can you fall out of love?

jsrockit said:
Do whatever feels right when it comes to photography. Do the abstract stuff... it may help you in the streets once you do that exercise. Photography is photography... don't get caught up in genres (especially when you aren't feeling good about it).
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+1

Take your abstract into the streets - you might find that you see the world in a whole different light.
 
noisycheese said:
You may just be bored with your usual street photography niche; you might try shooting different aspects of street photography -

Street photography of dogs and their owners
Street photography of dogs and their owners, but with only the owner's legs & feet
Street photography at night
Street photography at night, but from your car as you drive by your subjects
Street photography with no people
Hand held street photography with one second or longer exposure times
Abstract street photography scenes
Night street photography with off camera flash (best at events, where people expect to be photographed)
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Yes, I see more and more street with lower half of a person in the foreground, and then just regular stuff in the BG.... and with a 24mm fov to add dynamics at off angles....

And I see more "up close and personal" face shoots that are totally candid....

I think if you go out a few times with no camera.... you will start to see photos you wish you could photograph... that does build up the love again....
 
My first thought was the abstract/shadows idea; but how about street sequences? Might get you thinking differently.
 
Distance makes the heart grow fonder as they say.

Force yourself to take time for other things. See how much you really love what you think you love by abandoning them for a while!
No harm in neglecting inananimate objects!
 
i am a victim of my own inertia...i have been cleaning up around here, put a bunch of stuff on kijiji and some some stuff here at rff and starting to feel more energized.
don't know if that will impact my creativity much but it feels good to do something.
 
i think change locations/new walk to offer you things to explore would help.
gears reshuffling is good but then later you realize you want something similar and you dont have it, you gonna buy something similar again. And when you hit the streets it's still the same things you see. whatever tools it is in your hand, the things in front of you dont call for a shot.
 
Maybe spend some time with the photos you've already made... editing, sequencing, etc., toward putting them together into a Blurb book. That process might show you where you stand and lead to insight into how to get better, what might make the book more interesting.... It might also give you a new sense of pride which might be conducive toward creating new work.

Or, try shooting street a different way. If you're used to using a 28, try it with a 50. Vice versa. Try it with a 6x4.5 camera. Or a p&s. Or a holga.

I watch the RedSox every day, so i do know the allure of the diamond. A dangerous addiction.
 
back alley said:
i love street shooting!
good at it or not doesn't matter i love doing it, looking at it, reading about it...but lately i think that i might be falling out of love with it!
i don't have the same enthusiasm for it...i'd just as soon stay home and watch the blue jays game!
i enjoy taking pics of abstract objects more, playing with shadow and light...still not good at it but enjoying it more...though feeling guilty about ignoring the streets...
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Embrace your change of heart, Joe.
Maybe even switch your new "loves" with the four seasons.
Abstract, scenic, portrait & street = Summer, Autumn, Winter & Spring.
Mix as desired :D
 
Yes, you can get bored seeing people in cities all the time. Try people out in the country, or at work, or something that's not "street." Or shoot animals, landscapes, still lives.

As much as we have an inherent interest in what other humans are doing, it's all been seen before.
 
I don't know about others, but I go through all kinds of cycles and phases with my hobbies. I've learned to roll with it. I'll be hot on "street photography" for a few months, then I find myself engrossed in a fine furniture project (hand-cut dovetail joints and all that stuff), then its my carnivorous plant gardens for a while...and back to photography at some point. The thing is: I never really stop doing any of my hobbies, I just place emphasis on them in a random (not really cyclical) schedule. And did I mention that I like many different kinds of photography? I cycle through those too -- studio portraiture, wildlife (long lenses!), macro, flat-field, landscapes with my LF gear, stereo photography, and the list goes on.

My wife has made it clear though. No new hobbies! I'm simply not allowed and its a self-imposed limitation. Only so much time in a day, and all that. And its hard because so many things interest me. But the positive part is I don't fret when one hobby gets "neglected" and another is in the limelight. Things will come round.

Things will come round for you Joe. I'm pretty confident about that.
 
I think it's natural to fall out of love. Taste and desires evolve over a human life span and it's more than healthy to start new things once in a while. If it was true love to begin with, you'll get back to it eventually. Just take a break and see how long you can be without!

I have been a very passionate photographer when I was between 16 and 21 year old. Then I got distracted by university, a tough job, marriage, etc. Now, 30 year later, I found my way back to film photograph because I realized that this is what I have always loved in life!
 
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