Neutral GAS and the feeling of loss.

[P1505]

For the last (many) years I’ve been on a hunt for digital camera gear that can give me the same joy as my old Olympus and Canon film cameras but with the benefits of digital.

I have tried every camera brand I’m aware of for still photography aside from Hasselblad, I’ve seen it as an investment of time and money worth doing because the physical experience of photography coupled to minimal post processing time would remove things I don’t like and add things I do like, resulting in me photographing more.

During this journey GAS has been a frequent visitor. I’ve bought into the hype (Canon 5D Mk.1 - it’s true, it’s amazing) and tried the obscure (Foveon). I’ve gone retro and moved to film. And I’ve tried different software and plugins and presets and methods.

In the past week I had a realisation that I no longer have GAS. I have my camera system nailed, my software sorted, my process perfected (for now). I have literally zero interest in any new cameras no matter how desirable. I don’t need any lenses, cameras, software, or accessories. My printer package is complete, I have my papers and profiles chosen.

I have storage to sort but I know my answer and the stuff is ordered.

And now I feel a sense of loss. Not sure if that is the best word. I have no problems to solve other than improving, which I enjoy. All that is left is the enjoyment of practice, but without a problem to solve I feel a little down.

Is this common? Is this a detox from consumer addiction? Am I just over thinking everything again?

Or have I just reached that age where nothing be made is made for me?

Thoughts please

 

[Don_ih]

Is this a detox from consumer addiction?

I think it's more likely you're mourning the end of a hobby. Trying the variety of available cameras (and associated paraphernalia) can become as time and energy consuming (not to mention money-consuming) as photography itself. More, actually, since it's something you can do with all the hours you're not taking pictures. And, unless you're Garry Winogrand, you're not taking pictures all day long.

 

[Dali]

Yes, consumer addiction which is a pretty sterile activity as it is (almost) never ending and leaves you frustrated. A common disease these day as you can notice in a lot of « photo » forums.

 

[brian steinberger]

Go take pictures.

 

[koraks]

Is this common? Is this a detox from consumer addiction? Am I just over thinking everything again?

It sounds to me you're facing the inconvenient truth that right now, you have nothing left to hide behind in your quest to improve your photography. It's like the writer who has just sat down and has their favorite pen beside them, the stack of virgin white paper with the velvety feel, the soft and pleasant easy listening jazz playing in the background, a decent chunk of totally free time ahead of them, and basically nothing else left to do than come up with the story.

The feeling of loss, I suspect, traces to the loss of the crutch of being able to do the easy work of setting the stage instead of getting the actual work done.

Or, in other words:

Go take pictures.

 

[P1505]

It sounds to me you're facing the inconvenient truth that right now, you have nothing left to hide behind in your quest to improve your photography. It's like the writer who has just sat down and has their favorite pen beside them, the stack of virgin white paper with the velvety feel, the soft and pleasant easy listening jazz playing in the background, a decent chunk of totally free time ahead of them, and basically nothing else left to do than come up with the story.

The feeling of loss, I suspect, traces to the loss of the crutch of being able to do the easy work of setting the stage instead of getting the actual work done.

Or, in other words:

Oh I faced this a long time ago I knew how to separate the two things, with the hunt for the easiest post shoot process impacting the photography only in terms of giving me more time or desire to do it.

But yes. I’ll go take pictures.

 

[guangong]

Clicking the shutter is only the beginning of making a photograph. The hard part comes afterward.

 

[BillBaileyImages]

The concept of "...you have nothing left to hide behind in your quest to improve your photography" has opened my eyes to a real truth about GAS, and it will help me curtail my quest for what a good friend calls "retail therapy." Thank you for your insight!

 

[MurrayMinchin]

Clicking the shutter is only the beginning of making a photograph. The hard part comes afterward.

Excellent point.

Have any of us made an absolutely perfect in every way print? Isn't there always one little area or corner that could be tweaked or improved? Choosing images for a show or sequencing them to tell a story is never easy. Deciding which process or presentation aesthetic allows them to speak the clearest is a moving target as well.

Then, of course, there's always those phantom imagined images from the recesses of your mind which may actually resolve into reality the next time you go photographing. Like going on an Easter egg hunt every time you pick up the camera.

Like the old saying goes, the most important equipment in photography is about five inches behind the viewfinder.

 

[koraks]

Oh I faced this a long time ago I knew how to separate the two things, with the hunt for the easiest post shoot process impacting the photography only in terms of giving me more time or desire to do it.

But yes. I’ll go take pictures.

Ah good, sorry for being critical and all, but I could have imagined (still can) that it's kind of sobering to get to that "and now what" point in the process.
Mind you, I can sort of see how searching/shopping for equipment can be fun, too ('retail therapy', indeed). I think most people tend to agree that once the purchase is made, something is lost even though the physical item is gained. But maybe that's just a matter of practice, reflection and re-thinking priorities.

 

[BrianShaw]

Passing GAS is not the problem. The problem is not using the items you bought.

But I understand your concern. I'm well past the nu ber of cameras I reallly need yet I still look. Don't buy, but seriously look...

 

[Kino]

 

[loccdor]

Now that you've got your equipment sorted out, it's time to perfect your technique, your travel locations, your still life setups, your aesthetic preferences, your models, clothing, makeup, poses, and direction, etc. Most of that is right-brained stuff while gear tends to be left-brained so you may find it alien if you're accustomed to using one side more than the other.

 

[guangong]

Excellent point.

Have any of us made an absolutely perfect in every way print? Isn't there always one little area or corner that could be tweaked or improved? Choosing images for a show or sequencing them to tell a story is never easy. Deciding which process or presentation aesthetic allows them to speak the clearest is a moving target as well.

Then, of course, there's always those phantom imagined images from the recesses of your mind which may actually resolve into reality the next time you go photographing. Like going on an Easter egg hunt every time you pick up the camera.

Like the old saying goes, the most important equipment in photography is about five inches behind the viewfinder.

When drawing, I was advised by my teachers never to just sketch a subject, but always to make a picture, that is, to make a composition in a frame. The same is true of photography. I believe that for this very reason photography is more difficult than drawing or painting because (except for arranged still life) the arrangement of the subjects are beyond our control. G. B. Shaw ( also a photographer) said it best: photography is like salmon going upstream…only one in a thousand make it to spawn.
However, photography has other applications such as documentation.

 

[P1505]

Now that you've got your equipment sorted out, it's time to perfect your technique, your travel locations, your still life setups, your aesthetic preferences, your models, clothing, makeup, poses, and direction, etc. Most of that is right-brained stuff while gear tends to be left-brained so you may find it alien if you're accustomed to using one side more than the other.

I don’t do still life or anything in the studio, so it’s simply a matter of finding stories and documenting them.

“Simply”.

 

[RalphLambrecht]

For the last (many) years I’ve been on a hunt for digital camera gear that can give me the same joy as my old Olympus and Canon film cameras but with the benefits of digital.

I have tried every camera brand I’m aware of for still photography aside from Hasselblad, I’ve seen it as an investment of time and money worth doing because the physical experience of photography coupled to minimal post processing time would remove things I don’t like and add things I do like, resulting in me photographing more.

During this journey GAS has been a frequent visitor. I’ve bought into the hype (Canon 5D Mk.1 - it’s true, it’s amazing) and tried the obscure (Foveon). I’ve gone retro and moved to film. And I’ve tried different software and plugins and presets and methods.

In the past week I had a realisation that I no longer have GAS. I have my camera system nailed, my software sorted, my process perfected (for now). I have literally zero interest in any new cameras no matter how desirable. I don’t need any lenses, cameras, software, or accessories. My printer package is complete, I have my papers and profiles chosen.

I have storage to sort but I know my answer and the stuff is ordered.

And now I feel a sense of loss. Not sure if that is the best word. I have no problems to solve other than improving, which I enjoy. All that is left is the enjoyment of practice, but without a problem to solve I feel a little down.

Is this common? Is this a detox from consumer addiction? Am I just over thinking everything again?

Or have I just reached that age where nothing be made is made for me?

Thoughts please

welcome to the club. hold on to your wallet and check book; it will pass.

 

[AnselMortensen]

I have had the same issue a couple times...
I was so focused on getting through college that when graduation day actually arrived, I thought "Now what?"

Also..., starting around 1974, I was searching for one particular book.
Every used book store, flea market, garage sale, antique store, anywhere I went...I'd look for that book.
I finally found a copy in the bottom of a box at a large antiques show, c. 1995.
I was thrilled to find it, finally, but then I had no need to search for it any more....a weird feeling.

 

[Sirius Glass]

I too have reached the same GASless state after I set up a darkroom, expanded from 35mm, to 6x6 and then 4"x5". Then I traded in my Mamiya C330 with three lenses and purchased my Hasselblads. Once I had all the Hasselblad lenses that I wanted, the urge to buy any photography equipment just disappeared. So I happened to the OP and to myself, so the GASless state is possible, but the solution for each of us is unique.

 

[4season]

The discovery and experimentation phases can be lots of fun! And over the years, there has been so much of both, as film gave way to digital, digital rangefinder cameras, large-sensor compact cameras, and mirrorless systems were introduced. But lately I've been feeling as if the mirrorless systems have matured, and what once seemed revolutionary is now super-useful, even if it feels a bit same-old.

If you have attained the state of "nothing to buy", congratulations, you're rich! It might only be a passing phase, but try to enjoy it while it lasts. Staring into that particular void can feel freaky at first, but you get used to it.

 

[MartinCrabtree]

I'm almost there. Want a large frame Nikon to work with the AI and Ais manual focus glass I have. Then we're done for awhile I think. And even that's not a rush job. One day I'll just decide nows the time and find one I think I'll enjoy.

 

[BillBaileyImages]

Nikon has been my "go to" 35mm for 70 years (Yikes! I must be getting old), and these days I'm shooting an F4 and F5. Both are solid and dependable, have more automation than I will ever need, and taking double exposures is straightforward for both. Of course, when I want zero electronics, my 501CM kit is always ready. No batteries to purchase or recharge, no integrated circuits, resistors, capacitors, chokes--not even any wires! Just gears and genius engineering. The KISS principle is alive and well . Can't avoid electronics entirely, since exposure meters are more complex than sundials.