When it comes to improving your photography, working on targeted projects can be transformative. They help you focus, push your creative boundaries, and refine your personal style.
Coming to you from Rupert Vandervell of New Ways of Seeing, this insightful video emphasizes the value of project-based learning. Vandervell suggests five specific projects designed to enhance creativity and help you break free from old habits. The first project, the "confinement project," challenges you to restrict your photography to a small, defined space. Whether it’s a couple of streets or a town square, this limitation forces you to truly engage with the area and find compelling images within its boundaries. Vandervell explains that choosing a theme—such as candid portraits, geometric patterns, or abstract details—helps give your work cohesion and purpose.
Another project Vandervell recommends is exploring the contrasts between daytime and nighttime photography. He advises selecting a location you’re familiar with—like a building or landmark—and photographing it during the day. Then, revisit it at night to capture the transformation brought on by artificial light. This exercise sharpens your ability to understand and use light creatively. Vandervell highlights how different lighting conditions reveal new moods, textures, and details that are easy to overlook.
Vandervell also shares an exercise from his early photography days: shooting a specific list of subjects. For instance, he suggests themes like "a white car," "a pedestrian crossing," or "pure geometry." The challenge lies in interpreting these prompts in unique ways, pushing you to think beyond the obvious. Vandervell believes these exercises help uncover fresh perspectives and refine your artistic vision, even for seasoned photographers.
That's just the start of the helpful projects, so check out the video above for the full rundown from Vandervell.
Alex, I really appreciate this exploration of project-based learning in photography. Having applied a similar approach to The Melbourne Portraits Project, I can attest to how transformative it is. By setting creative constraints and focusing on thematic storytelling, I was able to refine my vision and ultimately release a photobook:
https://kisau.com/the-melbourne-portraits-project/
Vandervell’s idea of exploring the contrast between day and night photography is particularly compelling—light plays such a pivotal role in shaping mood and narrative. Do you think structured projects like these are the key to pushing creative growth, even for seasoned photographers?
Paul Tocatlian
Kisau Photography
www.kisau.com