Where do I get photo ideas for content?

Are you looking for people or places to get photo ideas for content? Here’s where I do to find inspiration to create content.

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As a content creator, I’m always thinking about creating. I’m thinking about what to write next on my blog. I’m thinking about what to talk about next on my podcast. I’m thinking about what photos to share next on Instagram or what videos to create next for TikTok. It seems like I’m on a never-ending cycle of thinking, creating, and publishing content.

I wasn’t always this way though. For the first two years of my blog/Instagram, I barely produced one blog post a month. When I made the conscious decision to take my blog/Instagram more seriously, I started looking for places to shoot and brands to work with.

This week, I had the question: “where do you get photo ideas for content?” submitted by @stylishtourists on Instagram stories.

Thank you Elena and Nadia for asking this question! I feel like I’ve figured out where I can go to find ideas of where and what to shoot next.

Here is where I get photo ideas for content for my social platforms, blog, and podcast:

Instagrammable Places:

One of my favorite things to do is to create Instagram guides for each city I visit. I’ve made Instagrammable places guides for San Francisco, Los Angeles, Portland, New Orleans, and more. When I discover a new place like a cute coffee shop or a colorful mural, I’m always so excited. Usually that excitement fuels my creativity and I start thinking of different ways I could shoot in that space.

For example, when we went to Arizona this past December we stayed at Hotel Adeline. This one hotel had so many great photo spots that inspired my outfits and poses for the photos.

Pinterest:

Pinterest is one of my favorite platforms to share content and find inspiration for photos. Before Brandon and I shot for our Save the Dates this past January, I went to Pinterest for couples photo shoot ideas. I’ve also turned to Pinterest when I’m putting together instagrammable places guides.

If you have a photo shoot idea, like shooting with your best friends, I recommend going to Pinterest to find inspiration around that topic. You’ll get to see how other people created their photos around that topic.

Emma's Edition - Fremont Seattle - Washington

Instagram:

Like Maddy and I mentioned in episode 15: 5 Guiding Questions to Help You Generate Content Ideas, I turn to other influencers on Instagram for photo ideas. Content creators create content to either inspire, educate, or compel action. There’s so many great influencers out there who are creating content and inspiring me.

My advice would be to embrace other content creators’ ideas and to tag them in your photos if you were inspired by their content and recreated it on your own feed or story! Personally, I love seeing other girls’ versions of the #PostItPositive Challenge. I’ve been resharing them on my Instagram stories and I plan on sharing all their photos in an upcoming blog post.

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A post shared by Emmalynn Cortes Ellendt (@emmasedition)

Analytics:

One way I find photo ideas for content is to look back at my Instagram and Google Analytics. I love seeing the photos/videos performed well in the past. I usually do an Instagram audit once a quarter to see what themes resonate well with my audience.

For example, I know my audience always responds well to photos with flowers. I’ve taken this insight and continued to create content with flowers.

Everyday Items:

Believe it or not, every items inspire me to create photo ideas. One of my favorite examples of this is magazines. I’ve used magazines as a backdrop and a prop for photos. I was getting ready to put together a collage one weekend when it dawned on me that I should put the cut out words on my face for a photo shoot.