Creative Prompt: Make something from One Photograph

by Patsy Carvalho

When working on a project you probably go looking for photographs, moodboards, articles, or another reference. And then you find more. It is time to challenge that instinct. What if, instead of continuing collecting, you use what you have? A photograph you already have. That is the challenge: One photograph.

Choose one photograph from your camera roll, a photo album, or something you have taken a picture of recently. 

Stay with it. Do not go looking for more, or a better one. This one is your start.

Before going into Illustrator, photshop, procreate, or whatever tool you use, look at the photograph. I mean actually look at.

What colors are there?  What is the direction of the light? What shapes do you see repeating? Is there typography in the background? What textures do you see?

This is where you practice what this issue is pressing: pay attention.

Now, choose one fragment or element from the photograph. Maybe it’s the particular red of the old sign in the background. Maybe it’s the shape of the shadow.

That one observation is your material. Now, lets make something.

This could become any number of projects such as a poster, collage, color palette, typographic experiment, or editorial spread.

The goal is not to make something that needs to be published, but to see how far a single observation is able to go.

Seriously…

Pick up your phone,

Open your camera roll.

Do not scroll for inspiration.Choose one photo.

Look at it again.

Find something that you missed.

Take something from it.

Make something.

One photograph. Nothing else. See how far you can go.