If you asked someone who knows me well or knows my work, they would tell you I am a portrait photographer. I am rarely found without people in front of my camera. I also tend to shoot primarily in natural light on specific locations. Just because something is what I "tend" to shoot, does not mean it is the only place I find inspiration. Actually, recently it has been quite the opposite. I have found some inspiration in more unlikely places, like creating and shooting still life images with my students. On occasion, I bring my own camera to class. I need to push myself to shoot for the sake of creating and not just as a camera for hire. This tends to be the struggle of the creative who has found a way to make a living at his or her craft.

I had forgotten a former love of creating still life images for photography and painting. Using lighting techniques and simple objects, one can create lots of interesting images. I think approaching an entirely different technique in the same medium is a great way to get the creative juices flowing! I just might try it again soon!

“Do whatever brings you to life, then. Follow your own fascinations, obsessions, and compulsions. Trust them. Create whatever causes a revolution in your heart.”
― Elizabeth Gilbert, Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear

Emily Troutman Photography