It is very hard to stay constantly creative, even more when you are shooting each week, sometimes in very similar settings. Gathering a creative energy can prove to be a real challenge. Add to that stress or fatigue and you are definitely in a for a rough ride.
Everyone has his own style. Everyone needs to have this visual identity that sets her / him apart. But how do you build on that? I have my own personal creative sensibility, I have a lot of things that appeal to me, and in consequence, my visual style is a mixture of all the things I like and admire, whether it be photography, painting, movies or music. I believe that you build your identity based on all of these things that you truly love and truly admire.
The truth is, I constantly try to be inspired and pumped by exterior sources. I always keep a folder on my computer where I gather all the things I like at the moment. It can range from anything: movie posters, fashion commercials, graphic creations, others photographers shots even some comics scans. When I find something I like in a magazine, I have a tendency to tear the page apart and keep it for future use, same thing when I find something I like online.
Simply because all these help me enhance my visual style. This is basic thinking on my side: if it’s something I like then most certainly this means that this is something I would like to do myself. It will serve as an inspiration and will somehow be part of my visual identity. Moreover it boosts my creative vision.
For example here is a commercial I really like (it’s for CK Jeans). Very simple and clear setup and yet strong representation of characters.
And here’s how I incorporated this in my work.
I clearly add this CK jeans image in mind while I was shooting, but yet the result is different because I added my own twist on it, and my own sensibility came into play.
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