What do you do when your motivation wanes?

[Ces1um]

Strange issue with me lately. I've taken some beautiful images over the past few years but lately I wonder why I take them at all. At the end of the day other than looking nice they hold little meaning for me. The photos of my family as they grow up or engage in activities hold meaning. They're important. I want to shoot those. It's all my other photos that I'm losing motivation to take. Photos of flowers are pretty. Buildings are interesting. But I can just go and google photos of these things if I want to see it. I'm losing interest in taking these photos and spending money on them as well. Why do you think this is? I used to love shooting a roll a week. Now I don't care half as much. How do you maintain motivation? How do you continue finding purpose in photography?

 

[railwayman3]

I think that we all get our ups-and-downs of interest in any hobby, and certainly as our skill in anything improves, we probably get more critical. I take far fewer pictures than I did 15-20 years ago and most are either family shots (usually d******, and no real motivation needed to record the family) or carefully taken "artistic" scenes (analog). And certainly questioning the reason to take the latter isn't unusual.
Sometimes I find that a specific project can stimulate a purpose.....I'm a great fan of steam locos and railways generally, and adding to my collection of pictures is always fun, visiting the locations, studying the subjects and trying to get the best possible pictures technically....so the photographic interest as well.

 

[peter k.]

Oh boy.. going to hang it out here... just went through a similar episode. So can speak only for myself, who is getting older, ... we have found a lack of motivation, not only in photography, but in other things as well. Found that there is a detachment taking place, and have embraced it!
Not by becoming a couch potato, .but becoming more involved in the moment, not the outcome!
Becoming more spontaneous!
Just letting go... not trying to make a good shot, to hang on the wall.
Just like railwayman3 stated, its fun visiting locations, studying the subjects, ect... and if ya wanna, take a shot, take it!
If not, so what, your not on a mission, ... move on, ... enjoy!
Have fun! Be a kid again! Who cares! Stay loose get the juice! .

 

[Ko.Fe.]

I lost interest for "beautiful" images about five or so years ago. After taking of thousands I have enough. Family pictures are much more beautiful and important to have only them taken and it is actually the norm.

Read this http://www.americansuburbx.com/2011/07/garry-winogrand-class-time-with-garry.html
and try to think why "beautiful" images never fascinated Garry Winogrand.

And then look at GW pictures. And think why he called himself and student of America. http://ccp-emuseum.catnet.arizona.e...ate:flow=19cb8d5c-387b-4044-9443-b44e9495ec3b
It helped and helping me, may it help you as well!

On Canadian side, check George Zimbel and Viktor Kolář'.

 

[jim10219]

First off, you need to establish if this is a case of you losing motivation for photography only, or a case of you losing motivation in general. If you're losing motivation in general, then the problem is likely depression, and you should see a professional. That stuff is no joke. It's robbed me of decades of my life. Decades. And trust me, the earlier you deal with it, the easier it will be to overcome (or manage).

It you're just losing interest in photography, but aren't experiencing any depression, then quit photography. I wouldn't sell your equipment right away, but be prepared to in a year or three. When you find your next hobby, you'll need money for that anyhow. The thing is, we all go through spells of interest and disinterest. They don't often last forever, and there's no need to assume because you started off with an interest in one area, that you need to stick to it for the rest of your life. Doing things you don't enjoy is what job's are for. That's why they pay you. You should enjoy your hobbies. You're paying for them! And if this one isn't doing it for you, find one that does. I've been through so many, I can't hardly keep count. I've designed and built electronics, painted paintings, sculpted wood and metal, played in several bands, opened and ran a recording studio, wrote poetry and fiction, animated videos and directed TV commercials, played basketball, baseball, and disc golf, and now I'm into photography. I still do all of those things from time to time, but not like I once did. Photography is my main passion now, and it absorbs most of my free time and money.

Life is too short and precious to not spend it doing things that you love. There's nothing wrong with trying new things. In fact, I argue it makes life richer and more meaningful when you've spent so much time doing so many different things! That's the difference between existing and living!

 

[ced]

Life is a merry go round & you asked for it...
Will you remember the famous men who have to fall and then rise again.
So take a deep breath, pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and start all over again.

 

[4season]

Looking over the stuff you posted on Lomography, it seems to me that you're doing most of your shooting during holidays and photo-outings.That's what I used to do years ago, but it didn't really work so well for me. Because I found I did not really like setting aside time specifically for photography. So instead, I just went about my usual business and just photographed stuff as it arose, didn't matter whether it was profound or trivial, soulful or utterly banal as long as something evoked an emotional response.

 

[Down Under]

This happens to everyone. Others have written some excellent advice re the whys and wherefores of reduced motivation, and I won't go there. I prefer some practical advice.

Change your subjects. Often as not motivation wanes when we repeat the same motions and revisit familiar places to reshoot old subjects. Think laterally, move sideways.

Forget beautiful images, forget perfection. Go with "good is good enough". Step out of your comfort zone and just shoot from the hip. I did this in the early 1990s when I had to face a series of personal setbacks and my motivation in general went downhill for about a year. Regular bush treks and city walks gave me an opportunities to escape from my problems and look at new things. Most of what I shot (in B&W) was processed and filed away. Now I'm retrieving those photo files and preparing to print them in a series of small booklets. I'm surprised at how good many of those images are, but then I would think that, being me.

Go one camera, one lens, one film for a while. My favorite combo is a Nikkormat FT2 with a 35mm f/2 'O' lens, a yellow filter, and fast B&W film.go walking and shoot whatever catches your eye. This connects well with the previous point. In 2012 after I retired I spent two weeks in Melbourne, walking the city streets and just photographing high rise buildings in different angles from the streets and sidewalks, also whatever I happened to see that caught my interest. The results have formed a collection I think is "interesting", I'm not sure what if anything I will do with them but they stimulate me to look at them and remember those times.

Give up photography for a while. take up reading good books, write a novel, do a project at home, revamp the garden, design a house. Whatever. As long as it's out of your comfort zone (= rut).

Go away somewhere. Take a trip. This can be a weekend or a few days away from home, or overseas. I regularly travel to Indonesia, Malaysia Brunei and Sarawak to find and photograph colonial architecture, which gives me no end of stimulation (and a fair few unexpected adventures) along the way. Yes, I know it has all been done before, but not by me (or by you)..

Do some scanning. That always rejigs my interest in getting out and shooting, if only to get escape from the scanner and the essentially dreary process that is scanning.

If you have a darkroom, choose some old negatives and reprint them in new ways. Think small. Do only 4x5s or 5x7s. During my last bout of not wanting to do anything photographic, I assigned myself a project of printing some very old snaps of family and friends in a new size, 'half three by fives' (I have an old multi-frame easel with a frame for this old 'contact print' size) on old FB paper I've had lying around since 2003, and then selenium toning them to a really neat reddish-brownish color. These were then given away to people. One friend has four of them in a beautiful frame on his study wall. I have to say it looks quite superb.

Visit local charity shops or photo stores (if you can find any) to see what secondhand cameras they have in stock. Don't spend a fortune, buy something you can play with and then either give away or flog off on Ebay.

The possibilities are seemingly endless if we think laterally. The only problem is to find the time to do all these interesting things

And do let us know how it turns out for you.

I especially enjoyed ced's post (#6), to which I will add one of my favorites: if at first you don't succeed (in photography or anything else), you're batting about average.

 

[removed account4]

do what interests you and don't worry about what doesn't.
and don't worry what other people say or think.

 

[chip j]

Change equipment.

 

[Arklatexian]

Strange issue with me lately. I've taken some beautiful images over the past few years but lately I wonder why I take them at all. At the end of the day other than looking nice they hold little meaning for me. The photos of my family as they grow up or engage in activities hold meaning. They're important. I want to shoot those. It's all my other photos that I'm losing motivation to take. Photos of flowers are pretty. Buildings are interesting. But I can just go and google photos of these things if I want to see it. I'm losing interest in taking these photos and spending money on them as well. Why do you think this is? I used to love shooting a roll a week. Now I don't care half as much. How do you maintain motivation? How do you continue finding purpose in photography?

I think that you have already answered your own question. IMO the only pictures that are really important are pictures of family and friends, especially if they are B&W and you date and identify the people on the back of each print with a soft lead pencil. Of course try your best to make the prints as archival as you can. The other kinds of pictures are only important to the maker if they are shown to other photographers for some sort of approval but in reality, they are not very important. The older you get the more you will think that I am right. I am now 86 and I know that I am correct.........Regards!

 

[Saganich]

I'll walk around and not shoot for hours or days, then I force myself to shoot anything and after a few clicks my eye kicks in, my perspective changes and I start seeing photographs everywhere. Sometimes over thinking leads to inaction which leads to self-doubt which leads to the bar. But on the way home you feel a bit better.

 

[RalphLambrecht]

Strange issue with me lately. I've taken some beautiful images over the past few years but lately I wonder why I take them at all. At the end of the day other than looking nice they hold little meaning for me. The photos of my family as they grow up or engage in activities hold meaning. They're important. I want to shoot those. It's all my other photos that I'm losing motivation to take. Photos of flowers are pretty. Buildings are interesting. But I can just go and google photos of these things if I want to see it. I'm losing interest in taking these photos and spending money on them as well. Why do you think this is? I used to love shooting a roll a week. Now I don't care half as much. How do you maintain motivation? How do you continue finding purpose in photography?

I know the feeling but it will vanish f you just keep shooting.Start making self assignments. My image making starts in my head during naps. That's were the image is created.after that, everything is just execution.strive to do the best you can do at every step so, you can be proud of the result.all artists hit a low once in awhile; it passes if you keep going. Keep looking at examples from the great names in photography; that will give you inspiration but don't copy; give it your own twist; start in your own neighbourhood and don't listen to negativity; true artist are self motivated and tell a story with their images all the best and post some!

 

[Alexander Ivashkin]

This is a topic of interests to many of us. Actually, I presume it would not be too far-fetched to say that each and every photographer has experienced this ennui at some point in her life.


This was one of the reasons I sold my whole DSLR kit four years ago and bought a P&S just for travel and family snaps. Then I discovered film and was back!


Lack of motivation arises from lack of goals. You continue engaging in the activity because you enjoy the process, and then the novelty wears off and you ask yourself why should you do it all.

Basically, you lack a reason to shoot now. Create the reason then! My advice would be to find and set a goal for yourself. It could be a theme, a topic to explore (instead of snapping everything around you); it could be to finish a printing project (photobooks are amazing in that regard! Scan some old negs and treat your friends and yourself to a trip down memory lane!); it could be a personal exhibition (does not have to be in a top gallery, a local café would be delighted to have your gorgeous prints on the wall (for free, of course))…

Instead of putting your camera down for a long while, continue doing photography but in a different way. Do not let the old pictures just sit there, make them alive! This is one of the differences between a d***al and film photography. In digital, images just sit on your HDD as lifeless, soulless files. In film, your pictures are alive, tangible and beautiful. Print them in a darkroom. Print colour negs digitally. Think big. Go for 20”x30”. Frame the images, hang them on the wall, put them on your desk, give them out to friends and family. Feel the pictures. Smell them. Taste them. Let them speak to you. Put one on the wall but hang it upside down. If you shoot slides, frame them, gather friends and project the images in all their glory.


Instead of shooting, write a short essay about photography (and post it here on APUG, we would be eager to read!)

Write about your “beautiful images”. What was their story? How did you took them? Where did you have to go? What adventures did you have? Then post this story here or, again, make a photobook with it!

Cheers,
Alexander


Silver prints, languages, art and madeleine cupcakes: http://alexanderivashkin.wordpress.com

 

[Sirius Glass]

Interest comes and goes. I just took some photographs on a two day trip and I have film to develop but the motivation to develop and print are not there. It will come back sooner or later.