How to cure creative block in 2,400 steps with your Canon camera

In 2017, travel photographer Travis Hodges was suffering from a creative blockage so, to get off his plateau, he decided to take a novel approach he'd learned as a photography student. He grabbed his camera, walked in a random direction and started shooting. Using this combination of formula and chance he fought his way out of his creative fug.

Here, Travis explains how you can use his technique – known as the 2,400 Steps exercise – to do the same. With the arrival of the small, light and practical full-frame mirrorless Canon EOS RP and professional-level Canon EOS R, finding your way towards greater creativity has never been easier.

"I started using the 2,400 Steps exercise in my student days while still working with 35mm film – the premise is based on the restrictions of a single roll of film. It’s much harder to keep to only 24 exposures when working digitally, but when you do, it changes your usual habits and working process enough to allow new and unexpected results."

"How meticulously you follow the rules is a personal decision. I find that a strict set of shooting rules helps to focus my efforts. One thing I wouldn’t advise is stopping at exactly 100 paces – a few steps around the area as you search for the best shot is perfectly acceptable."

2,400 Steps in Vietnam

While working on assignment in Vietnam, Travis set out across Hanoi early one morning to see what he could find during his own 2,400 steps. These are some of the 24 images he shot on that walk. They aren’t meant to be special, or even particularly good – the idea is to explore a new area and hopefully find themes worth developing further.

"I always recommend reviewing and editing work from prints. Our lives are so interwoven with the computer or camera screen that a set of physical prints will give a better perspective on the images. Sit down with a coffee (Vietnamese coffee with lots of condensed milk for me) and review your shots with your next step in mind."

"For this walk, I was seeking out inspiration for larger stories and for different project ideas that I could work on. Some stories stood out clearly and are already in development, while others will sit in my notes until they become relevant."

"Fine-art and documentary photographer Paul Graham said: 'Photography is easy, photography is difficult.' In fact, that was the title he gave to an essay of his that was published in 2009. Because of the technology available to us, the act of taking pictures is simple these days, especially for those of us who do it full time. Sometimes the difficulty comes from over-thinking.

“The 2,400 Steps exercise creates an easy set of rules to follow, a purpose and direction that can help us get past creative block by giving our inspiration that kick it sometimes needs. It all starts with just one step.”