It happens to baseball players all the time. It is the much feared “slump”. A productive hitter suddenly can’t hit the broad side of a barn. Each day that goes by only increases the pressure to perform. The harder you try, the worse it gets. The worse it gets, the pressure increases even more. It becomes a vicious circle. There is only one way to end it. You have to take a deep breath and go back to the basics.

It is the same for creative people. One day you have so many ideas that you don’t know what to do with them. Then one day, nothing works. You have ideas, but they fall short of your normal standards. The pressure begins for you. You work harder on something that you know in your heart is not your best work. So you stop and start another project that also falls short of your normal standards. So you stop again.
You have to take the example of the baseball player and go back to the basics. Clear out the forced ideas and make room for the ideas that normally come naturally to you. Take time to go back to the basics. How do you do this?

- Give your mind a break. Take a few days off and don’t do anything creative.

- Look at the things that normally inspire you with fresh eyes

- Play what if games to force yourself to change your perspective

- Look at your past work and ask yourself how you would do it differently now.

- If you are right handed, make your left hand dominant for a day. If you are left handed, make your right hand dominant. This will really throw your brain a curve!

- Let your mind be open to the new ideas that begin to come in. Do not edit at this point, just document any idea that comes to mind.

- Try a new approach to the beginning of a project.

- Do not begin a project that you feel is below your standard. Keep working it until you know you are on the right track.

It can be a very frustrating time for creative people who fall into a slump. But like the baseball player, you have to work through it by going back to the basics. Break the habits that got you into the slump. Before you know it, you will be back on track. You may even find your “slump” was a great learning experience that gave you a new way of looking at things.

I was out this morning for my morning walk when I found a beautiful spider web. After my walk I came back to photograph it. As I looked around, everything was covered with dew. Everything was covered, except my spider web! Fortunately, I was prepared with a small spray bottle filled with water. A few sprays later the spider web was glistening with dew drops just as it was before sunrise. Sometimes you just have to make dew!

One of the best tools in my kit is my tripod. I have had it for years. And yes, it is a bit heavier than the tripods available today, but it gets the job done.

I use the tripod for about 80% of my shooting. When I am taking landscapes, there is nothing like it. But I must admit there are times when hand held is the only way to go.

I often find myself in a crowded area or physically tight spaces where a tripod will not work. Hand held with vibration reduction can give you acceptable results for those times when a tripod is out of the question.

So the answer whether to tripod or not to tripod really depends on your shooting situation. Use a tripod whenever it is practical to do so. A tripod will give you your best chance for an amazing image.

One more thing, if you have vibration reduction in your camera and lens, turn it off when you mount your camera on the tripod. It will work against you if you leave it turned on.