What do you do when it starts getting old?

[snegron]

I wasn't quite sure where to post this, but I figured this would probably be the best place. What do you do when you are in a photographic rut, or when you are no longer motivated to shoot anything?

For many years (at least 29) I have had a passion for photography. I still remember how excited I was when I purchased my first 35mm SLR back in 1979! As the years went by I have always found something interesting to capture; a place, an expression, an event, etc.

In addition to enjoying the feeling I got when capturing an image as I saw it in my head at the time, I also liked amassing gear (I won't use the word collecting because my stuff is not collectable quality).

Sometimes buying a new camera or a new lens will motivate me to go and shoot a few rolls, but lately this has not been the case. I currently have about 18 film SLR's, 4 DSLR's, a ton of manual focus and auto focus lenses, and the latest/greatest tiny digital compacts (or flavors of the week as I like to call them). In other words, buying more gear is no longer a motivating factor for me. I have, however, been toying with the idea of de-cluttering my camera equipment (selling 90% of everything) and going with a simple set up like a rangefinder with two lenses.

Photographing places no longer motivates me. Photographing people is not worth the aggravation (irresponsible models, candid street shots in my area are impossible). I have thousands of images of local birds and zoo animals. Sports here consists of little leagues or the ocassional charity football event.

What do you do when it all starts getting old?

 

[Sirius Glass]

I wasn't quite sure where to post this, but I figured this would probably be the best place. What do you do when you are in a photographic rut, or when you are no longer motivated to shoot anything?

For many years (at least 29) I have had a passion for photography. I still remember how excited I was when I purchased my first 35mm SLR back in 1979! As the years went by I have always found something interesting to capture; a place, an expression, an event, etc.

In addition to enjoying the feeling I got when capturing an image as I saw it in my head at the time, I also liked amassing gear (I won't use the word collecting because my stuff is not collectable quality).

Sometimes buying a new camera or a new lens will motivate me to go and shoot a few rolls, but lately this has not been the case. I currently have about 18 film SLR's, 4 DSLR's, a ton of manual focus and auto focus lenses, and the latest/greatest tiny digital compacts (or flavors of the week as I like to call them). In other words, buying more gear is no longer a motivating factor for me. I have, however, been toying with the idea of de-cluttering my camera equipment (selling 90% of everything) and going with a simple set up like a rangefinder with two lenses.

Photographing places no longer motivates me. Photographing people is not worth the aggravation (irresponsible models, candid street shots in my area are impossible). I have thousands of images of local birds and zoo animals. Sports here consists of little leagues or the ocassional charity football event.

What do you do when it all starts getting old?

Send all of your equipment to me! I will distribute it to photographers in need.

or

Search the threads within the past year, this has been covered several times. But still send the equipment to me.

Steve

 

[Pinholemaster]

Go fishing.

Send your gear to me. I have students who can use it. HA!

 

[removed account4]

what do i do ?
i stop making photographs for a while
and eventually i want to again.

 

[colrehogan]

Step back from it for a while? Do you have any other hobbies that can be your creative outlet for a while?

 

[Christopher Walrath]

Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry9000/4.6.0.167 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/102 UP.Link/6.3.0.0.0)

I gave this advice before and I will again, now. I once told my mother when she was in a rut that she shouldn't feel obligated to use her camera. Not even to get it out. Rather put it away. Start going through the first photographs she made. Try to evoke the original feelings. Remember how it felt. Don't rush it. It'll click.

 

[snegron]

Step back from it for a while? Do you have any other hobbies that can be your creative outlet for a while?

I tried my hand at painting and wood carving several years ago. Both require several hours of uninterrupted dedication per work session. I ended up making a few copies (not forgeries) of several Picasso's blue period paintings and Van Gogh still lifes; two or three of them are still hanging in my living room. The idea of painting again does sound appealing though. It would be nice to create something original this time instead of just copying paintings of others! Thanks!

 

[iamjanco]

What do you do when it all starts getting old?

uh, hmmm... viagra?

Sorry, couldn't help it. Seriously though, why not just pick what you think is your favorite format, use what you think is your favorite camera, then go off on a tangent. Start doing something you've always wanted to, but never really got around to. Like shooting a photo essay or something like that, about something that will really say something unique, and not just end up being another nice set of shots. Put the old gray matter to work, couple it with just the right amount of viscous fluid, pull the proverbial rabbit out of a hat. Then follow that rabbit, knowing that the mind's eye can indeed lead to a cheshire cat, if one chooses the right path.

Life is too short and fleeting to not allow one's self a gift like that of the camera obscura.

Oops, gotta go, I hear the wife calling. Now where DID I LEAVE those darn pills...?

jan c., a mad hatter of sorts

 

[snegron]

Wirelessly posted (BlackBerry9000/4.6.0.167 Profile/MIDP-2.0 Configuration/CLDC-1.1 VendorID/102 UP.Link/6.3.0.0.0)

I gave this advice before and I will again, now. I once told my mother when she was in a rut that she shouldn't feel obligated to use her camera. Not even to get it out. Rather put it away. Start going through the first photographs she made. Try to evoke the original feelings. Remember how it felt. Don't rush it. It'll click.

Funny you should mention obligation when referring to photography! Looking back now I think that for the past 15 or so years I have felt obligated to capture images. However, I think that the feeling of obligation in my case is that I wanted to capture as many images as possible for the future mostly so I wouldn't forget. I wanted to remember the moments as I lived them through photographs. IMO, relying on memory alone was not as good as having concrete evidence that the moment actually took place. I find it interesting to think about someone I knew and compare the image I have of that person to an actual photograph I took of the person. It is amazing how my mind Photoshop's memories of people as time goes by!

 

[snegron]

uh, hmmm... viagra?

Sorry, couldn't help it. Seriously though, why not just pick what you think is your favorite format, use what you think is your favorite camera, then go off on a tangent. Start doing something you've always wanted to, but never really got around to. Like shooting a photo essay or something like that, about something that will really say something unique, and not just end up being another nice set of shots. Put the old gray matter to work, couple it with just the right amount of viscous fluid, pull the proverbial rabbit out of a hat. Then follow that rabbit, knowing that the mind's eye can indeed lead to a cheshire cat, if one chooses the right path.

Life is too short and fleeting to not allow one's self a gift like that of the camera obscura.

Oops, gotta go, I hear the wife calling. Now where DID I LEAVE those darn pills...?

jan c., a mad hatter of sorts

I can definitely see making a photo essay and posting it in a gallery on pbase, mainly for fun (not having to worry about sticking to the wishes of a particular client). Thanks!

 

[Mark Fisher]

Here is something that helps me.......I just load up a camera, stick on a single prime lens, go for a walk in the neighborhood and shoot at least one roll of film. The single lens (particularly a 85mm or so) forces me to look closer at things and in ways I normally don't see them. That helps me at least. I also get inspired looking at great photographers work (Fan Ho is my latest inspiration). Lastly, go somewhere on vacation!

 

[snegron]

what do i do ?
i stop making photographs for a while
and eventually i want to again.

After awhile though it turns into a vicious circle; starting back again only to work my way back into another rut...

 

[Renato Tonelli]

This happens to me periodically - I don't force myself to shoot or do darkroom work when it happens. Then something sparks a renewed interest interest.

 

[snegron]

Here is something that helps me.......I just load up a camera, stick on a single prime lens, go for a walk in the neighborhood and shoot at least one roll of film. The single lens (particularly a 85mm or so) forces me to look closer at things and in ways I normally don't see them. That helps me at least. I also get inspired looking at great photographers work (Fan Ho is my latest inspiration). Lastly, go somewhere on vacation!

Thanks Mark! I wish I lived in a place that I could do that (like NYC or Chicago)! I live in a really large residential suburb; there are no tourists here, so anyone walking around with a camera stands out like fly on a wedding cake! All the houses and streets here look the same. All are either one or two story houses, thousands of identical houses. There are only three small parks here. No sidewalks either!

I did go on vacation not too long ago. I ended up driving to Charleston, South Carolina with the sole purpose of shooting pictures of the old city and the naval museum. I returned with mediocre images (here is a link http://www.pbase.com/snegronspics/charleston_sc ). My guess is that either I overthought what I was doing or I simply lost my talent. This summer I plan on driving to Key West. I hope I can bring back at least one decent roll of film!

 

[BradS]

Don't worry about it. It happens to everybody.

Let the cameras rot for a while. Sell some (a bunch of 'em)...or all but one! Force yourself to sell that excess gear - it is weighing you down...paralyzing you. Get rid of it. It will be good for you.

Most importantly though...don't worry about it. Just do something else that interests you.


I think we all go through dry spells. Sometimes, they are long. I lost interest for 13 years...and came back.

 

[phaedrus]

What do you do when it all starts getting old?

1.: Enlarge, tinker in the darkroom.
2.: Definately loose a maior part of your gear. Keep only what you can carry and a backup camera.
3.: Visit museums, take an art history class.
4.: When you start photographing again, work in projects, toward a goal.

 

[nsurit]

Photographing places no longer motivates me. Photographing people is not worth the aggravation (irresponsible models, candid street shots in my area are impossible). I have thousands of images of local birds and zoo animals. Sports here consists of little leagues or the ocassional charity football event.

What do you do when it all starts getting old?[/QUOTE]

Heck, I don't know, however you might read Brooks Jensen's "Letting Go of the Camera." If you have already read it, read it again.

Based on what you are bored with, you might take one lens (like a 50mm on your 35mm camera) focus it as close as it will focus and try to develop a portfolio of lets say 20 good images all of which have the lens focused that close. If you are a Macro expert, maybe they should all be abstracts or maybe all out of focus. That might shake the cobwebs out if you haven't done that before. Bill Barber

 

[Cheryl Jacobs]

Find someone with infectious enthusiasm, and get infected.

Seriously, when I teach, I love working with people who've lost the love. Honestly, I think that over the long term, sometimes the love of photography itself isn't enough to sustain the interest. I think it's critical to figure out your voice, what you want to / are able to say through your work, and making it a mission to see it through. It's very rewarding and motivating.

Let other people light your fire. It's OK to be motivated by others.

- CJ

 

[Sirius Glass]

Take a break from photography for a while. Then when you go back to the cameras, do what you don't do =>
if you shoot...................................then
landscapes....................................close ups of flowers
portraits........................................buildings
street scenes..................................nature

Steve

 

[jcarxen]

Why not read?

I completely understand this...Why not step back and look at what some other photographers have done?

I go through "periods" where I enjoy nothing more than not taking photographs; rather, I try to find photographers who are new to me, but in a similar genre, and I simply study their work for a little while.

Personally, I always find these "sabbaticals" refreshing.

 

[MurrayMinchin]

A subject lit by a point source will have sharply defined areas of empty darkness, while a diffusely lit subject will have open, textured shadows. People tend to be linear; meaning they identify a problem and try to find a specific answer to a specific problem without considering taking a more globally diffuse (orbital?) approach.

Try taking a break for a while, step back, then 'float around' the core issues from a distance, probing them from a multitude of angles. You may find instead of searching through options A, B, C, to answer D, you might gain a glimmer of insight from one tangent of inquiry which may fuel another and another...

Anyways, that's what works for me. I tend to mull photographic problems over in a relaxed, distanced sort of way which can lead one to 'the answer', or down other roads unsuspected which spin off into unsuspected discoveries.

Good luck with it, and have fun

Murray

 

[Poisson Du Jour]

I wasn't quite sure where to post this, but I figured this would probably be the best place. What do you do when you are in a photographic rut, or when you are no longer motivated to shoot anything?

For many years (at least 29) I have had a passion for photography. I still remember how excited I was when I purchased my first 35mm SLR back in 1979! As the years went by I have always found something interesting to capture; a place, an expression, an event, etc.

In addition to enjoying the feeling I got when capturing an image as I saw it in my head at the time, I also liked amassing gear (I won't use the word collecting because my stuff is not collectable quality).

Sometimes buying a new camera or a new lens will motivate me to go and shoot a few rolls, but lately this has not been the case. I currently have about 18 film SLR's, 4 DSLR's, a ton of manual focus and auto focus lenses, and the latest/greatest tiny digital compacts (or flavors of the week as I like to call them). In other words, buying more gear is no longer a motivating factor for me. I have, however, been toying with the idea of de-cluttering my camera equipment (selling 90% of everything) and going with a simple set up like a rangefinder with two lenses.

Photographing places no longer motivates me. Photographing people is not worth the aggravation (irresponsible models, candid street shots in my area are impossible). I have thousands of images of local birds and zoo animals. Sports here consists of little leagues or the ocassional charity football event.

What do you do when it all starts getting old?

Eighteen film SLRs...!?
You live in one of the most beautiful places in the world (Florida, the Keys, the Everglades, and... the ginormous beauty of the whole USA is not that far away) and you're out of enthusiasm? Have you photographed Antelope Canyon in Utah? Fall foliage in California?

You need to be formally trained and know that photography is your true calling, rather than a recreational past time of "taking photos" with one camera, then another, and another, another... This is not a criticism, by the way. If it, through your pursuit (or education), becomes a daily job where you have to bring in money to survive, it transcends merely collecting cameras and wandering around in existential aimlessness wondering what to photograph next: no enthusiasm/drive/creativity=no money=no food on the table!

I'm not complaining. I haven't the time nor desire to photograph people: my calling is the landscape, which I photograph on nature's terms and I have to be darned good at that because of the smart-arse digital "photographers" out there earnestly believe a heap of automation in their hands equals a quantum leap in visual literacy. Sometimes I will come back with 36 exposures. Other times I will come back empty handed — but always I've learnt to come back with enthusiasm and drive intact, ready for the next time.

Personally, I have scant interest in cameras and lenses. The real joy for me is being there, interacting with nature and coming back with satisfying images.

This is the difference between a formal education in the arts that disciplines you to build and maintain professional focus (no pun intended) irrespective of circumstances, and a recreational hobby where you can give it up freely any time and pursue something else, with no loss (financial, emotional etc.) whatsoever.

Thirty years after I peered threw grand-dad's "Russky" Zennit as a 16-year old, the flame still burns. It's been a wonderful journey.

 

[Marco B]

I have thousands of images of local birds and zoo animals. Sports here consists of little leagues or the ocassional charity football event.

What do you do when it all starts getting old?

Go LF...

The sheer fact that these cameras are so hard or laborious to operate, will prevent you from amassing thousands of "similar", possibly mediocre, pictures in a breath. You will need to WORK to get a good picture, but the reward will be high and you will not run out of subject matter soon. And having to assemble a most likely second hand LF gear set, should keep you happily from the streets as well for a while.

And if LF starts to bore you, there is still ULF, IR-photography, pinhole, holga, alternative processes... It will be some time before you finish all that.

 

[darkosaric]

I have read with pleasure all posts
I must say that for me best inspiration is to visit new places. The more different from place I live - the better.

 

[Andy K]

what do i do ?
i stop making photographs for a while
and eventually i want to again.

Same here. Got in a rut a little while ago. So now I intend reducing my cameras to two or three (from waaaay too many!) and concentrating on cycling.