What To Photograph: 151 Things To Photograph

At times it can seem like there is absolutely nothing around to photograph and you are left with the dilemma of what to photograph. We have already done all of the regular photo subjects, from the birds on our backyard fence to our states or countries most famous landmarks, and we are having trouble coming up with ideas of things to photograph.

Coming up with something new to open our creative eyes, and stir us off of that soft lounge chair can seem impossible at times. In truth, finding new subjects to photograph isn’t that difficult.

All it really takes is paying a bit more attention to the things that are already around you – those common, everyday objects.

Often we go places and look only at the big picture. In the mountains, we may look at all of the peaks instead of seeing the small patch of mushrooms growing on the side of a nearby fallen tree trunk.

In fact why not even explore the incredible world of everyday insect photography? Find out how to get into this amazing micro world with our expert insect photographers tutorials here.

Even in our own backyard flower beds, we have a tendency to only see the flowers, and miss the ladybug on a blade of grass right under it.

Finding new subjects does not require a single new piece of photo equipment. In fact the ONLY thing that it does require is a few more minutes of your time. Enough time to stop and really look around you. It isn’t enough to just look at things.

You have to really “see” them. The old saying; “Stop and smell the roses” applies here. You can’t create that image if you don’t “see” it.

Let’s Look At A List Of What To Photograph

For those of you who need a jump-start on what to photograph, I have composed a list of over 150 photo subjects below, and/or themes. It was meant to be 101 subjects to photograph, but I kept finding more and more things to add to the list. This will happen to you as well.

The more you learn how to “see”, the more photo subjects you’ll find. In fact, if you stick with it, you will find yourself with more things to photograph than a lifetime will allow.

This can get you started, but it is always best to create your own list of what to photograph. That way it will be tailored to your personal likes. I have found that the way to create your own subject list is to first pick a “theme” from which to work.

One of my personal favorites is “old things.” All you need to do is start writing down all of the things you can think of within each list. For me, I just kept thinking of all of the old things that are in my hometown and the list just kept growing. As you fill the list for your first theme you will see how easy it is to find new subjects.

You will probably even be amazed at how simple an idea it really is. It’s not even anything that requires practice. Subjects just seem to flow right within a theme list.

Try it, you’ll like it!

Here’s a photographer’s idea list of things to photograph.

A – Animals, Apples, Arrows, & Arches

B – Bad Weather, Bald Heads, Balloons, Bare Feet, Bees, Bears, Bells, Bicycles, Bottles, Bridges, Broken Glass, & Butterflies

C – Canoes, Cats, Cherries, Children, Church Windows, Circles, City Skylines, City Street Scenes, Clouds, & Covered Bridges

D – Dancers, Doors & Door Knobs, Dishes, Dogs, & Ducks.

E – Elevator, Environmental Trash, Eyes, Eye Glasses, & Eggs

F – Farm Animals, Feathers, Fences, Flags, Fire, Fire Engines, Flower Petals, Close-ups of Forms in Nature, & Fountains

G – Gates, Gears, Graffiti, Gardens, Glass, & Green

H – Hands, Hills, Hats, Horses, Horns, Hallways, & Harbors

I – Ice / Icicles, Ice Cream, Infants, Ink, Insects, & Ivy

J – Jewelry, Junk, Jaguar, Jets, Jelly Beans, & Jugs

K – Kitten, Keyboard, Keys, & Kites

L – Ladybugs, Leaves, Legs, Looking “Down,” Looking “up,” Light Bulbs, & Locks

M – Masks, Machine Parts, Mirrors, Movie Theater Fronts, Money, & Mushrooms

N – Neon Signs, Nuts & Bolts, Numbers, Nighttime, & Noodles

O – Ocean, Old Things, Orange, & Ornaments

P – Pairs, Paint Brushes, Parallel Lines, Peeling Paint, People At Work, Peppers, Piano, & Porches

R – Rabbits, Railroads, Rain, Rainbows, Red, Reflections, Rope, Round Things, Rust, Ribbon, & Rose

S – Sail Boat, Signs, Sand Patterns, Sea Shells, Self, Shadows, Silhouettes, Skulls, Sleeping Animals and People, Smoke Stacks, Snakes, Snow, Soft Curves, Spaghetti, Spoons, Stairs, Stars, Statues & Monuments, String Instruments, & Swings

T – Tattoos, Toads, Tombstones, Tools, & Tree Knots

U – Umbrellas, Utensils, Uniforms, & Ugly (whatever that means to you)

V – Vines, Valves, Vases, Vignettes, & Vegetables.

W – Watches, Waterfalls, Weathered Wood, Wheels Windows, & Wings

X – X-rays, Xmas & Xylophones

Y – Yellow, Yards & Yoga

Z – Zebra, Zoos & Zigzag designs

Create your own theme based  list of what to photograph and keep that camera with you at all times, really “see” what’s around, and you’ll find endless photo possibilities.

by Paul Faust