I'm not motivated to do street photography

N

Nh3

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Yes, it pains me to say it but I'm bored of street photography. I have pretty much done everything that I could on the street and now I just don't feel motivated at all to do street photography... I don't find it creatively stimulating. First of all its impossible to be original in street photography, pretty much everything has already been done, secondly people in my city are reserved and polite, great people but not visually interesting.

I could be burned out or lack inspiration but whatever it is I need new ideas, something to peak my interest and challenge me, I need to move on beyond street and perhaps get into documentary work but i don't know where to start.

I feel these days a little burned-out.

what about you?
 
street and documentary presupposes an interest in something, so i'd look at why you aren't interested in things.
 
so wait ...

so wait ...

Are you saying you don't want to get cussed at, chased, beaten up, and arrested?? :D

Nh3 said:
Yes, it pains me to say it but I'm bored of street photography. I have pretty much done everything that I could on the street and now I just don't feel motivated at all to do street photography... I don't find it creatively stimulating. First of all its impossible to be original in street photography, pretty much everything has already been done, secondly people in my city are reserved and polite, great people but not visually interesting.

I could be burned out or lack inspiration but whatever it is I need new ideas, something to peak my interest and challenge me, I need to move on beyond street and perhaps get into documentary work but i don't know where to start.

I feel these days a little burned-out.

what about you?
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I don't wanna sound pretentious but I cannot seem to come up with anymore creative ideas and incorporate that into my street shooting... Also the novelty and thrill of it has also waned a bit. When i started i used to get a rush and feel thrilled by candid work but I have done it so many times now that...

Anyway, I will be interested to hear if anyone else here have felt the same way.
 
I envy you. No chance I can ever get to that point unless I move - there is almost no life on the streets around me at all.
 
Pitxu said:
You lucky young fellow!

It seems you just need a little motivation, a new "eye", a new project.

Leave your camera at home for a week or two. You'll soon be seeing things that'll make you wish you had your camera with you.
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This is probably the best advice on offer!
 
Pixtu has a wonderful point. Leave the damn camera home and just wander about "for a week or two." You won't be rushing about trying to get that great street shot. Relax, try the I Ching: "Not seeking, not caring, not wanting," something along those lines.

You'll be surprised.

Also, you might try doing something totally different in the interim - like portraits. Any camera will do, really. You don't need a Hasselblad or a Rolleiflex. You don't need the street. What's needed is the ability to talk someone into it and develop a (I hate to use this term, but I can't think of a better one) rapport of some degree. My best subject was a young woman who said why do you want to photograph me? I'm nobody, plus I'm ugly.
 
Take a break. Maybe do a different kind of photography. I have been doing only street photography for the last year because I have had to be away from home and away from my Nikon system, and now I have this intense macro craving. It helps if, like me, you do more than one kind of photography very seriously.
 
One thing that has worked for me is to review past work, tidy up the files, make a few prints, and observe what previous work seems most interesting now. That may point you in a new direction.
 
I've never been a street guy at all, just happen to use rangefinder cameras because medium format ones fit well in backpacks and wide angle lenses work especially well on them.
In fact, I'm sitting in a bar waiting for the moon to hurry up and rise so I can shoot some moonlit architecture shots of the junior college I'm attending as a parody of Bauhaus photography and architecture since the building in question happens to house the art, natural sciences and engineering departments.... In the car are a tripod, one roll of Acros, a meter, and a Fuji 645.
So not exactly street!
As has been said above, sometimes you need a break. Sometimes you need a new angle. Sometimes a new art all together. There's no shame any way you look at it, why fret?
 
Art doesn't die. You're probably seeking too hard and lost both instinct and interest. If you look for something you won't find it, it always find you if you're opened to every concept.

My suggestion young fellow :) : Sit on a bench, observe (without your camera), do what you LOVE to do outdoor (not necessarily alone). Photography is tightly linked to what you live so forget about the pictures, just wander, do your things and if needed, it will catch you again, probably with a new vision. It's a cycle. Enjoy !

edit : If you're looking for a subject, just take a look at your feet, everything close to you. In my case it was obvious : women, school system (im becoming a teacher), my neighboorhood, parisian parks where i wander all spring long, etc etc..
 
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I haven't been in the mood for it for a long time. After "turning pro" and getting a job at a magazine. I don't go out and just snap around anymore. Maybe when it's warmer I'll bother. But lately, not so much.
 
Does it happen to you with other interests/hobbies ? In my case, I went through my piano, paintings, salsa dancing periods, ...., and they all faded at some point. I am not a one passion guy so eventually my interest in (street) photography may fade one day. I am ok with that, that probably means our brain cannot get stuck on one topic all life. Passion can become obsession. (getting philosophical here ... should start a new thread that would be like : "Je photographie donc je suis") :D
 
Nh3 said:
Yes, it pains me to say it but I'm bored of street photography. I have pretty much done everything that I could on the street and now I just don't feel motivated at all to do street photography... I don't find it creatively stimulating. First of all its impossible to be original in street photography, pretty much everything has already been done, secondly people in my city are reserved and polite, great people but not visually interesting.

I could be burned out or lack inspiration but whatever it is I need new ideas, something to peak my interest and challenge me, I need to move on beyond street and perhaps get into documentary work but i don't know where to start.

I feel these days a little burned-out.

what about you?
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Try looking for geometry, without ppl first, then try inserting ppl again but only if it matches the geometry you have in mind..

This is the plan that I have.

Rob.
 
See, actually doing it is harder than bashing the masters.

Street photography is about frustration, persistence, wading through thousands of frames to pick a few really worthy, getting strange looks sometimes from normal people, and all that while remaining obscure for the rest of your photographic life. Think for a moment if you really like it. If you do, you'll continue it anyway, if not, move on to something more rewarding for you.
 
This may be bad advice, but perhaps you could try to design a street shot that is set up but doesn't appear to be set up? Some have speculated here and elsewhere that the pioneers of street photography have possibly done this to a degree.
 
Do some "controlled" portraits, family, friends, pretty girls :) - that will reset you. People never get boring.

Much of "street" today is stereotype, anyways.

Roland.
 
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