The Photo Experiment Inspiring Creativity with Blank Space
Inspiration can be a very fickle thing. Sometimes it strikes you at the perfect moment and you are able to act upon it, others you might not have the means to channel it into your work…and sometimes it just doesn’t seem to come at all.
Inspiration is one of the main driving forces behind many creative industries, including photography, so it is a crucial to the success of many different art forms that some form of inspiration arises at some point of a project.
However, Canon Australia believed that there was more to gaining inspiration than meets the eye, and set up an experiment to put 6 photographers to the test by inviting them to a studio and giving them no information as to why they would be there.
This experiment is known as the BLANK challenge.
A Blank Canvas
As the photographers arrived at the studio, they were met by a completely empty studio, with only a white backdrop and lighting present. There were no props for them to use, and they were told that taking a selfie was not allowed.
They were allocated 30 minutes to take any picture that they liked and be as creative with their shots as possible – something that many people would possible find a daunting task. Surely you can’t create art from nothing, can you?
The aim of this experiment was to test just that; to find out how these photographers would take inspiration from seemingly nothing and produce a range of photographs which are visually appealing.
Using Creative Intuition
After wandering around for a while, scoping out potential photographic opportunities, the photographers began snapping pictures in the blank canvas that they were presented with.
Interestingly, each photographer took a very different approach to what they photographed. Some took off items of their clothing, such as shoes, jumpers, necklaces and socks and used them to create a composition for them to capture. Others used their own bodies to create shadows or photographed body parts.
One photographer even used their items of clothing to capture motion, dropping the items in front of the camera lens and capturing the motion of them falling to the ground.
All in all, each of the photographers captured some shots in a seemingly barren environment, but what does this say about gaining inspiration?
According to Canon Australia, “creativity needs nothing but you”. This is reflected in the outcome of their experiment in which every photographer managed to think creatively with no access to any props or any direction from the experiment team.
It appears that the only thing that you need to gain inspiration is yourself – nothing more! You have a great mind, put it to good use and go with your instincts!
Here at Camera Exchange Store, we love hearing about fantastic photography stories like this, and as a used camera exchange we wonder what stories the cameras we have here could tell!
If you’re looking to trade your old camera in for cash and want to know more about how we can help you, don’t hesitate to get in touch with us today on 0208 371 4179 or head over to our Facebook and Twitter pages to find out all our latest camera and photography news!
