It’s a numbers Game and it will help Make You a Great Photographer, Again

Are you just not feeling that photographically inspired anymore? Maybe suffering from lens lethargy?  Or, noticing that your exposures are empty, emotionless, indifferent images? Or, worst of all, experiencing a complete camera creativity collapse? Never fear, this entertaining exercise will revitalize your spirit, recharge your soul, and could cause profound photographic playfulness.

Granted, you could make an investment in a deck of photographic inspirational cards. They generally provide rewarding challenges and themes, but lack any staying power or longevity for progressing beyond a single, simple task. Plus they can be a little pricey, especially if your aperture anxiety reappears and you repeatedly seek different, more complex card decks.

It’s as easy as 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9…

A better mojo making solution is to do the numbers game. Specifically, a numbers photographic project. It’s deceptively easy to start and can become as simple or comprehensive as you want to make it. Just take your camera and take photographs of numbers. It’s that simple, sorta!

Numbers found on the street, at home, on packaging, in signs…our world is full of numbers. Your challenge, however, is to take photographs of these numbers in a consecutive manner. Huh? Yes, that’s right, starting at zero, find it and photograph it. Get it? Next up, is obviously number 1. Now keep this dream alive and locate and snap numbers and more numbers; so on and so forth. Where do you stop? Anywhere you want to stop. There are a couple of parameters, or rules, however, that you should follow:

1. Use any camera/media/format that you desire. Just remember to record and preserve all of your number images.

2. Your number sequence doesn’t need to be consecutive inside your camera. Just ensure that your numbers project’s digital images, photographs, and prints are maintained and archived in a proper sequence (i.e., a numerical progression).

3. A “found” number cannot be used for more than one number image. For example, if you spy a street address: “123 Market Ave;” you may not take three heavily cropped photographs of “1,” “2,” and “3” and use each of them as part of your project. Tsk, tsk; don’t be a cheater.

4. Create a “master” image or a collage of your entire number sequence. Continue to add to this visual display of your personal numbers project until you feel that it is complete.

Slowly, but, surely, as you progress through your numbers project you should notice an increase in creativity. A tilt here, a focus shift there, each number could become as unique as a snowflake as you discover more and more numbers in your daily life. Oh, and if this numbers project becomes too boring or simple for you, then consider switching to the hexadecimal number system for your next slump-busting project.

Enjoy.