Do I really have anything to say?

[Jamie Pillers]

Yes! When I came back to photography after a 10-yr. hiatus, I started with a plastic Holga. After seeing a couple of rolls of film, I was completely re-enthused about making pictures again.

 

[kuzano]

I've never told a therapist the truth....

I've never told a therapist the truth....

That post reminded me so much of my one visit to a therapist ... far too much truth, far too much reallity!

And/or quite often not the whole story. It's just so much fun watching them attempt to catch you in your lies. Some of them are actually pretty good. Overall however, I think the percentage of good therapists in that profession comes in quite a bit lower than the percentage of good doctors in the medical field.

I suspect good therapists come in at about 25% of the lot, whereas good doctors are more like 50% of the profession. 50% must be a pretty good rule of thumb, which explains the need for a second opinion... so that if they differ, you can ask for a third opinion. If you get three opinions that are the same, you could still have just chosen 3 of the bad ones, but not as likely.


Regarding the post... I just keep buying the ones I want to play with. Who cares about repetition or image quality. I tinker with automobiles for the same reason. It's truly my most effective therapy... who cares about the ride.

 

[dimitris]

I have gone FF last week buying a used 1Ds. For me it was worth it just for the viewfinder and getting my lenses to work properly again. Will I be taking better photos now than what I did with my old 20D? Probably not but at least the new camera gives me more desire to go out and shoot.

 

[ClaremontPhoto]

...the new camera gives me more desire to go out and shoot.

So if you were a furniture maker would a new plane give you more desire to make more furniture?

The camera, any camera, is a tool.

Use it with skill to achieve what you want, but do not kid yourself a better tool will inspire you to reach a new level of interest.

 

[Roger Hicks]

. . . but do not kid yourself a better tool will inspire you to reach a new level of interest.

Dear Jon,

Not better: different.

It's an enlightening truth, this one. You don't need an XYZ 123 to replace your XYZ 122, which in turn you bought to replace your XYZ 121. You need a different camera: as different as possible. A Holga, maybe (though I can't stand the things). An 8x10 inch. A TLR. A rollfilm SLR. Panoram. Sub-min.

One of three things will happen.

1 You remain unmoved.

2 You discover a new direction.

3 You find that the new camera is so much hassle you go back to the old one.

All useful information, though (2) and (3) are likely to be more welcome than (1).

Just a thought.

Cheers,

R.

 

[antiquark]

Have I run out of anything to say with a camera? Am I just getting better and better at taking the same photos? Why am I seriously looking at new cameras when I'll just shoot the same stuff everybody else is shooting in the same way I always shoot it. Is there really anything new to shoot or a different way to shoot it?

The moment you decide to shoot solely for yourself, it will free your mind.

Ignore any external motivations or justifications. Just carry your camera, and take pictures whenever you see something that interests you or touches you in some way.

Don't ask, "will this scene be interesting to someone else?" The opinions of others shouldn't matter to your personal hobby.

Don't even ask, "is this scene interesting to me?" It it is interesting, you will know instantly. At that point, raise the camera to your eye, and press the button.

 

[Ducky]

We have a used book store in Dallas with an old photo section. Most are from the 50's or wwll along with some earlier studio shots. It fits this thread since, looking through them, they are just like a thousand others taken and tossed over the years. There are young couples standing in front of a bush or porch, the group around the new (now classic) car, senior pix, grandparents taken by today's grandparents.
I sat for about ten minutes and saw the same shots over and over, just different faces.
My point. . .? I don't know but it all seemed so unimportant, regardless of the camera used.

 

[Morris]

Do I really have anything to say?

If you've nothing to say then shut up.
The camera's just your tool.
You should pick up your camera when you've seen something you want to capture on film, be it a certain light, mood, atmosphere or subject.

Changing cameras just to have something different to fondle is plain daft.

 

[NIKON KIU]

Where's the real value?

I take lots of personal pictures,
I like to think one day, when my children/grandchildren/... are looking at those boxes full of pictures, as I did once, the real value of those pictures will flourish. As those old pictures did for me.

Kiu

 

[Al Patterson]

Hey, I talk when I have nothing to say, post on the Internet when I have nothing to say, so do you think I'll stop taking pictures when I have nothing to say there either?



Yeah, we've all had those thoughts. Fortunately, I don't earn a living with either my prose or my photos, so I can put the camera away for a month or two until I get inspired.

Next week, black and white Rio Grande steam in New Mexico. Not sure if I have room for one of the rangefinder though. Primes don't work that well on the runbys...