised by the results.
Top of my recommendations are art and design books. A quick flick through them when you're feeling uninspired by the virtual can set off a spark of fresh thinking, and they're great to have around, stacked up as decor. Look in charity shops or secondhand bookstores for one-off, affordable options, especially if you find yourself drawn to vintage styles and aesthetics. I've found great photography books in the back of a charity shop before as well.
Some of my current favourites:
Graphic: Inside the Sketchbooks of the World's Great Graphic Designers. As the name suggests, this is a collection of photographs from within the pages of sketchbooks, ranging from collage artists to illustrators to cartoonists. I love getting this look into an artists way of working - seeing their thought process on the page and the world through their eyes.
Apartamento is one of my all time favourite publications. They release an edition of the magazine twice a year, and recently brought out a beautiful coffee table book to celebrate their ten year anniversary. They go inside the homes of creatives, photographing these spaces in all their messy, realistic glory, accompanied by an interview. It's perfect for anyone inherently nosy - I love the photography style and this behind-the-scenes access.
You can never have enough magazines around either - independent magazine shops like Magma and Rare Mags are filled with cool publications and inspiration in so many forms.
Photo by @thatschic
Rachel Nguyen creates content unlike anyone else I've seen online. Prepare to spend hours working your way through her Youtube videos and then move on to her blog posts, and Instagram page. She always has a really interesting and unique way of presenting her content, evolving to a new feel and style every few months and her videos are thoughtful and honest. I'm always so inspired by her creativity each time she takes on a new project.
Screenshot from Abstract, featuring Cas Holman
Abstract is a Netflix show all about design and designers. Each episode focuses on a different discipline, interviewing some of the most highly regarded designers in their field. Interesting and invigorating, it explains what designers do and how design affects all aspects of our lives. If you're looking for something new to watch, definitely give this a go.
Photo by @shotnotfromthestreet
Things are opening up again! Go out to your local galleries, cinemas, museums and take advantage of all the sources of inspiration around you. Do things you wouldn't usually - a new film genre, see a piece of theatre, visit a different park (and always take your camera with you). Look to the architecture, all those buildings you walk past everyday and probably never look at in detail - take photos of them with the light at different angles, in different weather. If you are able to, immerse yourself in new and creative things outside of the virtual space - Instagram and Pinterest and online resources can become so similar and repetitive.
Illustration by Rebecca Hsu - @rebeccahsu_
Websites like Creative Boom, Creative Review and Colossal are worth regularly checking in with - they boast articles, imagery and inspiration pieces from across multiple creative disciplines, including film, illustration, graphic design, art and culture. There's always something new and exciting to find across the sites.
Photo by @breaudreygraham
Newsletters have made a bit of a comeback in lockdown and have quickly become the new way to blog and share content. I’ve loved signing up to different ones and receiving personal essays and reviews and recommendations directly into my inbox each week. Scroll through Tiny Letter or Substack and see what takes your fancy - there will be streams of options for whatever topic you might be interested in.
Some I've been loving recently are; The Face's newsletter, with a round up of culture articles, music and art recommendations, Just to Delight by Bre Graham, which is all about food and eating and Maybe Baby by Haley Nahman which brings cultural commentary, recommendations and the feeling of catching up with a friend!
If anyone has some photography newsletter recommendations let us know!
Author : Becca Knight
