In this episode we have a short chat about getting inspired through projects and I show you my mini collection for this week featuring rain.
Concept of Mini Projects
Eight months ago Robin Wong did a video about ‘Improving Your Photography with Mini Projects’. I love improving my photography and I love photography projects. His video really resonated with me because I discovered some time ago that I love working in collections, series or projects because it gives my photography focus and something to look forward to create.
Thus, for a few months I’ve been digging deep into the subject and consuming a lot of content in photography projects by Robin Wong, Daniel Milnor, as well older photographers like Berenice Abbott and An-My Le through YouTube and books.
Commitment to Collections
In early Spring I decided that I was going to focus on working through collections and publish them. So I did Chasing Arrowleaves, Hello Spring and my next mid-length seasonal collection is Summer in the Okanagan.
However, specifically to improve my photography, improve my collection skills and pump me with inspiration I am trying to do at least one mini project a week.
Mini Collection - Rain
Last week my mini project was documenting my first meal out. Indoor dining in Kelowna had been suspended since the end of March so Max and I got to eat inside our favourite sushi restaurant and I brought my camera along to document the moment.
This week I decided my mini collection was going to be about the rain. Earlier I had this conversation with a lady from Ontario and we were talking about the weather, the rain and I had mentioned the smell of the rain. She told me she loved the smell of the rain and that it reminded her of her home. However, Kelowna doesn’t get a lot of rain, we’re a semi-desert unlike Vancouver and Victoria. So when it rained here in Kelowna I went out to photograph the rain.
Here are the photos that I got…
When I was curating this collection I specifically chose to follow my senses. I started off with sight - the clear pools of puddles on the ground, the droplets on the leaves and flowers. Then we moved to smell, which is hard to descern in a photograph so I focused on the atmosphere in these shots. Then we moved to touch, the physicalness of rain - rain on the skin, taking cover, seeking shelter. To finish I brought you back to my original shot.
Coming up with Your Mini Project Idea
The tricky part to mini projects is coming up with the idea for the mini project. Which is why my experiment for June - Documenting, Instead of Only Creating has been handy. It’s helped me re-frame from ‘creation’ to ‘documentation’.
For example, I have Fathers Day coming up on Sunday so I want to do a mini collection around that. Next weekend I’m in Osoyoos so I have a mini collection planned around documenting that trip. There’s a new cafe Downtown that I want to check out with my mom so I have a mini collection planned to capture that moment.
The point, shifting my focus from ‘what to create’ to ‘documenting’ has helped create more opportunities.
Final Thoughts
Let me know over on the channel if you’re working on a mini project or have one planned. In the future I want to talk to you all more about photography projects!
Happy Photographing!
Beautifully Wander | Robynne Ikesaka