How To Re-Ignite Your Creativity for Wildlife Photography

Most wildlife photographers hit a wall. You shoot the same subjects. You use the same angles. You start to feel like every image looks like the last.

That’s exactly why we invited Jaymi Heimbuch—award-winning wildlife photographer, photo editor, and founder of Conservation Visual Storytellers Academy—to lead this live training. Based in Oregon, Jaymi has spent years helping photographers tell meaningful nature stories while keeping their creativity sharp.

In this session, she shared how to break free from ruts and bring variety, fun, and vision back into your photography. Whether you’re feeling stuck or just want new ideas, this training gives you practical tools to get inspired again.

What You’ll Learn in the Training

The core theme of this session is variety—how it fuels creativity, strengthens your portfolio, and keeps you excited to shoot. Jaymi walks through three powerful exercises that are easy to try, even with limited time or gear.

1. The “Alphabet Challenge”

• Pick a letter—any letter—and find wildlife subjects that match it (R = Raccoon, S = Swallow, etc.)
• You can use common names or Latin names for more flexibility
• This turns your photo outings into a personal scavenger hunt
• Builds observation skills and forces you to look beyond the obvious subjects

2. Role Swap: Think Like a Different Photographer

• Pretend you’re a different type of photographer: fashion, architecture, street, etc.
• If you were shooting like a fashion photographer, you’d focus on mood, lighting, and striking poses
• Architecture? You’d look for bold lines, symmetry, and minimalism
• This forces a change in perspective and helps you develop your own creative style

3. Memory Lane: Revisit Your Archive

• Dig into your old folders—look at images you skipped or didn’t know how to edit at the time
• Apply new skills, crop differently, or reprocess with new tools like Topaz or Lightroom
• Compare your early work with current edits to see how far you’ve come
• It’s also a great way to build a strong “before and after” portfolio set

Bonus Tips to Stay Creative

• Change locations or times of day—even your backyard can be a creative goldmine
• Give yourself a weekly theme (light, color, symmetry, reflection, behavior)
• Track your experiments and ideas in a creative notebook or voice memo app
• Let go of rules and give yourself permission to shoot “bad” photos just for fun

Who This Training Is For

This training is designed for photographers who want to stay inspired, improve creatively, and add new dimensions to their work. It’s ideal for:

• Wildlife photographers stuck in a creative rut
• Photographers who feel like all their images look the same
• Those looking to build a more diverse and engaging portfolio
• New photographers who want structured challenges to improve fast
• Busy shooters who need motivation to pick up the camera again

Real Feedback From Attendees

“Thank you, Jaymi! Lots of great suggestions and ideas in this presentation.”
— Jeremy

“Great stuff Jaymi, definitely leaving invigorated. Thank you!”
— Mishael Voisin

“This has been very enlightening. Thank you so much for everything. This has been great.”
— Sandy

“Thank you! Excellent information!!”
— Jean

“I’m headed to the Galápagos Islands next week for my first photo trip—this helped me think differently about what I want to capture.”
— Marina Pierce

About the Presenter

Jaymi Heimbuch is a wildlife conservation photographer based in Oregon. She is the founder of Conservation Visual Storytellers Academy, where she teaches storytelling, visual impact, and creative growth. Jaymi’s work has appeared in publications like National Wildlife, Audubon, and bioGraphic. She’s also a seasoned educator who helps photographers build both artistic vision and purpose in their work.

Jaymi also created the 52-Week Creativity Kit—a year-long course where you receive one challenge per week to keep your photography fun, fresh, and meaningful.

Learn more and join the 52-Week Creativity Kit.