10 Photoshoot Prompts To Try When You Need To Get Out of a Creative Rut

As creatives, we’re bound to experience a rut at one point or another. Sometimes these ruts can prevent us from producing work we’re proud of, but we occasionally need to push out the “bad” ideas before we can tap into our creativity. Whether you’re currently experiencing an artistic rut or are saving ideas for when the time comes, try at least one of these prompts to assist with expanding your imagination. In this list of photoshoot prompts, we’ve added some starting points and ideas to try if you need a little push. Even if you don’t want your final images from these prompts to ever see the light of day, that’s okay because you pushed yourself creatively.

1. Capture what makes you feel alive

   1. No matter how big or small, capture an object, an emotion, or an event that makes you feel alive. Maybe you’re an adrenaline junkie and feed off of the high going on a roller coaster gives you. It’s possible that having a good cry session after watching a sad movie makes you feel alive.

2. Capture a self-portrait

   1. Time goes by way too fast, so capturing yourself in the present can be a fond memory to look back on when you’re older. Focusing on yourself, your likes and dislikes, and tuning out the noise is crucial to getting out of a creative rut. What better way to carry out those actions than capturing a self-portrait?

3. Capture a Fall bucket list item

   1. Even though Fall hasn’t started *just* yet, the welcome mat has already been rolled out for Pumpkin Spice. Take this state of limbo between Summer and Fall and write down a couple of things you want to accomplish in the upcoming season. Whether you want to go on a hike to see the Fall foliage or go apple picking, take your camera with you and capture these things from any and all angles.

4. Capture what grief feels like

   1. Similar to seasons, grief is like this revolving door of change. After experiencing loss, grief can take many forms; at times grief can feel like the heaviest, most all-consuming thing in the world, and other times it sits on your shoulder quietly as you complete mundane tasks in day-to-day life. Everyone grieves differently and that’s okay, your images don’t have to be aesthetically pleasing, they can be as messy and raw as you want them to be because photographs come in all forms, just like grief.

5. Capture two people in love

   1. You could go about this prompt in a multitude of ways; maybe you have two best friends who are madly in love and you just want to capture their daily life. Or maybe you don’t have any friends who are actively in love, so challenge yourself to find subjects who are. You could go to a coffee shop, a park, or even walk around the grocery store to try and capture people in love (with their consent of course!).

6. Capture what girlhood feels like

   1. With the release of Greta Gerwig’s box office hit, Barbie, earlier this Summer, girlhood was at the forefront of everyone’s minds. If your parents still own some toys or cherished stuffed animals from your childhood you could capture those. If you have kids you, could capture them playing outside and running around with laughter that’s laced with joy and innocence. Maybe you have a set of photographs from your childhood that have special meaning; you could incorporate those into your photoshoot.

7. Capture your best friend

   1. Best friends come in all forms; you could capture your sibling, your childhood best friend, your spouse or partner, your pet, another family member, or your current best friend. Also, you could take it a step further and capture them in their element to make the final images more raw and intimate.

8. Capture what embracing your flaws feels like

   1. In a world where we see re-touched and filtered images more often than not, capturing your flaws can feel very exposing. You obviously don’t have to share your final images with the world, but even keeping them for just yourself can be liberating. Releasing the control that your flaws have over you can be very freeing.

9. Capture every member of your immediate family + their story

   1. With the holidays coming up, there’s no better time to capture your loved ones. If your grandparents have an inspiring story about their love, traveling, or an anecdote about their past, take a moment to capture those things. If your mom is a great cook, capture her cooking your holiday meal. You could always capture each member of your immediate family and compile their stories into a photo documentary as a holiday gift.

10. Capture an adventure from start to finish as a photo documentary

    1. Sometimes we don’t know what to do with ourselves on a day off. Try taking yourself on a solo adventure and capture any moment that feels special to you. You could also gather your closest friends for a fun day out and take some candid images.