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I like to put myself in situations, where I am forced to think up creative solutions on short notice. Doing so brings out the most valued comodity among us creative people: Inspiration. It's actually kind of funny how that works. Take photography contests for example.

When photography is involved these are usually time-limited competitions that contain rules, which put specific demands on both gear and skill. Together they form the perfect formula for sparking said inspiration: Limited time plus technical complications equals creative stimulant.

But sadly, I don't participate in contests - not even friendly ones - nearly as often, as I ought to. Which is why, I've decided to participate in one that's going on right now. A local store is hosting its 5th Holga Contest. It's a judged thing, where you can win a gift certificate and some other goodies, but for me, it's all about just doing it.

In this particular competition, I have to submit a print from a Holga, Lomo or similar toy camera. I can only submit one, so I will have to be extra careful and choose the right one. That's the challenge, and though I have an archive of Holga shots to pick from, part of me wants to go out and take a bunch of new pictures with this contest in mind. That was the inspiration bit, right there. It makes me want to shoot!

And now that I've blogged about it here, I pretty much have to do it, or I will look like a total ass. I'm not promising a win here though, or even placing among the 10 best shots. Seattle has a huge, active photography community, and I am not the only Holga fan out there. I will be competing against some very talented folks. And on that note, thank you Paula, for telling me about the contest in the first place.

Rasmus Rasmussen is on loan from iStockphoto, where he is part of the image inspection team.