Many of us have dreamed of changing or inspiring the world with our art. However, that’s easier said than done. It can be incredibly difficult to stand out from the crowd when everyone’s striving for uniqueness. A change in perspective—figuratively and literally—can help.
The ‘Unspectacular Subject Photography’ Facebook group is dedicated to amateur photos that take extremely ordinary subjects and showcase them in a different light. We’ve collected some of their top photos to share with you. Scroll down to check them out! It’s perfect proof that you can photograph even the most mundane, everyday things and make them look magical.
Bored Panda reached out to talented photographer Dominic Sberna, from Ohio. He was happy to share his thoughts that could help amateur photographers out in their creative journey. Read on for the expert's insights.
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Image credits: Mal Cole
Bored Panda wanted to get the photography expert’s thoughts on how creatives can deal with the disappointment and frustrations that are part of any worthwhile pursuit.
According to the Ohio-based photographer, there is no magical solution when you don't get the results or make the progress that you want, aside from sustained effort.
"To move past the frustration of not achieving the results you want, just try and try again," Sberna told Bored Panda.
“Practice makes perfect, and even I don’t always get the results that I want,” he pointed out that no matter who you talk to, nobody will always get the results that they aim to get.
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Image credits: Amber Amber
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Love this WEBsite! Spider triplex. Lower units have more square footage. Upper unit has a better view.
Image credits: Lanny M Thompson
“Sometimes, it [the frustration] is inevitable, but other times, it just takes a different way of looking at things,” he shared his take on moving past these negative feelings.
We were curious how amateur photographers can make their images look more artistic and elevate the overall quality of their work.
Photographer Sberna said that following the "tried and true" elements of art and principles of design when composing your pictures is a very good start. You can think of these as the building blocks of art and design.
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Image credits: Deborah Smith
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The table at some restaurant. I don’t even remember where, now. Like a little island under a strange sun.
Image credits: Heather Feller
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Image credits: Debbie Joplin
For example, among the elements of art that you can consider are lines, shapes, colors, texture, form, value, and space.
Meanwhile, the main principles of design focus on balance, emphasis, movement, pattern, repetition, proportion, rhythm, variety, and unity.
“Breaking these rules is okay, too, so long as you do it in a way that works for you. Sometimes, being artistic comes down to the individual and how they view something they're creating," he told Bored Panda.
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Image credits: Moony 冷たい愛
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Unspectacular sea fan coral found in Cancun. They were all over the beach!
Image credits: Ee Laine Lam
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Just some snow on a tree, making it look like a bad 2D paper cutout
Image credits: Andraz Antonic
The Facebook group itself is fairly new as far as online communities go. It was created in late July 2022. In less than two years, the ‘Unspectacular Subject Photography’ project drew in just shy of 92k members.
It continues to grow to this day. Just in the last week, 6k new Facebook users joined.
The members of this community are incredibly active. At the time of writing, they made a whopping 10k posts in the last month alone. It just goes to show how many creative people are out there! What also helps is that the Facebook group sets a low barrier to entry.
Not all of us live right next to spectacular views of nature that we can photograph. But all of us are surrounded by lots of simple and common items.
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A pic of neon lights reflecting off of a puddle I took at Bonnaroo a few years back.
Image credits: Tyler Brooks
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Image credits: Belinda Young
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Abstract in rainy day…
Image credits: Janet Park
The beauty of the idea behind the group lies in this exact simplicity. You can take a simple leaf, traffic cone, cup of coffee, or spiderweb and turn it into a brilliant photography subject. By changing the perspective and lighting, you can turn something (allegedly) unremarkable and unspectacular into eye-catching art.
The fact of the matter is that there are no real shortcuts to being a world-class photographer or artist. At the end of the day, what truly matters is your unique style and way of seeing the world, not your gear.
High-quality photography equipment can certainly help you get the results you want; however, it won’t take captivating photos for you. Your vision and input are what truly matter. The quality of your tools only augments what’s already there.
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Pretty boring moss caterpillar.
Image credits: Hayley Whalvin
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Just a phone snap of a Raven from Hawk Hill above Golden Gate Bridge.
Image credits: Donald Kinney
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Mother Nature patiently breaking down a boot.
Image credits: Susan Mehi
Crafting and refining your unique photography style will take years of dedicated work. Not to mention that you have to be willing to experiment and open to failing with grace.
You might start out copying the photos of the artists you admire. Eventually, if you want to be known for your art, you’ll have to make the leap and start doing things differently and gently adapt the subject matter to your perspective and ideas.
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Maybe too spectacular, but too cool not to post- ghost leaf I found yesterday.
Image credits: Haley Michelle Jimenez
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Blowing the snow off my deck and all these cute little frozen paw prints remain.
Image credits: Sheamen Sky Nielsen
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Tomato on the glass table.
Image credits: Alexandra Holyk
Getting your art noticed is a huge deal. Many of us would love to have a respected career that’s purely dedicated to our creative passions and pursuits. However, it requires lots of dedication… as well as consistent effort.
Unless you are extremely lucky, your photos won’t go viral overnight. You need to slowly refine your skills over weeks, months, and years.
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Under the hydrangeas' skirt.
Image credits: Susan Howard Hill
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Some like online meetings… some don’t
Image credits: Jake R. Petersen
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Spotted on my morning walk. I have so many questions...
Image credits: Susan Mehi
On top of that, you need to find some way to showcase your work so that it fits your image as a photographer. Some folks like posting their work on social media, or they create impressive portfolios on their personal websites. Others might decide to avoid digital life altogether and focus entirely on having their photos displayed in galleries.
There’s no one-size-fits-all answer. You have to see what combination of approaches works best for you and your work.
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Puddle and Pollen.
Image credits: Yolanda Brown
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This was a lucky shot! Prism was a refraction off a crystal in the window opposite this wall.
Image credits: Kusala Tibbetts
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It's a blizzard here today. Snow drift art. By, Old Man Winter.
Image credits: Mary Margaret
No matter what kind of artist you are, you’ll eventually have to deal with a lot of frustration. For example, the results you’re getting don’t match your expectations. What really helps here is to have a growth-oriented mindset and to pace yourself in a realistic way.
Progress, very often, isn’t linear. You have to accept that you’ll have bad days or even weeks when you’re unhappy with your work. It’s how we deal with this frustration that reveals our character as artists.
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A tiny skyline on a stump
Image credits: Melissa Bradley
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Image credits: Deborah Smith
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Image credits: John Springer
A major pitfall to avoid is perfectionism. With a subject as subjective as photography, there’s no such thing as ‘perfection.’ You cannot expect to be artistically satisfied with every shot you take.
Nor can you expect absolutely everyone to ‘get’ the ideas behind your snaps. It takes a lot of courage to look at a photo you took, label it as ‘good enough,’ and then share it with the world.
The feedback that you get from other people can be incredibly valuable for your personal growth. But it takes humility to accept constructive criticism for what it is.
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Image credits: Tom McGuire
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Sidewalk garden, no help from humans needed.
Image credits: Yolanda Nunn
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Girl with a bright umbrella (taken with iPhone through the windshield in the rain)
Image credits: Yuri Pyshnoi
Which of the photos that we featured in this list caught your attention the most, dear Pandas? Which ones did you genuinely enjoy and why? What’s your personal relationship with photography like? What subjects do you tend to take pics of the most? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments!
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Image credits: Debbie Joplin
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The reflection of a Ferris wheel in a mud puddle.
Image credits: Niki Andreach
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Image credits: Debbie Joplin
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During my walks, I took this picture under a Pylon in Bredhurst Woods, Kent.
Image credits: ᛞᚨᚾᛁᛖᛚ ᚨᛪᛖ-ᛖᚤᛖ
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don't know how many photos I post, since none of them made it to the algorithm. But please enjoy this cool pattern from a close-up shot of a tree trunk. I will post the wider photo in the comment.
From my 5-6 am morning photo walk.
Image credits: Rakka Gustyan Pratama
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Image credits: Debbie Joplin
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Image credits: John Pullen
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Some sort of melon and idiot smashed at the beach
Image credits: Syndee Holt
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Image credits: Aldo Haan
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Raindrops caught in a spider’s web.
Image credits: Emily Pierce
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Image credits: Ben Everatt
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Image credits: Angie Steve Walker
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Image credits: Debbie Joplin
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Inside the upside down.
Image credits: Damien Keeton
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Image credits: Angie Harris
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The ice on my deck kinda looks like some sort of floral print
Image credits: Lauryn Ogden
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Chlorophylligree.
Image credits: Rand Om Rich
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Some weeds at my Moms house. I liked the way the light hit them.
Image credits: Jeanette Wilson
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Image credits: Jake R. Petersen
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Image credits: John Pullen
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iPad screen after it collided with a concrete floor.
Image credits: Debra Hoddinott
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Image credits: B.j. Busutil
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This was while getting my roof fixed, I thought it was a very interesting change of perspective.
Image credits: Fai Indie
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Interesting light distribution from the bathroom door.
Image credits: Angela Miller
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Image credits: Stuart Innes
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Old crops, that cast their reflections in a flooded field at sunset.
Image credits: Amber Braxton
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Image credits: Eli Iskat
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Fixer upper.
Image credits: Thomas Fouts
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Image credits: Berkana Branwen
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Ball bearings in a stainless steel bowl.
Image credits: Rob Wood
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Clear umbrella is an underrated tool.
Image credits: Dee Campbell
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Nails in a utility pole.
Image credits: Linda Geer
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Food Cart Cuisine a la Puddle.
Image credits: Carol L. Watts
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I don’t know what happened... I was just taking a photo of the garden through the window.
Image credits: Chris Famer
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Image credits: Corina Angela
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I took a pic inside of something. Guess the fruit.
Image credits: Khalabiza Balabiza
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My unspectacular photo for this morning. No editing.
Image credits: Kevin Ness
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These were on the side of my shed. I went back 10 minutes later and they had all dispersed.
Image credits: Ülle Morgan
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Image credits: Marion Callaghan
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Image credits: Francesco Marzetti
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One of the kids left their Barbie in the back yard when we lived in Kansas. I woke up the next day to this sight after it had snowed all night.
Image credits: Cindy Mims
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Image credits: Barbara Reiter
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Mannequins on a rooftop in Mexico City.
Image credits: Andrea Graw Weinbaum
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Image credits: Ewa Kryston
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Set my phone down on a ringbound journal and accidentally took a pic. Liked the abstractness and colors.
Image credits: Priscilla Shales-Landry
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Image credits: Stephanie Striffler
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Unspectacular coloured bubbles.
Image credits: Melissa Blackstock
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Image credits: Jennie Kyles
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Image credits: Susan Niles Redwine
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Image credits: Eleanor Monroe
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Apple at Sunset.
Image credits: Ken Wight
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Image credits: Jeremy Fennell
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Image credits: Debbie Joplin
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Image credits: Linda Hodges Sthreshley
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Image credits: Beto Lofer
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Back of an old dump truck. I think.
Image credits: Jeanette Foreman
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Image credits: Brian Flynn
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Image credits: West Bones
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Image credits: Anil John Nayar
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Mother and child.
Image credits: Pierre Vanmeerhaeghe
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Sweet potato in Target bathroom stall. Seattle, Washington. December 2023.
Image credits: Clara Valdes
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Asclepias syriaca??? I was very surprised then, why didn’t anyone like it? and I was immediately attracted! Most likely, people who saw this every day were not so keen on the search for beauty. They had it just like that, without searching... and at that time I was looking for something beautiful... I searched and found it. And my soul became calmer then...
Image credits: Світлана Соломахіна
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Image credits: Lee Stokes
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Runes in the reeds...
Image credits: Matt Skidgel
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Cracked windshield.
Image credits: Debbie Winters-Collins
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Image credits: Joe Taylor
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Image credits: Carol L. Watts
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Image credits: Thøm Null
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Image credits: Sebastian Syrinx
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Image credits: Joe Dempsey
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Image credits: Christopher Kane
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Image credits: Mark Greenberg
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Image credits: Anne Covington Bryant
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Image credits: Jan Schellink
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Image credits: Jesse Haug
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I dare you. I challenge you to a Man In The Moon Selfie through a toilet tissue tube.
I'll go first. Believe me you'll get in some funny positions trying to find the right lighting effects.
Image credits: Sara Bryant
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Air deposition waves from a vent.
Image credits: Lotte Har
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Image credits: Chris Famer
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Hit and run at the grocery store …. For those from the South, that is salt on the floor.
Image credits: Mark Fisher
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Image credits: Natalia Charogianni
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Image credits: Rico La
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Image credits: Becky Huyser Humes
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Image credits: רם עמיר
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Image credits: Beaney Berlinsky
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Image credits: Carol L. Watts
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Image credits: Rittik Paul
