Losing Steam with Cameras

[steveyork]

There was a period of time I accumulated lots of gear, both lenses and bodies -- different rangefinders, classic SLRs, TLRs, folders, vintage lenses ect -- but only because I wanted the new user experience of different cameras and different manufacturers, or to see how an old lens compares to modern optics, ect. It's like trying new film or new developer. Creative people, I believe, particularly enjoy new and different experiences. Now I can speak somewhat authoritatively how a Leica rangefinder differs, in the field, from Nikon, Canon, ect. It was fun, but over the years I determined what I like best and sold the rest. Now that I've tried a wide swath of equipment, there's no longer the desire to try more. In a sense, the cure for GAS was giving into it. I learned also through this process the obvious truth that camera/lens doesn't make the picture; good pics can be taken on any system (though I do like my wide apertures). Light and then composition are far more important. Maybe you're in the same boat.

 

[CharlesDAMorgan]

There was a period of time I accumulated lots of gear, both lenses and bodies -- different rangefinders, classic SLRs, TLRs, folders, vintage lenses ect -- but only because I wanted the new user experience of different cameras and different manufacturers, or to see how an old lens compares to a new one. It's like trying new film or new developer. Creative people I believe enjoy new and different experiences. Now I can speak somewhat authoritatively how a Leica rangefinder differs, in the field, from Nikon, Canon, ect. It was fun, but over the years I determined what I like best and sold the rest. Now that I've tried a wide swath of equipment, there's no longer the desire to try more. In a sense, the cure for GAS was giving into it. Maybe you're in the same boat.

A perfect description of my approach too. Try a wide variety of things then decide, then purge those that don't suit, and stop the constant decisions about what to use, the constant changes of controls etc that you need to recall, and concentrate solely on those bits of a system you regularly need.

At present I'm purging all my Zeiss ZM glass, my Hasselblad, and my M42 cameras and lenses. Then will go all those little bits of systems like my Zuiko glass, my compacts, my screwmount cameras, my Nikon AF, leaving me solely with Leica M or Leica R, with the decision then whether to sell the Nikon F stuff and my large format. I'll leave that til after lockdown.

 

[froyd]

B-9, you should have known better than to ask about gear on this forum! I could have written half of the replies myself based on the oft-repeated holier than thou maxims that "the photo is all that matters". "Subjects get me motivated not bourgeois gear lust." "Travel!" etc.

Come'on guys, let's not turn into BHFF (Blowhard Finder Forum)

Steveyork might be right though, after you try a whole lot of cameras you might start losing interest in the tools. What have you NOT tried? Stereo was a good suggestion, I assume you ticked the twin-lens and 4x5 boxes long ago, maybe some oddities like the Werra?

 

[Bob Michaels]

It seems that photography is all about using cameras to some people. Others see photography as a means of communicating information and cameras are just a necessary tool. B-9, you certainly seem to be in the first group.

Consider putting yourself in that second group for a refreshing change of pace. Arrive at something you would like to say using photographs. Make it something that interests you. Give it a try using whatever camera(s) fit best. Just don't let cameras enter into the decision about what it is you want to say.

 

[B-9]

Lol, I travel a lot for a guy in my demographic. I also take a TON of photos. More on some days than others.

I’ve been working on a photo book. I’m not unmotivated with my photos. I’m just not enjoying my “tools”.

I am not really in need of advice of any form. I was just starting up a dialogue with members as I haven’t posted much lately.

I have a Travelwide 4x5 I’m slowing kitting out. Still searching for a lens but I have most of the other bits to sauce the film.

I have a Canon 5D Classic that replaces my EOS 1 and a Ricoh GRD (Classic) that I’ll never sell (it lives in my glovebox anyways)

I was thinking I might let go of the 5Dc and grab a Nikon F100 or something... I miss my F5 so maybe I should rekindle that love affair.

Who knows. I bet this frustration stems from my real world problems with work and the very sudden divorce I find myself crawling through.

Just need some new excitement.

 

[davidnewtonguitars]

Don't take any of this as advice, it is only selfish stuff about me.
If I didn't have a nice old Leica, I would probably would not take as many photos as I do. I wouldn't have to mess with film and developing. The camera is the master, I do what it commands.

 

[lamefrog]

I've found that worrying about choice of gear, film , developers etc just gets in the way of my photography so I'm happy to say I think I'm over all that . Only bought a single camera in 2 yrs, an entirely rebuilt and restored black M3 repaint that was just too yummy to pass over. I only did digital for a few years and stopped entirely . I've been going back and forth btw various films but thats only because my film of choice - TX400 - is so expensive in Europe. So for me its pretty much one camera (Leica M) , one lens , one film , one developer until the end of my days or until I'm satisfied with my pics . Everything else is a waste of time .

 

[leicapixie]

A sure way to motivate your photography, set yourself a project!
A photo a day..of 10 things that are important (to you).
Imagine leaving the earth on a trip that will never come back..

I was doing a "course" with a special Lady..
Her task for me "Shoot a photo, that is both funny and also sad"!
I had a few weeks, failure could result in expulsion..
I have given same project to others who have all failed!

Equipment can be anything from phone to 8x10 wet-plate!
Go get 'em tiger!.

 

[Godfrey]

Here's motivation:

Yesterday, I achieved something I didn't think possible from prior experience. I have one of the SuperSense 6/66 Instant Pinhole cameras... It takes SX-70 or 600 type integral instant film. Only 500 were made, I have #353 or something like that. It's a really neat device, but when I first received it some years ago I found it the singularly most frustrating camera to use: the film at that time was very inconsistent and it could take up to 40 minutes to see any image at all, so you couldn't count on being able to take a test shot and see whether you had anywhere near the correct exposure, given the camera's settings and the film's unknown reciprocity factor. At $2.50 per exposure, this got old fast ... I stopped using it when I realized I'd shot four packs of film and had one, maybe two, useful exposures, never mind whether the photos had anything interesting in them.

Well, on a whim, I decided to charge up the battery and give the camera a whirl with current Polaroid SX-70 B&W film a week ago. Yesterday, I finished up the pack and, laying out the prints, I realized that I'd gotten eight useful exposures and four-five of them are satisfying photographs!! I attribute this to five more years of concerted development by Polaroid to improve the film ... the film itself is now very consistent, it processed quickly enough that I can tell if I hit correct exposure within five minutes after the exposure is made, and the reciprocity is far less than it once was, and consistent too.

That's inspired me to keep the little beastie thing charged and load it again. Being able to see what you've done reasonably quickly AND not spend the wealth of Croesus to gain the knowledge lets you see past the camera into what its particular imaging capabilities are, and use them to make satisfying photographs. Joy joy joy! 😀

SuperSense 6/66 Instant Pinhole
Bellows position 3, 0.12mm pinhole, SX-70 film, 4 seconds​

Onwards! G

 

[Huss]

...

Who knows. I bet this frustration stems from my real world problems with work and the very sudden divorce I find myself crawling through.

Just need some new excitement.

Sorry to hear this Devin. Stresses in life can effect all aspects of what we do, and how we feel about them.
Once you work through what you are going through things will fall into place. I know - easier said than done.
It would be great if you could use photography right now as an escape, a distraction but for many where we are right now makes that very difficult.

You're not alone in this, but things will get better.

 

[Brian Atherton]

Early on in my photographic learning, it was the published photographers that inspired me; I wanted to find out their methods and try and get their results to see how it fitted in with my ideas… equipment, too; cameras, lenses, films. “How they get they get that shot?” “What lens was used?” "Was the image full frame or cropped?" Also, I borrowed library books and read. A lot.

It was an exciting time, with new gear coming out almost weekly. Even if I couldn’t afford pretty much all of it, it kept me thinking and scheming how I could.

When I started working professionally I was lucky to have the pick of some up-to-date, high-end, company-owned gear, and was fortunate to be around blokes who owned stuff I had lusted after all those years; expensive lenses, even more expensive medium format gear - some even let me run a film or two through!

From then to now, it has always been the photographers and their work, still, that inspires and motivates me… gear is way down on the list, it comes and goes with less and less frequency, although I have never forgotten what an old pro once told me: “Bodies come and go but never get rid of a good lens.”

Currently I’m thinking about all the photos I’ve taken over the years and how (format, size, whether to add text etc) to put a selection of my favourites into a printed book or books. If I never take another photo, there’s enough in this to keep me going.

 

[Jeremy Z]

I'm losing steam on film cameras too. I've got an FE2 out for CLA. I'm donating two cameras to the tech for parts. After that, I don't plan to get any more film cameras or gear.

I'm going back to my lazy phase, where I don't want to deal with all the extra back-end work that film requires. No problem, no regrets, I'll go back to digital for awhile, until I miss the tactile parts of film photographer enough to do the extra work.

I'm toying with getting the Olympus 45/1.8 for my E-M10.3, to add a proper portrait lens for that system. (I'm making do now with the old OM 50/1.8 adapted)

 

[sooner]

For me the camera is just a tool to achieve my unique artistic vision, ha ha! But seriously, I'm more of a gear guy who loves lucking into a decent photo once in a while. Sometimes in a funk like you describe I go to a different format, like from 35mm to 120. Or, I'll go to the camera cabinet and find something not used in a while. Yesterday, I pulled out a Konica T3 and shot a roll using mostly the Hexanon 15mm fisheye. This is a weird time so maybe you just need to give it a while and wait it out.

 

[narsuitus]

Who knows. I bet this frustration stems from my real world problems with work and the very sudden divorce I find myself crawling through.

I know for sure that my real world problems have contributed to my loss of interest in photography.

My brother died.
My mother died.
I had to move to Chicago to take care of my aging father.
My father died.
A year later, my wife died.
I had to sell our home in Texas and move to Chicago.
My deteriorating health forced me to retire earlier than I intended.
Money, family, and my job were my greatest incentives for photography. Without them, photography no longer excites me like it once did.

 

[AlexBG]

I'm loving photography at the moment. The more I enjoy it the more I seem to buy gear. Nothing crazy because I found my ideal set up for film and digital a couple of years ago. I have an M3 with a 50mm 1.5 summarit and X-T3 with 35mm 1.4. While in lockdown I've been buying a few m42 legacy lenses for a bit of fun. Also love watching and reading all the online reviews of cheap legacy glass that people love.

Maybe for the OP to try a photo a day blog or something like that. Or one camera one lens challenge.

 

[Huss]

I know for sure that my real world problems have contributed to my loss of interest in photography.

My brother died.
My mother died.
I had to move to Chicago to take care of my aging father.
My father died.
A year later, my wife died.
I had to sell our home in Texas and move to Chicago.
My deteriorating health forced me to retire earlier than I intended.
Money, family, and my job were my greatest incentives for photography. Without them, photography no longer excites me like it once did.

Oh man.
So sorry for what you have gone and are going through.

 

[froyd]

I know for sure that my real world problems have contributed to my loss of interest in photography.

My brother died.
My mother died.
I had to move to Chicago to take care of my aging father.
My father died.
A year later, my wife died.
I had to sell our home in Texas and move to Chicago.
My deteriorating health forced me to retire earlier than I intended.
Money, family, and my job were my greatest incentives for photography. Without them, photography no longer excites me like it once did.

Any of those things on their own would be enough to make me loose my balance, but it seems like life really pummeled you lately. Everyday offers now beauty and I hope some of it still has the power to brighten your day.

 

[B-9]

Thanks for the kind words guys! Chins up. We got this!



Other than that. I think half of us here did not really read the OP?! Loll
I’m not having trouble making photos at all. I’m just bored with my gear.

The GAS train left the station without me!

 

[madNbad]

Time to bust out the rattle can of orange paint!

 

[giganova]

I get inspired by photos that I see in exhibitions, books, magazines ... photos that are completely out of my comfort zone and regular swim lane. My nephew just gave me a Polaroid camera, my wide said I should buy a Large Format film camera, and I start experimenting with these new-to-me tools to get a different take on photography and experiment. Keeps things fresh.