A few weeks ago, I was asked to photograph an old school that was for sale on some property near where I live.

The purpose was purely documentary. To show what existed so potential buyers could know what they were buying. I wasn’t supposed to be “creative” with the pictures. I was just supposed to photograph the raw fact—what simply existed.

Going into the project, I was in the mindset that nothing else but camera knowledge was going to be necessary for the job. For example, I would just need the non-creative knowledge of how to photograph in poorly lit rooms. I would need the non-creative knowledge of how to make sure all my pictures were always sharp and focused properly. I just needed the non-creative skills of operating a camera.

But now that the job is finished, and as I think back on it, I realize that creativity was actually at play during the entire photo shoot, even when I didn’t realize it. A different level of creativity. Not the kind of artistic creativity specific to what I normally do as a photographer—capturing existing beauty or creating beauty out of ashes—but rather a broader sort of professional creativity that helps one conduct a job with excellence, producing superior results than the person who is there just to do a job.

For instance, while I was on the job, it helped when I would suggest different angles, take pictures from multiple perspectives, request for all the lights to be turned on, look for better vantage points that would give a better idea of what the surroundings were like, rearrange furniture or move things out of the way . . . things that may not necessarily relate to photography specifically but make a difference in how thorough or professionally the job is conducted.

And this sort of creativity—seeking methods of creating superior results—is helpful in every area of life! Everything in life can be done a better way in the eyes of a creative person! As I seek both artistic and professional creativity in the position of “photographer”, than it will ultimately show through in other areas of life.

So, let us continue to think creatively in photography at both levels, as an artists as well as a professional in our field. And to develop both of these levels, let us not forget to remember where creativity actually originates. God hasn’t given us the spirit of fear—timidity, cowardice, just doing a job to get it over with—but instead, the spirit of power to do things well, of love to do it for the benefit of others, and of a “sound mind”, a sort of self-control that allows us to think outside the box of ourselves to look into the world of God’s perspective, the perspective of the Creator.