Fitting in photography practice

lauffray · Jan 6, 2020

I'm interested in hearing about how everyone is fitting their photography practice into their regular life.

I've struggled in the past year to get much of anything done and not finding the time to print or shoot is making me a bit unhappy. My situation is not exceptional (full time job, assisting a family member with some health issues, other house tasks) and I know I'm not busier than other people I know, but I feel there's often little time left for anything. When I do find the odd free hour I'm too tired to be in a productive/creative mindset, then I feel bad about "wasting" this time.

What do you guys do to carve time for some printing or shooting? How do you make sure you have at least a few hours a month to spend doing the things you like?

lauffray · Jan 6, 2020

I know I have another thread about how I spent 6h developing 40 rolls of film, but last time I did that was 5 years ago and I haven't printed anything since March of last year

Kino · Jan 6, 2020

Maybe you can schedule some "free time" in advance?

As long as you make yourself available and have no definite plans, tasks and events tend to supersede any spare time you may have as it appears you don't value it by staking out a claim.

At least, that is my theory.

Find a gentle way to stake out some time for yourself. Start a regular schedule with enough advance notice that others know about it and KEEP the schedule once it arrives.

Once you start your schedule, be very, very reluctant to change it (of course, within reason).

It's like money; pay yourself first...

Ko.Fe. · Jan 6, 2020

Switch to digital and inkjet. I have four hours commute now and it just not enough time for film. Or give it to develop and to scan.

lauffray · Jan 6, 2020

Ko.Fe. said:
Switch to digital and inkjet. I have four hours commute now and it just not enough time for film. Or give it to develop and to scan.

Probably won't be shooting digital anytime soon, but I have thought about printing "digitally" on some quality paper. Do you have any good printers to recommend?

lauffray · Jan 6, 2020

Kino said:
Maybe you can schedule some "free time" in advance?

As long as you make yourself available and have no definite plans, tasks and events tend to supersede any spare time you may have as it appears you don't value it by staking out a claim.

That's a great idea, thanks for that. I think I'm gonna get on that right away

removed account4 · Jan 6, 2020

i have been very busy too but i have pencilled in shooting days. i've stayed up until 2am processing film (that i only just now have had a chance to look at / processed it in september) or printing ... having to get up at like 4-5am the next day. also have a crazy commute a few days a week and i have found time to use a camera while i am stuck in traffic.
when you are jonsing to make photographs you just have to make the photographs !

Vaughn · Jan 6, 2020

Don't sweat it. Times will change, just keep plugging away when you can, however you can.

Things were beginning to kick off for me photographically -- shows, sales, started giving workshops, etc -- then BAM! -- I was a stay-at-home-Dad for a set of newborn triplet boys.

I used an SX-70, photographed the boys, and hand-maniputated them...it kept me thinking of and making images. When they learned to crawl and they would no longer stay where I put them, I switched to color neg film and my Rolleiflex (store-developed but not printed). Then they learned to hold fairly still for 30 second to two minutes (about 4 yrs old), I started the series of the boys in the landscape (mostly redwoods) -- 8x10, printed in platinum. I taught myself platinum printing at this time because I did not have the time to make carbon prints...which, as the boys got older and less of a handful, I had time to make again. They are 22 yrs old now.

If photography (or any art form) is part of ones life, then fold that photography into ones life. Don't 'fit' it in, let life become it.

SX-70 -- stroller at the park
21/4 neg, RA Print, Bryce in San Clemente, CA
8x10 pt/pd print -- Three Boys, Three Snags, Prairie Creek Redwoods State park

logan2z · Jan 6, 2020

I have a similar time problem and was struggling to find time to make wet prints. I realized I was spending a good chunk of time prepping chems and cleaning up afterwards. I decided to go for a slot processor and my setup/cleanup time has been reduced considerably. Now the time in the darkroom is actually spent printing instead of mixing chemicals and washing up. Might be worth looking into.

Sirius Glass · Jan 6, 2020

Just like when I want to go skiing, I set aside days for photography and nothing is allowed to change my plans.

Paul Ozzello · Jan 6, 2020

lauffray said:
Probably won't be shooting digital anytime soon, but I have thought about printing "digitally" on some quality paper. Do you have any good printers to recommend?

I still shoot black and white film but I have it drum scanned and I print on printers converted to piezography - it's really the best of both worlds. How large do you want to print ? You can get an Epson P400 and convert it for pretty cheap. And the black and white inks are so good you might never go back to the darkroom...

https://piezography.com/piezography-pro

eddie · Jan 7, 2020

Obviously, a family member's health takes priority, but there are ways to stay connected to your photography while doing so. You can always carry a point and shoot with you, forcing yourself to take 4-6 frames per day. Wherever you are there are photographic possibilities... You may not find the time to develop and print, but you'll be collecting some latent images for when you do find time. More importantly, your "photo mind" will at least be activated daily. It will help keep you sharp until you do have time for more involved photo making.

awty · Jan 7, 2020

Like to answer, but there is more lofi printing to be done.

adelorenzo · Jan 7, 2020

I've got two young boys now (and a full time job) so I basically forgo sleep and work in the darkroom from 9-midnight when I can. You can learn to survive on 6 hours of sleep a night I am discovering.

That is in the winter, summers there is too much to do so I shoot a bit of film but don't do any printing. Overall, I have a lot less time than I used to but I make the best of it.

@Vaughn Thanks for sharing your story and images. My guys are 1 and 4 it gives me some hope I can make it through all this.

radiant · Jan 7, 2020

I completely can understand your situation @lauffray - I have been there or a bit are at the moment. Two young kids, doesn't need any other explanation. I have concluded that if I have spare time and I feel tired, the best thing to do is relax and sleep. Drop all your ambitions and just rest. That is the time where you don't loans, the margin is way too high.

As others have suggested, use a point and shoot or digital (smartphone) to shoot. I have captured decent shots lately with my iPhone while on the move with family. Altough I'm a film shooter otherwise, smartphone photography is as good as anything else; the result is what counts. For example this shot http://kuvau.tuu.fi/friends/ was taken this weekend on my iPhone 6S when we were coming out of swimming hall. It's not a pulizer shot but it felt really really good when I spotted and captured it. Keeping eyes open all the time is itself a good hobby!

Adapt / orient yourself to different situations. The faster you do it, the happier you are. And if you're tired, don't do anything.

Ko.Fe. · Jan 7, 2020

lauffray said:
Probably won't be shooting digital anytime soon, but I have thought about printing "digitally" on some quality paper. Do you have any good printers to recommend?

Georgetown, Halton Camera Exchange. Ask for Nathan.
His inkjets are better than my darkroom.
Home print is Epson c88+ from Epson Canada.

lauffray · Jan 7, 2020

Thank you everyone for your replies

logan2z said:
I realized I was spending a good chunk of time prepping chems and cleaning up afterwards. I decided to go for a slot processor and my setup/cleanup time has been reduced considerably.

Yes the same is true for me, it takes up a big chunk of time and becomes a barrier to doing short sessions. I'll look into these

fatso said:
I still shoot black and white film but I have it drum scanned and I print on printers converted to piezography - it's really the best of both worlds. How large do you want to print ? You can get an Epson P400 and convert it for pretty cheap.

I don't really need to print that big, 8x10" is good enough for me. But I don't know enough about these, I should read more. Can you use those nice 300gsm rags with it?

adelorenzo said:
I've got two young boys now (and a full time job) so I basically forgo sleep and work in the darkroom from 9-midnight when I can. You can learn to survive on 6 hours of sleep a night I am discovering.

Parents seem particularly able to do this better than the rest of us, but yes I think I'll have to schedule my sessions at some ungodly hours

Fraunhofer · Jan 7, 2020

I have four kids and a full time job. I print in spurts typically a few days in a row from 9-12pm. And yes, kids teach you to not overate sleep, anything more than 4 hours in one contiguous pieces is great.

Regarding setup time, I use only long lived chemicals, so I don’t spend much time mixing stuff. For film I mostly do one shot HC110 or Pyrocat.

I found that instead of watching Netflix past midnight going into the darkroom gives me more satisfaction and I am not more tired.

And yes, I have an understanding family and partner.

Vaughn · Jan 7, 2020

adelorenzo said:
...@Vaughn Thanks for sharing your story and images. My guys are 1 and 4 it gives me some hope I can make it through all this.

There were times 6hrs of sleep was just a dream! I took naps at red lights. Once a week I would work in the darkroom from 9pm to 7am. The boys came with me when I photographed in the redwoods. When they were under about 6 or 7, I would take lunch, find an image I wanted to make and get lunch out so the boys were eating while I set the camera up. There was usually a creek around so when they were this young I could not let them wander around while I was under the darkcloth. I had one chance for an image per day until they got old enough to explore on their own while I was photographing...usually after I took one image of the boys in the landscape. One does what it takes!

This was taken while the boys ate lunch -- then they ran in between the tripod legs after lunch...Two Redwoods, 11x14 Carbon print

Paul Ozzello · Jan 7, 2020

lauffray said:
I don't really need to print that big, 8x10" is good enough for me. But I don't know enough about these, I should read more. Can you use those nice 300gsm rags with it?

Yes you can. The Epson P400 is a very good color printer using the Epson inks but not very good at black and white. It becomes a phenomenal black and white printer when converted to Piezography and with the Pro inks you can also print on Pictorico film to make digital negatives that you contact print in the darkroom. You can actually convert any Epson printer but the P400 has the smallest ink dots which makes it a superlative digital negative printer.

If you want a printer that's good at both color and black and white you can keep it simple with a Canon Pro-10 or Epson 800.

With the Epsons the key to great black and white is printing from QTR instead of ABW or Photoshop.

Here are a few I just finished in the P400

4season · Jan 7, 2020

Reducing automobile usage in favor of using transit or simply walking helps me a lot, and so does limiting my smartphone / tablet / internet time.

TheRook · Jan 8, 2020

lauffray said:
What do you guys do to carve time for some printing or shooting? How do you make sure you have at least a few hours a month to spend doing the things you like?

Spend less time watching television. For many people, the number one time waster in their life.

Vaughn · Jan 8, 2020

TheRook said:
Spend less time watching television. For many people, the number one time waster in their life.

We did not get a TV (for VCRs only) until the boys turned five (their mom needed them distracted so she could get chores done). If things got too nuts with 3 little guys, I'd either read to them or we'd hit a park, the beach, a creek or the redwoods -- sometimes all at once...much more fun than housework.

Still don't have a TV -- but I spend too much time in front of this screen -- which is why I have it set up so I have to stand...my legs getting tired means it is time to get off the computer, lol!

But I have always appreciated a wise saying I heard years ago: An artist gets to work when the pain of not working grows too strong.

MNM · Jan 8, 2020

I do it by ignoring other tasks. On the day you die, all that "important" practical stuff will be meaningless.

Take care of your family member in need and figure out what left over is not really important.

Jim Jones · Jan 9, 2020

lauffray said:
Probably won't be shooting digital anytime soon, but I have thought about printing "digitally" on some quality paper. Do you have any good printers to recommend?

For maybe 8 years I've used Epson printers, ink, and paper. The first Epson was a 3800 which lasted over 6 years and over 6000 prints, large and small. I'm now using an Epson P800 which is even nicer. Big printers, like good cameras, are big investments. However, the cost per print makes them relatively inexpensive over the years. Over the past several decades I've spent more on transportation, food, and lodging related to photography than for those printers.

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