back alley
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some days i just want to sell all my gear and watch tv or walk the dog...anything but take another lousy picture.
i can't remember the last time any of my posted pics (here at rff) got a comment!
even a 'what crap' would be better than being ignored.
but even taking you all out of the equation...i don't even like my stuff anymore.
think i'll go take a cold shower...
i can't remember the last time any of my posted pics (here at rff) got a comment!
even a 'what crap' would be better than being ignored.
but even taking you all out of the equation...i don't even like my stuff anymore.
think i'll go take a cold shower...
unclescarMT
Established
Man, who DOESN'T feel that way sometimes. I know I certainly do, especially at the moment...
Try this: Take a break. Read a book. Go for a drive or bike ride. Play with the Dog (or cat or iguana or what-have-you). Do something that you enjoy and don't take a camera. Surely you'll see things that will make you wish you brought it with you, but that's the idea. Get inspired, then go shoot, in that order. Also, I think your photos are ACE, though I'm NOT going to go leave comments right now (that would seem like a pity F*@#, no?).
Try this: Take a break. Read a book. Go for a drive or bike ride. Play with the Dog (or cat or iguana or what-have-you). Do something that you enjoy and don't take a camera. Surely you'll see things that will make you wish you brought it with you, but that's the idea. Get inspired, then go shoot, in that order. Also, I think your photos are ACE, though I'm NOT going to go leave comments right now (that would seem like a pity F*@#, no?).
Tom A
RFF Sponsor
If you a writer - it is writers block and is usually cured by ingestion scotch, drugs etc. Dont know what the photographic version of it is "Silver halide Block" or "Pixel block".
We all get it - sometimes it lasts a while. My cure is usually to load a camera - take a walk and tell myself not to go home until the roll is finished. Admittedly - most of them that roll is also crap - but the fact that you forced yourself to shoot it, edit it and sigh over the negs, usually raises the question "Oh s**t - I can do better than that".
The idea of talking a walk without a camera scares me - haven't done that for 30-40 years - and if you do, you will of course see something fleeting, but interesting and miss the shot. This would piss you off even more.
We all get it - sometimes it lasts a while. My cure is usually to load a camera - take a walk and tell myself not to go home until the roll is finished. Admittedly - most of them that roll is also crap - but the fact that you forced yourself to shoot it, edit it and sigh over the negs, usually raises the question "Oh s**t - I can do better than that".
The idea of talking a walk without a camera scares me - haven't done that for 30-40 years - and if you do, you will of course see something fleeting, but interesting and miss the shot. This would piss you off even more.
huntjump
Well-known
Happens to everyone Joe. Photography is just for fun (unless its your livelihood), so don't put so much pressure on yourself for 'award winning' photos if you are not being paid to shoot. You might just be a bit happier about the process.
I really like (and agree) with what Tom said.
and. you dont suck at it. Generally i know i'm light years ahead of the average person when I have them try and take a photo of me and someone else. I always forget just how foreign a camera is everyone else in the world is
I really like (and agree) with what Tom said.
and. you dont suck at it. Generally i know i'm light years ahead of the average person when I have them try and take a photo of me and someone else. I always forget just how foreign a camera is everyone else in the world is
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goo0h
Well-known
I feel that way almost all the time. Occasionally a pic of mine will make me smile, but lots of times that's just because I remeber the situation when I took it. Then again, that's good enough for me. I enjoy it, so that's all that matters. In fact, I'm finding myself not working so hard at it because I know it'll probably be crap. The result is that I enjoy doing it more. 
Steve Bellayr
Veteran
So you had a couple of bad rolls. So what! Happens to me all the time. As a reknowned photographer once said to me: Feell lucky if you get one good photo per roll.
johannielscom
Snorting silver salts
Joe,
my issues with my shots were likewise. I posted the best I had on here for a while but response was lukewarm at best.
Then it struck me: there's nothing wrong with my shots, there's just too many real good photographers online here!
I started showing my shots to other people in my family and colleagues and got praised. Maybe not by people who I'd put trust in when it comes to knowledge and skills in photography, but they are people who matter to me and tell me honestly whether they like things or not without being concerned with the properties of used lens, film or even camera.
Maybe a useful suggestion?
Bottom line: I don't think you suck, there's just so many other people here who don't suck either!
my issues with my shots were likewise. I posted the best I had on here for a while but response was lukewarm at best.
Then it struck me: there's nothing wrong with my shots, there's just too many real good photographers online here!
I started showing my shots to other people in my family and colleagues and got praised. Maybe not by people who I'd put trust in when it comes to knowledge and skills in photography, but they are people who matter to me and tell me honestly whether they like things or not without being concerned with the properties of used lens, film or even camera.
Maybe a useful suggestion?
Bottom line: I don't think you suck, there's just so many other people here who don't suck either!
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Tom hicks
Well-known
It's not just you, after my divorce 3 years ago I haven't taken a decent shot since. Lost my passion for it I guess. Don't know if it will ever be the same . One good thing is I stopped shooting my digital 3 years ago and picked up my film camera. Now I have over 180 film cameras and 1500 rolls of film , learned how to develop my own B&W and have people here to learn from and be inspired by. I don't get many replies either on my work, mostly because it's not street stuff; I'm more nature , wildlife , macro .
Tom
Hang in there I'm trying to do the same .
Tom
Hang in there I'm trying to do the same .
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Post your own comment about how you don't like your stuff anymore?
pakeha
Well-known
Right at this moment there are 18 people viewing this thread and 1 person viewing the gallery. This is often how it goes here so i think comments from the gallery are not the best way to make a judgement. Often i scroll through the gallery and see images i really like but do not make a comment, mainly because i feel `unqualified'.Besides , an on line gallery is not the best method of viewing anyway.
regards
CW
regards
CW
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pakeha
Well-known
Post your own comment about how you don't like your stuff anymore?
Funniest reply i`ve seen round here fora long time
Leica All Day
Veteran
I have never been married nor I have gone though a divorce, but 180 film cameras.......man, that is amazing........cheers to you......michael
gho
Well-known
Exercise 1.
1. Take a sujet that interests you.
2. Take your best possible shot.
3. If you are not satisfied goto 2.
4. Do not buy more gear.
1. Take a sujet that interests you.
2. Take your best possible shot.
3. If you are not satisfied goto 2.
4. Do not buy more gear.
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Mackinaw
Think Different
At times it helps to reinvent yourself. Get totally out of character and take pics you wouldn't normally take. If you normally take landscapes, don't, walk down the street and take pictures of total strangers instead. Talk too them too. I guarantee it will recharge our batteries.
Jim B.
sdotkling
Sent through the ether
Since one hardly EVER sees a display of emotion on this (and other) geek sites, I took the initiative of going to your photo blog to take a look-see. You are wrong about how you suck. You may suck in being a poor editor of your own work, but right on the first page you had a great portrait (the guy holding up his hands), a nice artsy shot (the shadow guy), another very good portrait (guy in the hat) and a design-y architectural shot (the Windsor chair.) Yes, you had a lot of dross, too, but doesn't everybody? Maybe you need to not show that stuff, but that's a correctable problem. And listen, I have obnoxiously high standards. You can take my word for it: you're hitting a pretty good percentage.
gdmcclintock
Well-known
Let's hope the cold shower is a cure for self-pity, unless you're just fishing for compliments!
krötenblender
Well-known
I remember your posts being more self-confident, when you had two R-D1s and no X100...
Gid
Well-known
You posted a shot of a pool/fountains recently (last 3 or 4 weeks) in one of the X100 threads - superb shot that got a lot of positive comments and rightly so. Clearly you don't suck all of the time
There is a lot of traffic here in terms of the number of images in threads, never mind the gallery. There is a a lot of good stuff, but the standard is generally high so the image has got to have some special quality to make it stand out (or be taken with a Noctilux).
I saw huge progress in the standard of your images when you got the RD1s - maybe the X100 has changed your approach. Go back to the RD1 for a while and see if that makes any difference.
BTW a lot of us suck sometimes - thats just the way it is. Doesn't mean you should give up though.
There is a lot of traffic here in terms of the number of images in threads, never mind the gallery. There is a a lot of good stuff, but the standard is generally high so the image has got to have some special quality to make it stand out (or be taken with a Noctilux
). I saw huge progress in the standard of your images when you got the RD1s - maybe the X100 has changed your approach. Go back to the RD1 for a while and see if that makes any difference.
BTW a lot of us suck sometimes - thats just the way it is. Doesn't mean you should give up though.
ricnak
Well-known
Joe.
Come and play with us at the Photo Association thread - it gives you a reason to take photos of everything. It is good therapy.
I dare ya!
Helen
Come and play with us at the Photo Association thread - it gives you a reason to take photos of everything. It is good therapy.
I dare ya!
Helen
Bob Michaels
nobody special
Joe: put your cameras on the shelf. Take a quiet leave of absence as a moderator here. Go do something else. There is a lot more to life than photography. If you really miss photography at some point in time, come back. If you don't miss photography in six months, sell your gear. It is worth repeating, there is a lot more to life than photography.
I did that in the mid 80's. When I realized I had not done anything in 9 months, I sold my enlarger, sold all my cameras and lenses except one. Two years later, I threw away 12 years worth of negatives and prints except some family photos. I was water skiing competitively and transitioned to bicycling very seriously.
15 years later, I resumed an interest in photography again. I have been back at it for about 12 years, of which the last 9-10 have been somewhat serious. I am still excited about the projects I am working on.
Just do not fall into that trap of believing you must photograph constantly because you have spent all this money on equipment and there is some public expectation because of your duties as a moderator here. It just ain't so. You are your own person.
I did that in the mid 80's. When I realized I had not done anything in 9 months, I sold my enlarger, sold all my cameras and lenses except one. Two years later, I threw away 12 years worth of negatives and prints except some family photos. I was water skiing competitively and transitioned to bicycling very seriously.
15 years later, I resumed an interest in photography again. I have been back at it for about 12 years, of which the last 9-10 have been somewhat serious. I am still excited about the projects I am working on.
Just do not fall into that trap of believing you must photograph constantly because you have spent all this money on equipment and there is some public expectation because of your duties as a moderator here. It just ain't so. You are your own person.