Totally agree with the "project concept". As a young photographer, I was mainly shooting standalone photos, and there are some good ones, but I quickly realised they were a sort of an entry point to a story to be developed. So I started to force myself into creating series of at least 6 photos, as opposed to single standalone photos. Introducing small 6-photo projects helped me to not only find inspiration but also develop my story telling skills. For photography is all about telling stories, I think. So great advice Kyle !

Your portrait of the man fishing is really good! Subtle, human and also very well composed. I love that we can see his surroundings. I would encourage you to continue this river project! Could be awesome :-)

Lately I have been getting more and more interested in the local history of my hometown and I recently found a photo book about my home town with old pictures dating from around 1880 to 1930 and I thought I would be fun to recreate those pictures and compare how these places look now. I already made a map with all the locations but until now I didn't really have the motivation to pursue this 'project' further. Your video really made me wanna go out and get started on this.

Just moved from Portland, Oregon to Waldron, Arkansas lamenting how boring everything is here. Coming across your video is just what I need. Thank you so much.

Some very insightful stuff. I live in an area like this and you hit the nail on the head, as well as presenting some great ideas on how to combat the feeling of “there’s nothing to photograph”. So helpful!

Spot on. Finding a subject, as you've discovered, is a matter of « seeing » rather than just looking, being open/willing to change, looking afresh, concentrating on the particular/ personal, which can have resonance. Difficult: saying something meaningful about an often photographed place. Compare two photographs: the seminal Yosemite: « El Capitan » Ansel Adams (1952) and « El Capitan » Thomas Struth 1999 with cars in the foreground. Easier: saying something meaningful about the banal: « Fountain » Marcel Duchamp 1917 [urinal installation], « Campbell's Soup cans » Andy Warhol 1962. « Uncommon Places » Stephen Shore (1982) book of photographs.

Yes! Sometimes it is hard to find inspiration when you are in the same location over and over again. I get that with Oakville and Milton. Sometimes all it takes for me is to use a different lens (tele instead of a wide) or a different film. Generally, I keep all my notes in a notebook I keep tucked in my camera bag.

I've been enjoying your videos due to your low-key style and an obvious love of photography. When you get excited, like towards the end of this one, it's like a kid's excitement.

Great really needed video for me. I have a few projects I'm really excited about but one of the problems I had was approaching people. Your tales from the riverbank pictures have inspired me to not to worry so much though, because you show that people are really friendly and open if you just start talking to them and take an interest in their lives or hobbies; as I would be if someone approached me. So many thanks Kyle for the inspiration to make a start. 🙏

Great video, I decided to go back to my neighbourhood where I grew up and take photos of the places I played as a kid and move my camera closer to the ground so I get the same perspective as an 8 year old … so glad I did this … 👍🏼

The amazing thing is that I believe that the tips you've given here are not just for photography but can be applied to every creative process. As always, mega inspirational so thank you Kyle once again for this great content!

This is exactly what I am struggling with, thank you so much! Having a sense of direction helps a lot with coming up with things to photograph.

Yessss totally agree, I struggle here in NH especially in the winter. When I was in California and Arizona it was no problem whatsoever. But I always bring my camera with me, even at work. You just never know what will catch your attention

So good to watch this, thank you Kyle! I find your content planning, or subject/people approach, story structuring etc, so compelling. And you share these insights in such a humble way. Love it. And I find that not many other KZfaqrs are providing such content.

Very good suggestions. I am an extremely inquisitive guy in most areas of my life. But when it comes to finding interesting subjects to photograph, I become paralyzed and give up if in my mind I can't see anything worth shooting. I suddenly become a perfectionist. If the setting isn't perfect, I give up and go home. I hadn't thought about it until now. Something to work on.

I had never thought of photo projects to help me stumble into an idea. I love it. I've been very bored of my surroundings and feeling pretty uninspired so I'm going to make a note of ideas that bounce into my head and give it a shot.

Wow, love love love the first photo! Talking about a "decisive moment!"

You're such a genuine and inspiring human being, just thank you again for what you do mate! Keep it up!

Thanks so much Kyle for this! I remember asking you about projects and you have told me that you plan a video about projects and inspiration. The time was perfect for me to see this great video. Thanks so much! 🙌

Thanks, I was looking for inspiration and I found it here!

Thanks a lot for this Kyle! Really helped

I'm moving today and will probably never have to worry again, as I will have beautiful hills, great old buildings, hundreds of years old knife making workshops, castles, lakes and lots of beautiful little valleys, forests and creeks right at my disposal. This being said, even in my mundane farmland dominated, flat as a pancake current home I always loved shooting the mundane, the not so impressive everyday landscape the most, as that is what really makes you hone your compositional skills an your eye for strong images.

So glad you made this Kyle as this was my thought process just a few days ago. I have a good handful of projects I’m starting to conceptualize and figure out. As always looking forward to what’s to come.

Fantastic breakdown of this issue and how to get past it. Funny thing is I started doing this in my local area about 6 months ago and it did completely change my perspective on creating photos.

Really good outline with helpful tips! Great work!

Fantastic, I love the idea of writing your project ideas down. I started taking photos 20+ years ago as a teenager and have a list of ideas that I have just found and gone back to after not really shooting much other than family and candid snaps over the past few years. Great for the creativity.

Thank you so much for making this inspiring video and sharing your experience. I have the same habit of writing down what ever occurs to my mind which could potentialy lead me to a new photo project and watching the way you organize your notes just helped me to better organized mine.

insightful as always, Kyle. thank you for this. Stay safe!

Kyle - "One project is called Country Roads". Me - "TAKKEE ME HOOOOMMEEE" Haha but in all seriousness, this helped me because I have been stuck on what to shoot and where to go. Great advice as always Kyle.

This video came at the perfect time because I usually shoot landscape stuff but my car just broke down and I'm too broke to fix it lol

As always, thank you for making such great work and helping us improving

This is a lovely video for us down here in Melbourne Australia. We're in week 5 or 7 of severe lockdown number 7 or 8 who knows anymore. It would be lovely just to go for a walk and say `Hi' to someone else who's not me. Just to say `Hey, so good to see ya, how be ya', as the song goes. Other people are always so magnificent and so inspiring for photography projects.

i really enjoyed watching this this gave me some motivation

This is what I've been looking for! I wish I could get more related videos

Thanks, Kyle. So much fantastic and useful information here. I also uses notes on my phone to help. I find planning really long term also helps me-sometimes when I scout an area, I may decide it might look better in a different season so I put a calendar date on my phone and return later. I also find working with 'loose' themes like 'texture' or 'contrasts', means I have more choice for subject matter. Thanks again- great stuff as always!

Having come from a film beginning I love the way digital lets me warm-up if I lack inspiration. My dodge is to “photograph anything but in five technical / compositional different ways” then move to something else & repeat until I get over myself. Being digital I don’t feel the crush (cost!) of commitment using film caused. Yes, you’ve committed to the image but isn’t that a part of photography.

I love you youre the best! you make all these other analogue film youtubers look like childrens tv presenters

Thanks for this! I live in Florida in the US. It's very flat, very boring most of the time. Outlining themes and planning ideas is a great way to find things to shoot that bring joy to my work. I appreciate the tips!

I’ve been stuck in my area taking photos for a long time. Picked this place clean, I have!

Really good video! I'm from Croatia but I live in Mexico so I see things differently then people who live here. Your video ignited my brain. Now I have some thoughts that I have to write down. I only have my camera for 3-4 months ( sony a6000). Thank you and hello from Mexico City! 🤘🇲🇽🇭🇷

I needed this! Thanks a lot Kyle!

Sometimes its not about a location being boring or lacking subject material. The old saying, "one person's trash is another person's treasure" when selling used goods. To the owner, they dont want it anymore as they have had it for years and it doesnt serve a purpose or excite the owner anymore. Its because the location we live in, be it small village to large city doesn't appeal to us anymore, we have become aware of every aspect of it and the wonder and amazement of where we live no longer excites the senses as before. I live in a rural area in Australia. I really want to photography busy cities, amazing coastal areas but unfortunately I am stuck with amazing rural sunsets and sunrises, vast land full of wheat, rice and various other crops, old farm silos, classic tractors....the list goes on. I have photographer friends that live in Sydney who always tell mw how lucky I am living where I do. In turn I tell them, NO, how lucky they are living in a city that is so full of subjects. The thing is both locations are exciting, but after all these years we have both shot the hell out of them, we know every inch of our home area and so it doesnt excite anymore. Its the same principle as owning a new car, you look after it, wash it religiously every week and make sure it doesn't get damaged but after a few years all that stops, its not special anymore, its just a car. Thats the way I see it. I can't see any more life in my small town that I can photograph because I have been there for 30 years and believe me, it hasnt changed.

Holy heck the lawn bowling example is too real for me because I literally walked past my local lawn bowling club last week and asked to take some photos of them playing and did so!

This is such an insightful video!! Thank you so much for sharing this Kyle!! Loved it mate!! Cheers!!

Great vlog my friend...app installed and in use!

Without planning for it I started a project during the 2020 virus thing where I brought my camera when I go to my recycling center and throw things away, this project has saved me from completely falling into the pit of despair! The photos are nothing special, instead, it's the routine of taking pictures so that I don't forget my skills! Maybe one day I can make something from the photos too!

The one question I need to ask but never cross my mind. Thanks for having this discussed.

Good ideas & inspiration i have bought 3 used cameras that i am planning on using for my photography journey. Learning everything i can. 😊

Lovely shots mate

Some great advice Kyle. Thank you !

Discovered your channel today. What a delight!

Love your work thnx for the inspiration

Great video Kyle! For personal reasons time and travel have been reduced considerably for me these past several years and living in a very small town of an agricultural area in Florida kind of limits me on things I would love to photograph elsewhere. I generally have several themes in the back of my mind when I head out for a quick drive or walk in town but I keep my eyes open for anything that grabs my attention and having a fuji camera I can quickly change back and forth to b/w if called for, I also take notes on things that I would like to revisit at a different time to photograph but when I can't get out at all on any given day I find birds, reptiles, flowers and macro photography in my yard to take images of. There's always something to photograph it's just a matter of having an opened mind to do so, it may not be national geographic material but it does help train my visual awareness I find.

i recently moved to a small town from nyc :) I am dying here. I definely needed this.

Thank you so much! Learn a lot!

Recently came across your channel… fantastic and helpful and informative content.

Cheers for this Kyle. You've just made wanna pop out around the corner to to photograph, for the umpteenth time i might add, a piece of local wasteland. I've shot there quite a lot and have started to think I've probably exhausted its potential. I like to find beauty in the most unattractive places. Here's to hoping i can find some more this afternoon!

Really helpful, as this is exactly what I am struggling with right now. I think I will start to just focus on one colour and try to get a theme going with that. I would love to see more content like in this video!

Really great advice here. Not just for photography.

Couldn’t agree more - projects are so important. Story, voice, etc all come with a series or a project

My car broke down the other day and I had to walk home and on the way I shot like a full roll spotting all kinds of things I hadn’t seen before. I’ve been doing a lot of specific themes, church steeples mostly, but I think I’m on my way to finding a project and have some IR ideas. I’m super curious already. I’m gonna apply what you said so thanks for making this! Gonna download that app too

If ‘Banger Racing’ isn’t about racing sausages, I’ll be disappointed.

I love to see the content you bring to the photography community! Are you bringing the podcast back?

I’ve been shooting since 2009 or 10, and all my photos are shot within bicycle distance of my home. I never go further than my bike can take me and home again in one day. I don’t know if I’m just lucky that I live in a place with a lot of different things to shoot. But I “feel” like there is lots of stuff to shoot around basically everyone.

agreed, the day I made photos as part of a project/idea, things fell in place every time I stepped out with a camera.

Great tips. I do the same with my notes app and have 4/5 different projects on to go at the moment. Would love to hear more about that app you use. Also love the sound of your home on the river project.

I’d love to go out on a shoot with you one day man! Great video!

Great video Kyle

Just made a youtube video going through the same practice. It's a great way to start working on the messaging within your photography - all the while start to build a cohesive body of work. Way more challenging than it seems but a great exercise nonetheless!

Man, that image of the guy fishing is amazing.. really haven't seen shot like that before. Shot on film I presume? Could you get a similar look from digital?

I've also discovered that if I go out with certain criteria, looks, etc in mind for shots, it saves me money by not shooting absolutely everything I see... It's easier for me to make the quick decision "Does this fit what I'm after today?" If not, I keep on walking.

There's not much surface level stuff around where I live, so I just go drive out & sometimes find stuff

Would be super interesting to see your workflow using the milanote app !

Thought in the UK banger racing would involve some sausages

Absolutely great video! Lots of good ideas, there's plenty of interesting infrastructure and utility's around me. I think I'll look into a story there. I would like to say your transition slides are hard to read and not very accessible. Would you be able to try and provide more contrast or a clearer font? Thank you in advance!

Thank you for inspiring. Love your channel very much :З

Hi! Great video, thanks for sharing your thought processes. What’s the name of the “project” app that you are using in the video?

is that a Pentax 67 in the background? Backup to the 67ii ? Love the video though man! Always help me get inspired to get back out and shoot

If you haven’t, read ‘Hidden Nature’ by Alys Fowler 😺

I often find inspiration less than 50ft from my doorstep.

Thanks Kyle…. This really helps. Can you tell me the name of the app you’re using to log projects? Thanks!

Great video. Have you read "Place: A Short Introduction" by Tim Cresswell? I feel like a lot of your ideas have foundations in human geography and sociology.

kyle uploads a video cycle: I made my presets, I applied them to my shots, tweaked a little, thought "yeah this is good now", watch this video, put all images in the trash, now trying to make a new preset... 😖

Many ideas to pick up in this video. Thanks a lot. Obviously, some places are more sexy than others. However, it could be an interesting challenge to photograph ugly places. But what's ugly? I think there's also a kind of perception bias in our surroundings, worn-out by our eyes... I also have an hypothesis. It's free. Maybe there's an heritage of evolution. Into the wild, in a new place, danger can be everywhere. Where can we find food, water, make a fire? So maybe it's natural to watch out, struggling with the unknown. I wonder if there's something about photography in anthropology studies...

This is something I struggle with - my area is beautiful but nothing grabs me. I may try going to the nearby town and doing portraits but I struggle with confidence asking people if I can take their portrait

Did you get model releases for those people?

I watch this channel to really torture myself. I wish I had the time to dedicate to a project. I have a couple of ideas that i have let go because I just can’t take the time to stop and pursue. Makes me sad.

Off topic, but where is your desk from ??

Do you stay with the same camera, format and film stock for a project?

What's the app homey??

How do you command yourself to be curious about everything. I cannot do it. I think if someone does not know what to shoot, he shouldn't shoot. Just because you were foolish enough to buy that DSLR, doesn't mean that you have to shoot. Weird problem.

To be able to say "regardless of where you live", one must have lived in all the places on earth. Otherwise, you are just guessing the conditions in which other people lives. There are places where you can get beat down just for carrying a camera visibly. I'll give you real life example that i personally experienced. I and my friend are hobbyists, we decided to hang out and shoot the streets and old buildings (not the people), but people who lives in that area are very poor and generally are in some relation to criminal activities or criminals (might be family member etc) so they have a lot to hide, and when they see people who walks around with cameras on their necks, they think they are either from law inforcement, insurance companies, banks and investments, or news and media. so they immediately get suspicious and aggressive. we almost got beaten. Sometimes it can be really hard to have an interest in photography in specific places. So i personally don't believe in "regardsless of where you live" part.

'Making' an image. A term I've never used in relation to photography. Would be interested to hear why you use that particular terminology. Kinda goes against the grain to me, but I'm sure there's a reason you use it, would love to hear it.

I'm struggling to find time.

If you haven't already gone, try checking out Seven Sisters in the south, better chalk cliffs than Dover, plus a hidden cave 2km down the shore.

I'm not sure you understand Creative Block??

A useful reminder that ideas tend not to come when you're sitting on the sofa waiting for them. They arrive when you're out being curious about the world.

Kyle has NEVER been to san jose california. Everything is brown. hills, houses, buildings, fences, islands in the street, trees, lamp posts, highway overpasses, everything is brown. Come here, take some shots, let's see if you'll update this video.

dang hipsters.

Your subject topic is great and informative. Yet there is one big no no that you did that you need to correct. That is having yellow text on a light background which is hard to read. Suggestion from a former GCIU (Graphic Communication International Union) Journeyman pressman is if you want to use yellow text than have a contrasting background, like red, dark blue, dark green, black. That way your text stands out. As it is right now one has to ask why did you waste your time and effort to include the unreadable text.