Today's show discusses ten ways to motivate your photography. We all need it sooner or later. If you get into a rut and just don't feel like doing the same thing, you stop taking photos. Then you realize that you actually love photography. It's just that you need something fresh.

Here's how to find your motivation.

1: Find Your One Thing

Did you ever see the movie, City Slickers? There's a scene in the movie that describes the secret of life.

Check out the video clip below. The One Thing starts at 2:05 into the clip.  There's a small bit of adult language here.

Subscribe to my YouTube Channel

Basically, there's only one thing that's truly important in life, and you have to figure out what it is. I found it's the same with photography.

What is it that really matters to you?

I already knew that I whittled my subject list down to Portrait and Travel photography, but that wasn't enough. There was something beyond my subject choice that was missing.

I needed to find my “why.”

Why are these subjects important to me? What is it that's going to make me want to get out of bed and be excited about photography? What's my end game?

Once I answered those questions, I knew what I needed to do. Now I'm doing it.

You can, too.

2: Get Someone to Critique Your Existing Photos

Having a useful, serious photo critique can open your eyes. We're all a bit defensive about our photos, and yet we can also be insecure about them. Enduring a critique may seem like something scary.

It isn't.

A critique from someone who truly understands photography better than you do, and also wants to help you succeed, is really a wonderful experience.

My first real photo critique was at Photoshop World in Las Vegas by Mike Kubeisy. Some people get really wound up about these critiques. I was waiting in the hall outside of the critique room when an elderly woman came out and dramatically fainted right at the door.

It was all for show.

She just had her critique from Joe McNally, who apparently was one of her heroes and she found the experience…somewhat emotional. So she dropped like a dead fish.

Joe, being the kind man that he is, came up to the door to check on the woman. By that time she'd gotten up right after she flopped and he asked if she was alright. I let him know that she was flustered after her experience, which really seemed to surprise him.

He said, “It's just a critique.”

He's right.

So after that show, I venture inside and show Mike my photos. Let's face it, they needed work. Mike never showed me anything negative about my photos. Instead, he provided insight to some changes I could make next time around. For example, turning the wrist of one female model has a slimming effect.

One thing I really remember was his comment about models who touch their face or the side of their head.

“It always looks like they've got a toothache or something.”

Basically, it isn't a natural movement. You don't see people standing around with their hands like the poses of many models. He's right.

Since that moment, I never shoot models when they raise their hands up to their face in “model poses.” Partly because of his feedback. Partly because I'm tired of seeing armpits.

Since then, I had more photography reviews. When I attended workshops with Joe McNally, a review of the previous day's work starts off with everyone. Joe was always kind, yet constructive, with his critique.

Basically,