inspiration needed, please

Yes, and you can go and take pics of the chu-chu train blowing off steam (Via Rail). Calgarian photographers don't have this option.

Then there's the red light district. You can just pull up with the car, roll down the window and flash a few; that is if you use a flash. 😎
 
Joe,
Winters here in the Washington northwest are usually very grey/foggy and a great time to shoot Ilford XP2 with a med. yellow filter. It helps me to do B&W on these days, since there's less color/contrast outside anyway.
 
Joe, If you want to be inspired to shoot indoors, then head out to the library and check out the work of Josef Sudek.

He was predominantly a landscape photographer, but spent all of WWII photographing in his home (Nazi occupied Czechoslovakia being not too supportive of Free Spirits with cameras). Anyway, his still-lifes are amazing, lots of play with perspective, transparency, and translucency., really fun stuff, which is not what one usually associates with still-lifes/table top photography.

Sudek, by Sonja Bullaty, is an especially good book if they have it.

Best of luck..
 
At this time of year I concentrate on documenting the little day-to-day aspects of our indoor life. Groceries, food preps, bookshelves, lamps, piles of books -- it's amazing how shots like these become personally interesting over a few years.

Last night's dinner table being set.

Gene
 
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Chaser said:
In all seriousness you could track down some people to do nudes with ... if you are into nudes and can find some willing bodies. Or you could invite some people or just one person over and do some portraits...
Nothing like roasting chestnuts by an open fire :angel:
 
Todd.Hanz said:
Shoot some selfy's near a window and practice your exposures, isolate something in the snow like a leaf, play with photoshop and learn something new, take an hour or so off the RFF then comeback and see how bad we've screwed stufff up. I don't do many table top shots but here are some I've tried.

Todd

Damn it Todd, do you even ever have a bad frame?
 
eli griggs said:
Old shoes, hats and white shirts on hangers. Reflections in metal and glass. Shadows, mealsand drinks before, during and after stages, old mementos, dusty corners in attic, basement, shed( keep a look out for an old Parker for me!) and the contents of old trunks, suitcases and boxes long forgotten. Tools, plumbing, light fixtures; collections of anything numbering more than two. Neighbors, Neighbors homes, sheds, gardens, kids, family members, pets, hobbies and chintz. Hunters and Vets with favorite guns/trophies/photos. Woodworkers in their shops.
Away from the block...
I don't know what kind of access you can get but off hand the following suggest themselves to me. The lobbies of large buildings for interesting silhouettes and offices with natural light. Thrift stores, hardware stores, feed stores, china shops, antique shops, fire stations, train stations, police stations, military facilities, truck stops, pool halls, hotel bars with/without musicians/bands, local schools and school events, factories, animal shelters, stables and farms. How about some day trips by train or bus to places you've never been?
Ride-alongs with cops, taxi drivers, meals-on wheels and local bus services.
Remember to bracket and don’t forget to keep us posted with pics and updates!
Cheers


There is a multitude of great suggestions here! Thank you!
 
Inspiration? I don't know if I have any ideas to help you exactly but I do share the feeling. Gray days here in Southern Ontario don't really inspire me but I did get out today.

Took my two labs for a walk down by the Grand River, brought along my ipod with some great early music on it, put my granddad's Kodak Pocket Jr. 1A in my coat pocket with a roll of Tmax 100 in it and hoped for the best. I may not have great shots in there (they may not even develop properly...) but the combination of all those things plus a clearing sky and the first sighting of a bald eagle all came together to bring a huge smile to my face! A VERY inspiring day to say the least.
 
How about inviting some people for lunch/dinner ? That and going out there with somebody and getting inside some restaurant/coffee may get you some nice portraits / table shots.

I'm uploading some examples now, just let me scan 🙂
 
-14 today, with the wind chill -22...and i ventured out for a few shots, that was after i scraped the frost off all the car windows while the car warmed up enough to drive.

the 35/3.5 remained smooth but the fog from my breath hindered focussing a bit.
the good news is that my touque did not get in the way of shooting but those big mitts did slow me down a touch.

ah, and it's not even officially winter yet...😉

joe
 
The weather here is just as crappy as in Canada, it seems: grey, dull, cold, windy, occassional flurry of hail and rain. But I refused to sit in the house. I went out for a nice long walk and some shooting.

Joe, get that long, warm underwear out of the cupboard, put on the hood, throw on the scarf and hat, and get out there! Go where you can expect to run into a nice warm restaurant or such to warm up. Shoot, baby, shoot! You know you have to. 🙂
 
the good news is that my touque did not get in the way of shooting but those big mitts did slow me down a touch.

It might be a good time to put on a short cable release 'til the spring thaw 😉

With temperatures that low have you ever had a camera freeze to your face?

Cheers.
 
eli griggs said:
It might be a good time to put on a short cable release 'til the spring thaw 😉

With temperatures that low have you ever had a camera freeze to your face?

Cheers.

i have shot at -40 and no face freeze.

my biggest problem lately is my health. my blood pressure is being kept lower than normal so that my heart doesn't have to work too hard (my understanding) and i think this keeps me from feeling very warm most of the time.
usually i am able to handle the cold outside fairly well but these days i am cold inside with the temp at 21.
and to be clear, I WAS OUT SHOOTING THIS MORNING!

joe
 
I can't wait to have longer days again, it sucked when I had afternoon/evening classes, but now it's even worse, maybe I'm just getting old.

Well, this doesn't help Joe, sorry 😛
 
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