becoming jaded?

[philipaloft]

I've always tried to treat my photography as a " visual diary " and this seems to remove pressure concerning end results.
And yet now and then, usually unexpectedly, I'll find myself zoning in on something and getting a real kick from the feedback the image provided.
I'm not sure it's necessary to quit shooting entirely if you're feeling flat - maybe if you shoot with film, it mightn't be a bad idea to borrow someone's digital camera and crack off numerous images here and there to see if that mightn't get those gears engaged and interested again. Just the immediacy might be helpful.
Philip

 

[Godfrey]

getting past The Wall ... that moment when you feel you are technically proficient, when the glitz and glitter of new equipment ceases to thrill you for itself ... that is the perilous time for the amateur photographer. to go beyond, to clime The Wall, requires fortitude, courage, and perseverance. you have to look inside yourself, ask the tough questions—Why do I do this? What do I want to do with my art? What in my photography truly satisfies me? How do I grow now?—and work hard.

many never scale The Wall. some start but give up. some just keep scaling for the remainder of their time and turn to other things. some put on their climbing shoes, give up what they cannot carry, and go for it.

none of these are bad things. photography is, after all, just one endeavor to challenge and enrich life. its importance depends upon you. if it is truly important, not just that you think it's important from past joy doing it, you'll do what you must, in your own time, to find it and see deeper.

once you get to The Wall, all that has gone before is revealed as just preparation for the truly hard part of doing photography. there is nowhere else to go in photography but to the ropes. every photographer has been there at some point. it is scary, it is hard, it will make you hurt. and it could be the moment of your life.

good luck.

G

 

[mwoenv]

You might want to reat Art & Fear which talks about the difficulties in creating art, understanding your expectations, and the importance of continuing to create (photos in this case) even if you are tentative, discouraged, jaded, etc.

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/187633.Art_and_Fear

 

[cz23]

getting past The Wall ... that moment when you feel you are technically proficient, when the glitz and glitter of new equipment ceases to thrill you for itself ... that is the perilous time for the amateur photographer. to go beyond, to clime The Wall, requires fortitude, courage, and perseverance. you have to look inside yourself, ask the tough questions—Why do I do this? What do I want to do with my art? What in my photography truly satisfies me? How do I grow now?—and work hard.

many never scale The Wall. some start but give up. some just keep scaling for the remainder of their time and turn to other things. some put on their climbing shoes, give up what they cannot carry, and go for it.

none of these are bad things. photography is, after all, just one endeavor to challenge and enrich life. its importance depends upon you. if it is truly important, not just that you think it's important from past joy doing it, you'll do what you must, in your own time, to find it and see deeper.

once you get to The Wall, all that has gone before is revealed as just preparation for the truly hard part of doing photography. there is nowhere else to go in photography but to the ropes. every photographer has been there at some point. it is scary, it is hard, it will make you hurt. and it could be the moment of your life.

good luck.

G

Wise words, Godfrey. Although "The Wall" is not quite right for me. I think of it more like a philosophical fork in the creative path. One route continues on the surface, while the other goes deeper into self, values, intention, meaning, as you suggest. That need not be onerous, like a wall. We just shift our focus from without to within. The challenge, I feel, is to express those subjective qualities through a medium that is so inherently objective. But that's the very thing that makes this approach so rewarding.

John

 

[redisburning]

if youre self critical the better you become, the better you become at identifying good work from others, and the worse you feel about your own work by comparison.

 

[Rikard]

Whenever I get bored with my "regular" photography I pick up my Holga. With the Holga I immediately forget about technical perfection (there's simply none to be had), and usually start to see more/different photo opportunities.

 

[ampguy]

the photos I miss the most are the ones not taken. the best photos I have now, were taken with point and shoots.

The only camera GAS I have right now is for a P&S Canon with an optical viewfinder

 

[michaelwj]

getting past The Wall ... that moment when you feel you are technically proficient, when the glitz and glitter of new equipment ceases to thrill you for itself ... that is the perilous time for the amateur photographer.

Well put Godfrey. This is the pivotal moment, and although I see many never getting past or failing, for some it is the chance to start expressing themselves. It is the most exciting time in photography. Although John put it as "I think of it more like a philosophical fork in the creative path" I actually think it is a fork, but not in the creative path, only one tine is creative, the other continues to be technical. All that came before is indeed preparation for the creative tine, although some never take it, and indeed never see it coming.

Another thing that I find helps me get out and shooting is club competitions. I find this for several reasons. First, there are set topics that bring focus. Second, you put yourself out there to be judged. Third, you not only learn from your own judgement, but sometimes you learn a lot more from the judgement of others' work. The only downside is that often a lot of people involved are only interested in the technical path, and you have to make sure you don't get caught up in it.

Michael

 

[D-76]

Awhile back when everything looked like an 18% gray card, I discovered a little trick for myself I call the "Sullivan's Travels" which involves taking some arbitrary element and constraining it very narrowly. When I paint myself into a corner, all sorts of unexpected and complex outcomes emerge. It's a two-edged sword, though.

 

[john neal]

I think Michael has hit on a strong theme here - I used to be a keen club member, but found that the sort of work demanded by competition judges and the club cognescenti (sp?) was quite emphatically not enjoyable photography, no soul, just what they considered to be technically correct. I am terribly left-brain, so spent a lot of time and effort trying to succeed, but simply screwed up my photography to the point that I actually hated picking up a camera.

I stopped going to clubs and just shot what inspired me - technically quite possibly garbage, but I got some great memories.

When I get stuck in a rut, I try something different - from "toy" cameras to my phone. I found that books often provide a new line of exploration. Recently got hold of a copy of "Keywords" by Ray Williams. A sort of alternative art dictionary, where he takes words from A to W and gives them an alternative meaning. To simply open the book at any page, select a word and read the "definition" given provides a whole host of ideas for a photographic project that might only last a couple of hours, but equally, one that could be followed for months.

Give it a try - what have you got to lose - your inhibitions?

 

[biomed]

A couple of books I read have helped me see photography in new ways.

The Tao of Photography

The Art of the Photograph

The first book was a bit of an effort to read through because generally I don't read philosophy books. After getting into it I found a lot of insight. The Art of the Photograph is basically a book on composition but with very interesting stories and comments by Art Wolfe.

 

[noisycheese]

@Scheelings,
It sounds like you are in a creative rut. Some of the things that can help to break you out of this rut are -

*Take a photographic workshop, if you can make that happen;
*Read about and study deeply the images of an accomplished photographer (Peter Turnley, Constantine Manos, Steve McCurry, Steve Raymer and/or Jim Brandenburg come to mind);
*Take up photographing an entirely different genre from that which you normally photograph;
*If you shoot digitally, get a film camera and shoot film;
*If you normally shoot color, shoot only black and white for the next 100 days;
*If you use zoom lenses, get a prime (fixed focal length) lens and use only that les forthe next 100 days;
*Experiment with your camera; try long exposures (between 5 and 30 seconds) handheld at night while walking down a street in a busy town or city;
*Give street photography a try;

Last thing - buy and read this book as soon as you can:
http://www.amazon.com/Passionate-Ph...6&sr=1-1&keywords=the+passionate+photographer

 

[Pioneer]

I use the visual diary technique. I always carry a camera, usually one of my Barnacks, and I force myself to shoot at least two rolls every week. Usually I shoot quite a bit more than two rolls. But if I find myself coming up on Saturday and I haven't shot my two rolls I grab my camera, go for a walk and force myself to shoot up two rolls of film.

Another trick I use on myself is shooting mini-projects. I have to end up with a mini-portfolio of 12 pictures that illustrate the project. Last month was Garden Statues in the Snow. Unfortunately we ran out of snow too soon and I haven't been able to finish the project yet. I haven't yet started one this month but I am looking at going out and looking for advertisements that use a Cowboy Theme.

 

[Ko.Fe.]

Left brain is art, right is technician? Am I right?
Now I know why I like to take pictures nobody likes.
I'm not artist and nor technician. I can't even spell it right 😱

 

[Paul Jenkin]

Photographers who are their own harshests critics tend, in my experience, to be at the better end of the spectrum. Then there are those who take on board cosnstructive criticism from their audience. The audience doesn't necessarily, of course, need to be expert in "how" the shot was taken. As with all art forms, it's whether the viewer engages with the end result at some emotional / intellectual level that counts.

Once the photographer has become sufficiently proficient to be able to produce a technically adequate rendering of the view they want to capture, my recommendation would be to switch off the "technical" circuitry and rely solely on ne's "eye".

I am hardly a greatr or even a good photographer, however, what got me through soem of these kinds of blockages was giving up, even avoiding, the "how to" type of photographic book and magazine. The last thing I need is some demon on my shoulder getting me to second guess myself when it comes to exposure or some arbitrary / perceived wisdom about cmposition, etc. If it looks right, hit the shutter.

I do, however, get hold of as many photographer portfolio books (on the subjects I like - e.g. travel and landscape) and try to work out why certain shots work IMO and why others don't. I suppose what I'm saying is that once you know how to handle your camera, look for inspitarion rather than technical improvement. Being bogged down with the detail of the shot is the quickest way for me to lose interest and I suspect I'm not alone.

 

[Bill Clark]

For me, I found some one, years ago, who became my coach, friend and mentor. He taught 4 & 5 day workshops and that's how I met him. The first class I attended, my wife went along, after all Florida in the winter compared to here in Minnesota is quite appealing. My wife said that she probably would attend the first day and then spend the rest of her time at the hotel. She attended every day of the workshop.

My recommendation is to find an experienced photographer who sees the world in similar fashion as you do, who will elevate your photography to the next level. You will need to ask this person if they will agree to become your coach and mentor and willing to help you with your photography journey. If you find that person stick with s(he) through thick and thin.

Try to avoid taking into your heart what others say (write) about your photography and listen and work with your coach. Everyone has an opinion and if you take everyone seriously you will be left confused and frustrated.

I was lucky. I found a person who viewed the world like me. He was so good he was a Canon Explorer of Light. I wanted to learn how he did it. He'd say, "Look Bill its simple. It's all here in this handout! I normally charge for this but I'm giving it to you!"

We all need to have someone who can help with our self-confidence and also gently recommend how we can do better the next time. Some one like that is hard to find.

But search out and find that special person for you.

 

[Roger Hicks]

Left brain is art, right is technician? Am I right?
Now I know why I like to take pictures nobody likes.
I'm not artist and nor technician. I can't even spell it right 😱

Not so much a no-brainer as a half-brainer...

Does anyone swallow "left brain/right brain" reductionism any more?

To the OP: Just don't worry about it. What would happen if you never took another picture again? Stop for a while. Either you'll want to come back to it, or you won't.

Cheers,

R.