losing interest in photography

For some, photography is a "hobby" in that it is something that occupies time, and stimulates the mind and mind only.

The darkroom in particular can be a place of zen, where the simple, repetitive actions required to process film are their own rewards—like counting beads or rolling boading balls around the palm.

But for others, and I suspect for most, photography is a source of existential meaning—identity. We take photographs because they creative a visual narrative for our lives that we control. We are photographers because we thrive on the rewards of what sharing our photographs with others brings, as well as in the professional sense, what it contributes to our careers.

You said you were a lab tech for 31 years.

31 years!

And then, suddenly, laid off.

I have never been at a job for more than 3 years, let alone 30. And each time I leave or am (honorably) fired from one, I have emotions around that life-changing event.

Is it possible that what you are feeling, your doubts about what is "normal" or not normal about the motivation to do something you once loved has evaporated for reasons that are deeper and more complex than a simple ebb and flow of the mind's search for a hobby that stimulates?

I think you should consider that possibility.

I think you should consider what photography meant to you as a professional, what it means to you, as a person, today, and how entwined your identity was and is with the craft of photography, and whether your layoff, as well as retirement, age, and other recent life events may be contributing to loss of your enthusiasm.

MattKing said:

Find a club that still displays prints.

There is enough commonality of interest that the difference in processes won't matter as much.

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This. I'm the only member of my local club shooting film. It doesn't matter. A good image is a good image.

Figure out why you want to photograph.

Vaughn -- darkroom tech for 23 years, then one day transferred to the Anthropology dept, but now retired...

spoolman said:

...lately I have been losing interest in taking pictures and going through the whole work stream of processing the film and making prints. It just seems that I can't get the ambition up to even go out and shoot a roll or two every few months.
...
Is this normal? or am I experiencing some sort of permanent disinterest in it? ...

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I wouldn't worry about it: Why not shut down the darkroom for awhile and see if you feel more enthusiasm in coming months? If not, maybe it's simply time to move onto other interests.

Probably just a case of doldrums. I'd say it's normal. Just put that equipment somewhere safe yet easy to get to so it is there when you feel the urge again.

Since my photography is basically for the memories, I have always shot sporadically. When life is good, I take more pictures. When it is not so good, or merely a boring routine, I take fewer; it has never been a big deal. The only reason I shoot more now is because I am on APUG and am actually trying to learn a thing or two. Still, if I go two or three months without using a camera it won't even register.

My best friend and I rent a cabin in Hocking Hills, OH, every year. The first time I felt compelled to take "vacation pictures." Since it has become a regular outing, I simply enjoy the time away, and only take "vacation pictures" to try to get better.

As a matter of fact, I took pictures this Christmas Eve partly to test my Bronica's new flash, and partly because it is the first year my brother has hosted the party. I'd not taken Christmas pictures in over a decade.

Don't worry about it, and don't force it. I'm sure the desire will come back in some fashion.

Perhaps you should consider joining one of the APUG member-organized photo activities?

The (there was a url link here which no longer exists) is currently in sign-up mode until the end of January. You get assigned a name known only to you. Then you make and print a photograph. Then you send it off to your assigned person, who receives it as a surprise. Shortly before or after that, the postman delivers a similar surprise to you. You're only committed for a single print each round, and have three or four months to send it. That's it.

These member activities are the purest form of APUG participation. Once completed you end up with a real photograph from a fellow member to hold in your hands, not just left gazing at something abstract on a screen.

Sometimes simply having a pleasant deliverable helps break up a mental logjam.



Ken

P.S. And no matter what anyone else tells you, don't sell a thing. This is the worst state of mind in which to do that. You'll later regret it big time if you do. People who ritualistically buy/sell/buy/sell/buy/sell are loons...

Some years are like that... I think I have shot 4 or 5 rolls all year, but I have taken somewhere around 50,000 digital pictures. I have taught a large format class, and 2 classes on film and darkroom techniques. Recently while I have been out taking digital stuff I keep thinking that I ought to have brought along a film camera... or I will see something that would really look good in black and white or as a large format negative. The digital stuff is work and sometimes I really enjoy it, but it IS work. The film is all enjoyment, and it ebbs and flows as to when the feeling hits, so don't sweat laying off the stuff for a while. It's still there in the closet waiting for you.

I have cycled in and out of all the hobbies I've ever had over the years. It's normal. Don't fight it, just do something else for a while and it will come back. And I agree, don't sell anything, unless maybe things that even when you are active you don't use.

Odd One Out

Nathan King said:

This. I'm the only member of my local club shooting film. It doesn't matter. A good image is a good image.

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Slightly off topic but still in spirit. I too am the only one in my club producing prints 'the old fashioned way'. I love it when exhibiting in a competition, the assessment by a judge who makes the cardinal cock up of saying how this should have been done, lightening here and darkening there and removing such and such with photoshop. Then the acute embarrasmant when they are advised it was done in a darkroom not in front of a glorified TV screen, is a sight to behold! I also 'bait' the judges by titling some pictures in Gaelic or Welsh.

(For those over the pond, words from both languages can be very difficult, even impossible to pronounce unless you know how to. That can be an incentive to get suitable images.)

Yes it's normal. I was a burned out pro and it took years to get my interest back.

I've lost interest in sex, I discovered it last night and then again this morning

Hello Nikonic: The 31 years are spread out between 6 different companies. Two of the changes were due to the companies declaring bankruptcy and the others were a combination of conflict with new personnel and scheduling conflicts and the winter weather hasn't helped. I was diagnosed with Seasonal Affliction Disorder last year and prescribed that special light that mimics sunlight but even that doesn't always work.

Anyway, most,if not all responses here have suggested taking a few months off and do something else. Advice I will be following when the New Year comes in.


Doug

Hello All: Thank you so much for all of your responses to my question. All of these replies once again reinforce my decision to renew my membership in APUG and appreciate the people here for their help, advice and counsel. I actually got interested in photography back when I was in High School many decades ago. I have always had a fascination with trains,buses,streetcars and subways and I got into a half semester photo program at the High School I was attending at the time because I got tired of my pictures of these subjects coming back from the drug store all screwed up. So I decided to learn how to do it all by myself and,as they say, the rest is history.

I never was much of a creative person and I take pictures of the above mentioned subjects just to record them for posterity and to make a record,an image archive if you will, of all of the different types of equipment used in these fields of transportation and the people who operate and maintain them.

Happy New Year to you all and thank you again.

Doug

Maybe you should combine your interests in various modes of transportation with your love of photography... document some of the older transports for posterity with your photo skills.

At some periods things were so unstable that I changed job more often then most people changed underwear!

Take a few steps back, or as I am doing, a month or two WITHOUT cameras. I am travelling at the moment, and all I have with me is my LG G3 (!). Interest peaks and troughs over the years, but anybody who has been involved in photography a few decades knows when to take a break, or picks up cues that suggest it, so that photography doesn't become the, or the only thing to do each day. I can say from my own experience that you will be back, but just when it entirely up to you and nobody else.

Enjoy the break.

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Roger Cole said:

I have cycled in and out of all the hobbies I've ever had over the years. It's normal. Don't fight it, just do something else for a while and it will come back. And I agree, don't sell anything, unless maybe things that even when you are active you don't use.

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Ditto

We all go through this in life...my advice is to go somewhere you've never been or always wanted to return to.

The Grand Canyon is near Vegas, a quick flight from Toronto...lots of great landscapes and such within a days drive of here
and cheap places to stay. Documentaries help me...watching ones on great photographers, on arts such as ballet...on painters
and museums are great for nurturing the spirit. A trip to NY from Toronto is also close...New York is an inspiring place!

It'll come. Try not to worry or want it to much, that's when things will happen.

spoolman said:

Hello All: I was a lab tech for 31 years here in toronto. I was laid off in 2005 and have for the most part enjoyed my retirement. But lately I have been losing interest in taking pictures and going through the whole work stream of processing the film and making prints. It just seems that I can't get the ambition up to even go out and shoot a roll or two every few months.

Is this normal? or am I experiencing some sort of permanent disinterest in it? I have numerous cameras that I have enjoyed using in the past but as I stated above I just can't seem to get the motivation going to go out and shoot. I hope this isn't permanent but just a phase. Maybe I just need to take a step back for a while and concentrate on other things. Anyone else experienced this?

Doug

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This seems to happen to all of us from time to time. Sometimes I believe that we lose interest in the subject-matter that we have been photographing. To me the answer is to give it a rest for a while. Have you ever had the desire to photograph trains and locomotives? If steam is no longer around, shoot diesel or electric power. If that doesn't interest you, try some of the villages along the English coast if you live somewhere other than England. If you live there try coming to the Southern USA and look for Alligators here in Louisiana. Just make sure you get away from routine, routine, routine, then look for other interests that you can use photography to record.........Regards!

ChristopherCoy said:

Doug,

A few years ago I was working a full time job, and running a wedding studio with my sister in law on my days off. I was essentially working two full time jobs. I got so burnt out, that I completely removed myself from photography. I sold my collection, eventually sold my darkroom, and even sold my digital SLR. I was completely camera-less.

We moved to a different part of the state, and I was no longer shooting regularly with my SIL. I went from having a constant subject to make portraits of, to not having anything to shoot. I didn't know how to photograph anything other than people or their dogs, and the lack of subjects caused a severe lack of interest.

I moved on to other hobbies like knitting, and fishing, and now I'm finding myself wanting to get back into shooting. We've been doing a lot of camping/fishing the last year or so, and I've been restoring a boat I bought in the fall, and all the outdoor activities have given me the desire to photograph nature. Or at least attempt to.

Put all your gear in storage, but DONT SELL IT! Take it from me, you'll be sorry if you do. But put it away, out of sight for a while, and find something else to catch your attention. You'll end up coming back to photography in some form or fashion after a while with renewed interest.

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Wow, Christopher, you are a really good photographer, one of my inspirations. I'm really glad you're back after your hiatus. I also stop and wonder why I do it this way when digital looks so easy. So much of my stuff just goes to shit. Please keep shooting film. And please stay on apug.

Just be sure you aren't experiencing any of the other symptoms of clinical depression. A "loss of interest" and a "rest" from one hobby and time spent on another activity is normal. If you suspect clinical depression is setting in, see your doc and let them know your concern. It can be relatively easily fixed if caught before it gets severe.

I haven't posted here in a long time, but I just wanted to chime in to thank you for sharing this (both OP and the responders).

I've had somewhat of a rough year and a half (losing a job, losing a grandfather, taking a class, job hunting, interviewing, landing a new job, weeks later crashing my car, having to shop for and buy a new one, and struggling to make ends meet ever since), during which I've lost the time/inclination/funds to really pursue any of my hobbies...but among them, photography seems to have particularly suffered (probably compounded by agreeing to shoot a friend's wedding, and thus being forced to shoot and edit hundreds of photos, even when it was the last thing I wanted to do).

Over the past few months, I've been really starting to wonder if I'm just totally done with photography for good, as I haven't even tripped a single shutter (other than my cell phone) since I put my dSLR back in the back after that wedding (in June). Hopefully, it's just a passing thing, and once my life stabilizes a bit, the creative bug will return.

I guess it was just nice to read some of this reassurance.

I find that I lose interest to some extent during the winter. It is dark when I go to work and dark when I get home. It seems that when I force myself to take photographs, I am repeating the same images over and over again. This time of year, I find myself mostly reorganizing images. Specifically trying to annotate old family photographs while my father is still with us and can remember who is in the photographs and where and when they were taken. Between work and family responsibilities, I have little time to take photowalks or drives.

When I go through these spells, I find it useful to review old images. As times change, places change, and people move on or pass way, sometimes old "throw away" images evolve into keepsake heirlooms. Since getting back into photography in the mid 90's - after a 15 year period during which I shot less than 10 rolls of film, and dallied with video for a while - I find that I go through phases, but always can find something photographically related to keep me busy until spring returns and I pick up my cameras again.

Wallendo said:

I find that I lose interest to some extent during the winter. It is dark when I go to work and dark when I get home. It seems that when I force myself to take photographs, I am repeating the same images over and over again. This time of year, I find myself mostly reorganizing images. Specifically trying to annotate old family photographs while my father is still with us and can remember who is in the photographs and where and when they were taken. Between work and family responsibilities, I have little time to take photowalks or drives.

When I go through these spells, I find it useful to review old images. As times change, places change, and people move on or pass way, sometimes old "throw away" images evolve into keepsake heirlooms. Since getting back into photography in the mid 90's - after a 15 year period during which I shot less than 10 rolls of film, and dallied with video for a while - I find that I go through phases, but always can find something photographically related to keep me busy until spring returns and I pick up my cameras again.

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You described almost exactly my situation as well I work until 17:00, and night here on the north now starts at 16:00. Printing, reprinting and reviewing is what I do during winter a lot.

I'm also a bit burnt out. Maybe shot a roll in the past two months. At work I teach photography so I'm doing it on a daily basis, shooting digital, film, Photoshop, and the darkroom. Not much to photography anymore on the way to work or back and as of late I stopped carrying my camera. I only seem to grab it when it's a weekend activity somewhere, but it seems those activities in the winter have been mainly bars so I don't bring my cameras for that. I haven't been to my darkroom in awhile, I have some 4x5s I want to print lined up too. I also haven't scanned in awhile. There are a bunch of rolls of slide and color neg from the summer I promised to share with friends just sitting in a binder.I really hate this slow down. Ugh.


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