Summary of Keith Dotson’s Speech to a Pro Photographers Group in Nashville

The talk focused on the importance of printing your work, recent projects, AND we looked at a lot of prints

Scroll down to read my extended written response to one question I received at the talk: How do I get out of a creative slump?

I was honored to be invited back to speak to the Professional Photographers of Middle Tennessee’s monthly meeting on July 14, 2026. I received a warm welcome, just as I did for my first speech in June 2024, hosted like before at Pixel Connection’s Nashville location.

While my 2024 speech focused on my career and how I made a viable business out of fine art black and white photography, the newest talk focused on the importance of printing, and included a “show and tell” of print samples at the end of the talk, with a wide variety of print and paper types shown.

I also discussed my most recent projects, including my photo book of abandoned places on Route 66, our recent road trip to Kansas where we shot the ruins of an abandoned one-room schoolhouse, and my long-term project about the abandoned places at Cairo, Illinois.

Discussing My Panoramic Photograph of the Coca-Cola Wall Ad Made Famous by William Christenberry

As part of my discussion, I explained the story behind my panoramic photograph of this fading Coca-Cola wall ad in Demopolis, Alabama. You can hear my brief remarks about this location in the video below.

Audience Questions

Of course, I received several great questions during the presentation. For example, I was asked to define the meaning of baryta surface photo paper. It’s a cotton or alpha cellulose substrate coated with barium sulfate, then topped with an invisible ink-receiving layer.

I was also asked questions about my work that was featured in Grey’s Anatomy for several seasons. But, one question question stood out because I think it’s a common problem. See my extended response below.

How Do You Get Out of a Creative Slump?

An audience member asked a question that I think a lot of people can relate to: How do I get myself out of a creative slump?

Before I give my answer, let me say that in a previous career I was a Creative Director who supervised teams of creative people — writers and graphic designers. Since I knew it was my job to help them keep inspired and motivated, I made it my business to study this very topic.

Some suggestions for getting out of a creative slump are listed below:

Refill your well: If you feel all of your creativity has been drained away, refill your well with inspiration. It could be visiting museums to look at art, reading good literature, looking at photography books or going to photo galleries if you have one accessible to you. Maybe it’s listening to music, or taking a road trip (or even just an afternoon drive to someplace beautiful).

Be playful with your work: Don’t take your photography too seriously for a while. Remember that you started photography because it was fun, so be playful and let go of expectations. You might discover that you unintentionally make something great or find a new direction for your work — but at least you’ll have a great time.

Get a change of scenery: Often all we need is to get out of the house, or out of town for a while. Seeing new sights can often reawaken us to creative ideas. It doesn’t have to be somewhere exotic like Europe, it could just be a visit to a different part of your own hometown.

Try a different genre of photography: If you normally focus on one type of photography, switch it up and try something new. For example, a landscape photographer might try street photography, or macro photography, or portraiture.

Give yourself creative challenges: Give yourself a photo challenge by assigning yourself projects that force you to see the world differently. Shoot on a different film like infrared, or pull out a lens you rarely use and shoot with it in your local city or a park. Focus on patterns in nature, or learn a new skill, or make some prints and examine them for a new direction in your work. Set a limitation that forces you to think in new way — this is often done by picking a single prime lens like a nifty 50 and using only that lens for a defined period of time.

Try something new: Build a pinhole camera, or learn a new type of printing like how to make cyanotypes. Be experimental. Paint directly onto one of your prints, or utilize motion blur, or get out with a tripod after dark.

The point of all these examples is to get your mind out of a rut and help you find fresh joy and inspiration with photography.

My thanks to the Professional Photographers of Middle Tennessee for the invitation to return. I appreciate the warm welcome. Thanks also to the helpful staff at Pixel Connection Nashville for hosting the event and helping me get my presentation onto the screen.