10 Easy Ways to Start a Photography Habit Today

Are you stuck in a photography rut? Is your camera cocooned snugly in its bag and not doing anything else? Don't let your passion for your hobby die out. Here are some easy ways to get started with a photography habit today with the inspirational nudge of the web.

1. Find Photography Inspiration Every Day

A 365-Day photography project can give you something to aim for. You can do smaller projects that last just weeks or months too. The idea behind these photo-a-day projects is to put you in a constant state of inspiration so that it becomes a habit. As you develop your eye, you will see click-worthy images everywhere.

Photography Exercise: Go to new places, and meet new people (try Flickr's 100 Strangers Group). Look at billboards and print ads critically, and appreciate wall graffiti. Also, don't forget to capture your ideas on paper or digital tools like Evernote.

2. Look At Photos

Millions of photos are uploaded online every day. Your playground is vast — from amazingly creative Instagrammers to photography learning websites. Yes, it could trap you into just admiring the works of others, but then it could also push you to take your camera and do some shooting of your own.

Photography Exercise: Use a tool like Pinterest to collate your image boards around your interests. It could be photos around specific styles, or it can be simply educational, like an image board on photography infographics.

3. Study Other Art Forms

Study other art forms. Like any art form, photography has much to do with developing a creative eye. And I believe it can be learned and transferred from one art form to another. Noticing shape, texture, pattern, and style is as familiar to photography as it is to something like painting.

Photography Exercise: Browse Google's Art Project, a virtual museum bringing together some of the rarest artifacts from renowned collections worldwide.

4. Look at Everyday Things

Lack of time shouldn't hold you back from starting a photography hobby. If you only have a few minutes, there are things you can snap around the house. Pick up everyday things and challenge yourself to shoot with a different point of view. You can also try shooting them with different apertures, playing with light, or shooting in the dark.

Photography Exercise: Use Google Image Search or communities like Flickr and search for similar images to learn from. Use simple keywords for the common household items (as the screenshot above shows).

5. Shoot Around a Single Theme

Uncomplicate your photography by shooting around a single theme. It could be a single color, a single object, the routinely changing sky, sunsets, sunrises, or just about anything else like shoes. Again, you can turn to online communities like Flickr and Instagram. For instance, you can find Flickr groups and pools around everyday objects like fire hydrants, umbrellas, shoes, road signs, and anything else you can think of. Instagram also makes itself easily searchable with the help of hashtags, and you can be sure that your wildest single-theme idea has already found a place here.

Photography Exercise: Set up a photo scavenger hunt. Like other kinds of scavenger hunts, get a list of things to shoot within a time frame.

6. Shoot For a Photo Contest

Photography contests and photo challenges give you an added incentive to push forward with the photography habit — the recognition of a peer group or the fun of participating. Here are some free photo contests you can jump into today and stretch your skills.

Photography Exercise: Search for local photography contests in your city. They can offer offline opportunities to learn from your peers.

7. Do a Selfie Project

Take a look at yourself. Self-portraits can be creatively challenging and help you maintain the photography habit when you are at a loss for photography subjects and an equal one for inspiration. You can tweak a selfie in so many different ways. For instance, show something new happening in your day and use a selfie to capture it.

Photography Exercise: A photo-taking practice doesn't have to be too serious. Combine selfies with some shadow photography and see where it takes you.

8. Try Virtual Photography

Don't have access to a camera? Practice angles and framing with virtual photography. In the digital age, there are so many worlds you can explore from the comfort of your computer. High-definition games and virtual tours are perfect places to capture images and turn them into something worthy of a frame.

Photography Exercise: Exploring the world with Google Street View is an easy way to start virtual photography. Flickr even has a new virtual photography category.

9. Dust Off Your Camera Manual

The camera manual can be boring. But reading it might give you the spark to learn more about a feature you took for granted. It will help you learn more about your camera's electronics and make you a more confident photographer.

Photography Exercise: Don't read a camera manual linearly from cover to cover. Pick a feature you are interested in and practice it by clicking photos.

10. Clear the Clutter

Clutter defeats creativity. Getting into a photography habit could also involve deleting your old photos. Go through your collection and hit delete on those which aren't creatively satisfying or are near duplicates. I have often found that creating space by removing the old opens the mind to new and improved photos. It also takes you back to the time and place you clicked some inspired snaps.

Photography Exercise: See if you can improve your discarded photos with Lightroom or Photoshop. Try simple edits like an intentional blur and black-and-white conversion before you bin them. It's also an excellent way to improve your Lightroom editing skills.

Pick Up Your Camera Today

But the best way to get started with a photography habit? Get off the Internet! Seriously. Take out your camera and just go and click. You will surely be reminded why you took up the hobby in the first place. The smartphone helps us take our "camera" everywhere, so building a photography habit isn't handicapped by weightier excuses.

What's your excuse for letting the photography habit fall into the rut? What tips would you give beginner photographers to get into the groove?