Feeling off

J

jmarcus

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I just want to say I hate it when I don't feel like I have done anything original with my camera lately. I also feel like I have been thinking to much about buying an M8, when I should really be out shooting......

I hate that I had a nice weekend and don't feel like I have any great pictures to show for it!

James
 
I hear ya. I feel this way at times too. However, I have a question - what do you think getting an M8 will change/do that your Rd1s can't/doesn't?

To help matters I usually try a different format, i.e. go from 35mm to MF - sometimes it helps me to get a bit more..... creative - if you will.
 
Sometimes I carry a camera around for days and never even pick it up and point it at anything. Other times I'll shot several rolls in less than an hour.
 
Thanks guys. Traditionally I get GAS attacks for hobbies that I pick up. I don't want to acquire many different types of camera and lens sets. I really like the M format and the lenses. Thats why I don't have a MF camera. But the M8 would become my primary and my R-D1s as a backup camera. Plus I took a freelance job to save for one, and the money has come in :).

James
 
What inspires me to go out with a small camera on the street is to look at some really great, classic street photography. The same with watching documentaries on the telly of artists usually puts me in a creative mood.

Go and peruse the members galleries here at RFF for awhile, that should get you in the mood.

Also, keep in mind that creativity takes energy to do. In our daily lives, busy with work and family obligations, it's hard sometimes to find the energy to be creative. So you've got to make time for yourself.

~Joe
 
I give myself a new project every month. Usually something I pick up from what I've seen some other photographer do, sometimes original. Keeps me shooting every day. This month it is "30 street portraits in 30 days." Next month it's "Back Door Photos," where I'll shoot back yards of houses and the back of businesses that you usually don't see. It's not hard to come up with something, even if it seems a bit pointless, to keep that camera in action.
 
I'll second the making time for creativity. Especially if you're a 'street shooter' like I try to be. I get into slumps pretty frequently, but somehow, I always get back out again. Next weekend go look for a big flea market. Truthfully, I seldom get great shots there, but usually there are a lot of people and, hopefully, a lot of esoteric stuff to see. It makes for good practice if nothing else and it usually gets me back in the mood to shoot other subjects for the rest of the week.
 
At the risk of being provocative, I'm not sure that there is anything original in photography any more - but I assume you mean original to you and your camera.

All the artists I've either known or read about have had times when things just haven't flowed, so I wouldn't worry too much about it. However, if you are concerned that you are suffering from the photographic equivalent of "writers block" then I think there have been various threads here in the past which have detailed exercises you can use to circumvent this.

As to wasting a good weekend - well some photographers I know will either not shoot for a few days or deliberately miss a shot to ensure they keep things loose.
 
Some people think this sounds a bit weird, but try taking time out from looking for pictures, and just look. Sit somewhere like a public square and just observe, look at everything, the people, the rubbish bins, the windows on the buildings, the telephone wires, everything, until you really know it. Slow down and don't worry about taking pictures, but just observe. I even bring a sketchbook and draw, as that really gets you into observation.

I notice the difference when I next pick up a camera. It's like my observational batteries have been recharged.

On the other hand maybe I'm just a nut.

Cheers, Paul.
 
Harry Callahan said he once had a dry spell that lasted a year! Everybody goes through this all the time- hopefully for less time, of course.
 
I can tell you the cure for writer's block I learned some years ago.

Write. Write anything and everything that pops in your head. You'll be surprised how quickly something worthwhile makes it on to your paper.

So, go take pictures. Even uninteressting pictures that you will never share. Eventually, the activity will lead you out of the creative funk.
 
I thought that I was the only one that was into a slump! I hope we come out of it soon! It is a terrible feeling!

Cheers,
Tom
 
jmarcus said:
...

I hate that I had a nice weekend and don't feel like I have any great pictures to show for it!
Click to expand...


you had a nice weekend. YOU. you don't need pictures, besides, it was your weekend and not the greatest pics possible could make it other peoples weekend.

not that i'm any good at experiencing much without a camera myself, but i try to try ,-)
 
I feel like 'The Slump' is my natural state.

Some good advice here from observing without a camera to shooting everything in sight without caring (especially about how original or worthy the scene is.)

I think you find you're own way out of it eventually and the same 'cure' doesn't always work.

Just don't panic....I'm very laid back about my lack of quality images in the last 35 years of my life;)
 
phc said:
Some people think this sounds a bit weird, but try taking time out from looking for pictures, and just look. Sit somewhere like a public square and just observe, look at everything, the people, the rubbish bins, the windows on the buildings, the telephone wires, everything, until you really know it. Slow down...
Click to expand...

Relax, and use your eyes, don't even carry a camera at that time.
 
One way to cure the 'blues' is to go back and re-edit your old photos.

I was so surprised when I set about creating a B&W portfolio, how many of those that I selected were not ones from the "first choices" before.
 
Put away the digital cameras and shoot a few rolls of film.

For example the anti-depressant properties of Tri-X has been known for quite sometime now...
 
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