5 incredibly inspiring photography documentaries to kickstart your creativity

Ever find yourself in a creative slump? I do, quite often. I actually wrote a blog post about how to get out of one, which you can read here. My last suggestion in this post was to watch some inspiring documentaries or videos about photography. This is the one thing that always seems to work for me when I'm in need of a motivation boost. So I’d like to share with you my favourite videos, to save you from scouring the internet for your own. They’re all quite different, some are longer than others, but I personally find them all incredibly inspiring, and I hope you do too!

1.     ARCTIC SWELL – SURFING THE ENDS OF THE EARTH

This documentary is similar to the one on Netflix called Under an Arctic Sky, which is an absolute must-see. This shorter video goes more behind the scenes with photographer Chris Burkard and his expeditions to the arctic to shoot surfers in freezing water. Even if you’re not interested in surfing or photography, you might feel inspired by his pure dedication to his craft.

2.     CAPTURING THE PERFECT WAVE WITH PHOTOGRAPHER CLARK LITTLE

This short video from Nikon Europe documents the story of Clark Little and how he got into photography. He started photography later in life with no formal education, just like myself, so I personally find this one really inspirational to me.

3.     NIKON D5: INSPIRED – BEHIND THE SCENES

This is a promo video from Nikon Asia for the Nikon D5 and shot exclusively on the Nikon D5. It goes behind the scenes with a fashion photographer, sports photographer, wildlife photographer, a photojournalist, and a motorsports photographer. Even though I’m not particularly interested in all these types of photography, I find each person inspirational in the way they talk so passionately about their work.

4.     NINE PHOTO COMPOSITION TIPS (FT. STEVE MCCURRY)

As someone who learnt photography almost entirely from YouTube, I’ve watched a lot of photography tutorials. This short 3-minute video stayed with me as one to remember. The tips are to-the-point, easy to understand and inspirational for a reason that I can’t quite put my finger on.

5.     DAVID YARROW REVEALS HIS PHOTOGRAPHY SECRETS – LEARN PHOTOGRAPHY

This last one is possibly my favourite. I find David Yarrow very likeable and his work is simply jaw-dropping. He claims that in 12 months, he takes only 6 great images. Again, I think I’m inspired by his dedication to getting that perfect shot. If you only watch one of these videos I’ve suggested, make sure it’s this one.

If you’re interested in reading more about documentary photography, here’s another useful resource from Pixpa.