I take photos and then...nothing!

I

itf

itchy trigger finger
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Does anyone else take photos, sometimes lot's of them, and then do nothing with them?

I got to a point around 2009 or 10 where I started to wonder if there was any point in what I was doing. I rarely ever did anything with any of my pictures beyond look at them for a moment, I always intended to go back and edit, print, but never did. I posted a few on here from time to time, started a blog momentarily, flickr, but lost interest, so I stopped taking photos.

Then a few months ago I was going through stuff I had stored, and there's my big box of negatives, thousands and thousands of them. So I decided to start going through them and scanning some (found my scanner too), I found I liked more of them now than when I took them (or at least noticed more of them).

Pretty soon I lost interest, and decided instead to just start taking photos again (and started thinking digital is what I need).

Now I'm wondering, what??

I started a blog, I'm trying to include some old and new and be disciplined that if I'm going to continue producing them, I should start doing something with them.

Has anyone else got the same problem? It seems crazy but when I take them I feel like I'm going to make them into something, but lose interest.

If anyone would like to see some of the pictures (if you've been here a while, you may have seen a few already): http://richardelangley.tumblr.com

Any thoughts, encouragement, derision welcome.

edit: if you go to my "about" section, please excuse it. "specialising in long form documentary" was intended as an in joke.
 
I take photos, even develop them but then get lazy and store the negatives away. I haven't stopped shooting though, and that's just making it worse..

Don't know what the solution is?
 
It's you who has to know if photography gives you a kick. I guess, that in order to really be obsessed with photography, you probably have to have some good reason for it. Not everybody gets obsessed with hobbies, and it is perfectly normal.
So try to understand yourself, and what do you expect from photography, perhaps it is useless to impose on yourself maintaining a blog, etc, if you don't feel that drive, you can have lots of fun without external committments, just take it easy.

When I fall asleep, I usually think about photography, the same when I wake up - do you?
 
I've done a few things to keep up with my workflow... and make it interesting.

1) Lightroom... being able to put everything into project folders that I can look at in "contact sheet" form has been really helpful when I need to go back and find images for a project. This of course requires discipline too... I always edit and look at the work and keep up with it.

2) One Book Every Month ... I make a 7" blurb book of any photograph that I think may be useful in the future for a project. This book allows me to use it as a editing tool (since its a different form than a screen) and also gives me a printed time capsule in case I never print the stuff in any other form. It makes me at least feel like I'm doing something with the photos.

3) Let time go by and re-edit the project folders... I get rid of the stuff that doesn't stand the test of time...

It really depends on what you want from photography. I enjoy editing and making books. I enjoy being out there with my camera. If you only enjoy being out there with your camera, just do it. You can always make sense of everything at a later point. Calzone on RFF photographs a lot and just keeps developing his negatives. He says he will deal with printing it all at a later date. There's nothing wrong with that approach either. Time allows you to really be harsh on your editing.
 
Agreed. I spent our long, cold winter scanning 35mm negs and slides I shot 40 years ago. Besides finding some pretty good pics that I had long forgotten, it was an incredible trip down memory lane.

Keep any and all of your negs. You won't regret it.

Jim B.
 
Sorta like writing a letter, putting it in an envelope w/ a stamp on it, then placing it in a drawer and never mailing it. A lot of people do that. Just writing the letter seems to be enough.

But to your particular problem. Yes, I have experienced that, which is why I've taken a break on taking and printing photos, and have returned to painting, drawing and printing. I would also suggest that you consider changing mediums. It's a good way to go.

Find yourself a fun, creative class, either at a community college or through art galleries/private teachers (NOT at a university, which would be the worst place to go) and having some fun w/ making images. Maybe even clay or pottery. Something that is hands on and gives you a finished piece at the end of the day. You'll have something you can hang on your wall or place on a table for display from the get go, and the cost of what I recommend is peanuts compared to photography. Don't think for a second that you need "talent" or any of that. In S.F., there used to be a sign in the Italian American Museum at Fort Mason that said in Italian, loosely, "there is no such thing as talent, there is only hard work and determination". I would definitely add FUN to this. It has to be fun and energizing. It's as much about the process as the end. Drawing is a skill, not a gift, and it is learned.

Even if drawing is not your thing, there are so many, many different art techniques that do not require a strong drawing discipline. Mixed media, sculpture, mono printing, etc. You can also work with your existing photos or negs in a more art like way that is a lot looser and freer than in a darkroom. Trust me, you can be a rough, inexact painter and turn out great work, but a photographer in a darkroom needs to be precise and exacting. You have to have repeatable results, at least in the beginning, which can be tedious.
 
Nice work Richard! You should not be discouraged.

You may be like me - I easily get overwhelmed when confronted with too much stuff, it produces a sort of paralysis. I also have a backlog of images I am trying to deal with, and my success is limited.

mfogiel uses the magic word - workflow. People with our defect (well, I should only speak for myself) need a written step-by-step plan to follow. In your case, part of the plan should include reviewing a set of negatives or digital images. But make sure it is a FLOW - review a limited number of images and as part of the process immediately post-process, edit and put the ones you are happy with on your site.

I will see if I can follow my own advice...

Best of luck,

Randy
 
I've been buying lots of photo books and a few prints since finding it hard to muster any motivation to get into the darkroom and print.

FWIW, I will follow your blog since I love looking at photos even though I'm not making any myself. You've got some interesting shots there.
 
I'm in the camp that would side with sorting out where photography fits into your life to guide your decision. It really becomes more of a philosophical, personal problem once seen in that light. The work I looked at on your site is highly personal (and good also...). I think it's pretty common to struggle with the "what the hell do I do with this?" question.

Complicating it all, our personal work tends to intertwine with our lives, by definition right? I believe it comes down to an overall balance in one's life. I know I couldn't sort out my own reasons for why I photograph until I sorted out my life, period. I'm much more at peace with where photography fits in these days, but it took a lot of work - and not just in photography. It was very frustrating to keep trying to be the photographer I imagined I wanted to be, only to keep being what I actually am.

In fact, most of the positive changes I have seen in my photography and how it fits into my life have had little to do with photography. Once other problems in my life were dealt with, photography took it's rightful place... for me. Maybe your ambivalence is rooted in something else as well?
 
itf said:
Does anyone else take photos, sometimes lot's of them, and then do nothing with them?
Click to expand...

Yep. But so what? Negatives or files don't take up much space. In the past, I trashed some aborted projects, but experience has told me it is worth while returning to them after years or even decades.
 
Sure, I have quite a few rolls of exposed film that are about two years old; just haven't around to developing them. They were from a batch of 60 rolls from a trip, and after developing about 25, I had enough to build a book to document that trip.

However, I've migrated to a mostly digital workflow, and shooting less film just because it is more convenient for me to sit in front of a computer to do my post-processing than it is to set up my darkroom gear in the bathroom.

I'm not an everyday shooter like a lot of people here, but when I do shoot, I tend to overindulge.
 
You need a finished product to evaluate your work. Print some. Matte a few and frame them. Hang them on your wall and stare at theme. Do they still please you after a couple of months. Then you'll know what to do
 
Wow, a great thread right here! Some sage advice.

jsrockit, the idea of producing a book once a month is genius! Maybe once a quarter is more appropriate to my output, but it's genius nonetheless. It's totally different experience to flicking through a pack of cheap 4x6" prints (which is what I do, before deciding on which photos to print larger) and will make it easier to get the opinion of others too.

Speaking of 4x6" prints, I've started carrying around a tin of them so I can get the opinion of close friends, but it's project specific. Getting peoples opinions in this way has really been enlightening, far more so than gauging likes and comments on Instagram or tumblr. I've not yet done anything with this information, but it's a long term project, and the process itself is quite fulfilling, and it's an easy way to share my work with people I care about (who wouldn't ever browse through a tumblr or Instagram feed).

I also like the monthly/quarterly book idea because I'd imagine it's an easy way to notice themes, moods, or other trends in your work, over time.

Also really like your post williams473. Certainly for me, when my life is more orderly, the purpose of my work is more obvious, and therefor the direction and intention more clear. Of course 'orderly' is relative, and when everything is up in the air I produce some interesting work which often affects my output during less turbulent times. Also, moments of crises have been the catalyst for a line of questioning that has ultimately been quite useful. Of course it's an ongoing concern, I don't ever expect to get to any real conclusions. That would likely be the death of my creative output. Constant refinement is a process I've come to love and hate, but on the whole accept.

zauhar, I'm like you in that I get easily overwhelmed. I've barely picked up a camera this last few months (relatively speaking) because I felt overwhelmed and needed to take a step back, catch up with things, and get some perspective. It's a useful process, but I'm hungry again now. My problem at the moment is more logistical than existential. (and frustrating as f...).

Anyway itf/Richard, totally digging your work! In my opinion at least, the world would be a better place if you continued to share, but I know from personal experience running web sites (photography related and otherwise) that a sense of obligation can totally kill inspiration, so do what you gotta do. And on a side note, if you are currently in Sydney, or find yourself here in the future, be sure to drop me a line.
 
A kind of with me. I shoot 8-20 films per month, develop and put them aside. Then once a month I pick a film ( I use 12 exp rolls of 36mm film) and "scan" it with my digital camera. Work on the files and I am happy for not rushing - films will last for long if stored in good conditions. Most of the times I am aware of what is on negatives just looking at them and do not have interest in printing or digitalizing them now.
 
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