Pierre-Christian H
Member
I finally have to admit it.
I'm stuck in a photographic rut.
There is no inspiration.
Work is hell and my love life is dead.
How would you get out of rut like this?
I'm stuck in a photographic rut.
There is no inspiration.
Work is hell and my love life is dead.
How would you get out of rut like this?
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chut
Luceat Lux Vestra
Try taking a break and not shooting for, say a month.
After a while, I began to 'see' photos again but because of my self-imposed exile, I couldn't take them. After the break, I started shooting again with renewed vigor.
That worked for me when I was burnt out earlier this year. And try not to worry about it too much, inspiration does comes back, and in new and unexpected forms.
After a while, I began to 'see' photos again but because of my self-imposed exile, I couldn't take them. After the break, I started shooting again with renewed vigor.
That worked for me when I was burnt out earlier this year. And try not to worry about it too much, inspiration does comes back, and in new and unexpected forms.
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bmattock
Veteran
Happens to me all the time. First of all, I don't get upset about it. I can find things to do when I'm not out taking photos, like scanning stacks of old negatives or processing some B&W film that is long past time I did. If that gets old, break out of your rut by taking yourself outside your zone of experience - and I know you haven't been there done that for everything.
Surround yourself with input, something will catch.
Ever been to a roller-derby match? How about professional women's sporting events? Amateur wrestling tournament or martial arts competition? Professional ballroom dancing? How about a kid's birthday party or a social event? All you have to do is advertise on Craig's List or something like that and say you'll be happy to come to the kid's b-day party and take photos, or whatever, for free, and someone will take you up on it. You'll look at a few things differently, you'll find a way to express yourself through the photos you take, and you will have to stretch a bit if you're out of your usual comfort zone.
I like to query Google for local events the following weekend - anything will do. Sometimes it ends up sucking - I went to a "Kiss Exhibition" that turned out to be a bunch of grotty forty-somethings crowded into a tiny room in a hotel selling each other crap. But other times, I've been amazed and delighted, like when I went to an anime festival. Just look for things you haven't done and go there, whether you think you'll like it or not. Think about how you want to approach it photographically and then see if you have the stuff to do it up right, or to do it in a novel way.
That's what works for me, anyway.
Dig this:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/wigwam/sets/
That's how we do it.
Have fun, good luck!
dof
Fiat Lux
If faced with the same circumstances, I would try to separate my photographic desires from my work and love life.
Al Kaplan
Veteran
It happens to al of us. I was going through a period of only shooting with the 15mm lens (except on paid gigs), and now after about 4 years I'm exploring options. One thing I decided to do was go back through old negative files and find images I overlooked years ago.
Using the 15mm lens I discovered that I could hold the camera in one hand and include myself (and sometimes my toy monkey) in the photos.
I had forgotten just how much 120 film I shot years ago. I'm now shooting cheap Arista 400 film in a 1959 Minolta Autocord for the first time in about 30 years! Last year I forced myself to walk around with only a 400 mm lens for a few days.
I started a blog about 4 years ago and haven't missed a day! Every day a photo and a few paragraphs about what was going on. Everything from Bob Dylan a jillion years ago to current local political commentary.
I started carrying around as toy monkey and using her in a fair amount of my photos. Monkette is well known around town and sometimes she goes city council meetings and pretends that she's managing a political campaign. Her clients always win too!
Think about the most far out silly thing you can photograph and just go for it!
http://thepriceofsilver.blogspot.com
Using the 15mm lens I discovered that I could hold the camera in one hand and include myself (and sometimes my toy monkey) in the photos.
I had forgotten just how much 120 film I shot years ago. I'm now shooting cheap Arista 400 film in a 1959 Minolta Autocord for the first time in about 30 years! Last year I forced myself to walk around with only a 400 mm lens for a few days.
I started a blog about 4 years ago and haven't missed a day! Every day a photo and a few paragraphs about what was going on. Everything from Bob Dylan a jillion years ago to current local political commentary.
I started carrying around as toy monkey and using her in a fair amount of my photos. Monkette is well known around town and sometimes she goes city council meetings and pretends that she's managing a political campaign. Her clients always win too!
Think about the most far out silly thing you can photograph and just go for it!
http://thepriceofsilver.blogspot.com
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FrankS
Registered User
Travel .
bmattock
Veteran
Inward....
FrankS
Registered User
That's very philosophic Bill!
bmattock
Veteran
Wait til I get going! Now, where was I?
Chris101
summicronia
Spemd lots of money on hedonistic pleasures and fancy baubles. Have sex with lots of beautiful and exotic people. Experiment with designer drugs. Go someplace Westerners have never been before. Start a cult. Discover a new species of mammal. Anything like that may not help your photography, but it'll get your mind off it, and you won't care.
Come to think of it, you can probably accomplish the same thing with a car wreck, or even stub your toe really hard.
I hope you get more of the former, and less of the latter.
Come to think of it, you can probably accomplish the same thing with a car wreck, or even stub your toe really hard.
I hope you get more of the former, and less of the latter.
FrankS
Registered User
Sounds like you need a break from work. Take a vacation.
bmattock
Veteran
...
a Las Vegas wedding,
a Mexican divorce,
a solid gold Kama Sutra coffee pot,
or a baby's arm holding an apple?
Courtesy of The Tubes; "What do you want from life?"
Chris101
summicronia
Damn. Just like every photograph I'll ever take - it's been done before. To music.
selloutboy
A.g. De Mesa
What worked for me was just going out there and do everything to try to make myself happy or at least satisfied with what i'm doing 
We can only give you words but it is only you that can get you places.
As for the lovelife, I just risked it and good thing she likes me back
Goodluck Man, all the best
We can only give you words but it is only you that can get you places.
As for the lovelife, I just risked it and good thing she likes me back
Goodluck Man, all the best
pmun
Established
Chris - I've never seen a better match in terms of avatar photo and 'personality' of posts before - perfect - I enjoy reading them.
www.urbanpaths.net
pmun
Established
Have you ever tried painting? I find it gives me ideas about photography and visa-versa. Alternatively, set yourself a distinct project, otherwise photography can be aimless.
www.urbanpaths.net
www.urbanpaths.net
Maybe a rut and lack of creativity and inspiration is your lot in life. Not everyone is "special". The world is composed of billions of lumpen and only a few Eloi. We have a world full of people with the looks of Bukowski who think they look like Gary Cooper.
Accept your limitations and don't try to overreach. Trying to live up to a standard you are not capable of attaining will only result in frustration. You have been tricked into thinking that you are unique and capable of higher modes of expression, when, in reality, you may not be.
Date the less attractive women. Eat the McDonald's hamburgers. Take the uninspired snapshots.
Don't worry, be happy.
Accept your limitations and don't try to overreach. Trying to live up to a standard you are not capable of attaining will only result in frustration. You have been tricked into thinking that you are unique and capable of higher modes of expression, when, in reality, you may not be.
Date the less attractive women. Eat the McDonald's hamburgers. Take the uninspired snapshots.
Don't worry, be happy.
bmattock
Veteran
Lumpen and proud. From one Morlock to another, eh?
Fortunately, I am not morg nor imorg.
mfunnell
Shaken, so blurred
Perhaps if you change your name it might help you out of your rut. But on the evidence here, well, perhaps not.
...Mike
Turtle
Veteran
Good advice quoted below. Issues elsewhere in your life can have a big impact, but at times photography can be the escape you need. I bounce from pushing myself to go and do something for fun and with no pressure to doing less, caring less and enjoying other things till the urge comes back. The one bit that is essential IMHO is to care less and not get wound up about it.