Stuck In A Hole - How to find enjoyment in actually taking photos?

Ororaro said:
Please go on guys, trying to convince me that the gear is unimportant.
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The gear is unimportant, as in "any gear will do", only so long as any and all of that gear can do what you want it to. The moment you find some of that gear can't do what you want and some can, it becomes important to choose the gear that can.

On the other hand if you have no particular project, subject or method in mind, then any of the gear will do, and then its down to putting on a blindfold, getting some gear and going out to shoot what it allows you to shoot (after having taken the blindfold off, of course. Unless you're feeling very adventurous, lol.). Then the gear becomes important because it is dictating the range of things you can do, and then it's up to you work out what to do with it.
 
JeffS7444 said:
😗 Wow! Even at my most productive, I was never cranking out 27+ darkroom prints per day, let alone every day for 3 years. The cost of the paper alone could easily exceed 7000 USD even with quantity discounts applied. I might have ramped up my production by using resin coated paper and making only minimal adjustments, but even then, even, I'd have felt proud to have gotten 100 really good prints in that time.
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Ororaro must be one of the little darlings of his local photo retail seller. He has kept them in nice profits for their printing paper and chemistry sales during the Covid period.

Someone's comment elsewhere in this thread about quality over quantity comes to mind here. And made me wonder, in his darkroom times did Ororaro do one image of 27 different negatives, or 27 different images of one negative? The difference can be important.

A long time ago an instructor I knew told his camera course classes this. It was, he told me, the best way to shut up the gear heads in the course, who endlessly talked gear-gear-gear but never got around to producing or showing any of their images.

I read what I regarded as a few good points in Ororaro's arguments, even if his seemingly acerbic way of writing looks to have garnered him more criticism than support. As the owner of four Rolleis, obviously I agree that the Rolleiflex is a good camera. No argument here. That it's the only film camera worth considering for someone looking for ways out of a blah! period such as we all get from time to time. No way. Me, I would go with a Nikon SLR/DSLR or a Leica, but I'm not about to ram this down others' throats as a divine law.

Arguments aside, all this indicates to me that we have ample room for healthy and positive dissent in our forums, and it can be interesting when someone defends their viewpoint/s, if they provide solid reasons and not resort to sarcasm to justify their stand on a particular issue.

In the 1980s I acquired a complete set of the courses of one of the BIG schools of photography in New York during the previous two decades - the one that somehow got into some sort of difficulty and most of the big names in the game that had been associated with it (Alfred Eisenstadt was one IRRC) abandoned it.

One of the assignments in this course was to take a box camera and a roll of 120 Tri-X film and go out to do a shoot.

As the course instructors explained it, the purpose was to disprove the cherished conviction of many photographers, pros and amateurs alike, that the camera is THE only important element in photography.

As I see if, if anyone considers the camera to be more important than the creative mind behind it, then well and good. If they believe the opposite to be true, same conclusion. The bottom line will be the images they make. And show us. Are you reading this, Ororaro?

As a kinder take now, the OP, Jake, seems to agree we have given him ample food for thought and good ideas to help him through what he is now experiencing, which is in every way a 'gap' most photographers have to work their way through as they go on growing in their art and developing their styles. This is as it is, and in many ways as it should be.
 
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Ororaro said:
Please go on guys, trying to convince me that the gear is unimportant.
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I find it very interesting that a group that is so focused on cameras won't admit that the camera is important.

Look, of course the same style (say 35mm SLR) of camera will give you good enough results to pull off a great project. However, which one feels right in your hand and lets you work quickly and / or comfortably?

While many cameras (almost any camera really) can be used to make great photographs, when it comes to the enjoyment this thread is searching for, the wrong camera can lead to frustration and disappointment at the wrong time.
 
JohnGellings said:
I find it very interesting that a group that is so focused on cameras won't admit that the camera is important.

Look, of course the same style (say 35mm SLR) of camera will give you good enough results to pull off a great project. However, which one feels right in your hand and lets you work quickly and / or comfortably?

While many cameras (almost any camera really) can be used to make great photographs, when it comes to the enjoyment this thread is searching for, the wrong camera can lead to frustration and disappointment at the wrong time.
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The camera is important, and the darkroom process is more important for me, however I have a nikon F2 I adore and suits me perfectly and has never let me down alongside all the darkroom equipment a man can need. But its all in storage and my problem is more of a philisophical one in that I cant pick the right camera, if I just cant find anything to shoot.

Life has got in the way of photography and I want inspiration and engagement, I cant ignore life but I want to try to enjoy photography, consume photographs and just be part of it as a whole in the way I used to do. But its been a long while.

Everyone here is competely correct in what theyre saying but the topic of conversation has strayed from my initial post as I am really looking for lived experience in regards to passion and burnout as opposed to what to use for shooting!

How am I supposed to pick a method if I dont even know what to shoot and dont feel inclined to shoot!
 
As I wrote in another thread earlier today:

—
Gear matters, and gear doesn't matter. It depends on the context of the conversation.

Gear matters when you're discussing something like "What's the best way to capture birds in flight" or "I'm going to the Canyonlands National Park, what camera and lenses should I bring?". Or ... "I want to photograph the musicians at a concert, what can I use for that?"

Gear doesn't matter at all when you're discussing "how do I become motivated to make photographs again?" You can't buy gear to spark that kind of motivation ... Even if it works in the short term, the boost is always short-term and then, like an addict, you have to go dip in the "new gear" drug once again.
...
—

If all that motivates you to pick up your camera every day and go out seeking to use it is to enjoy using that gear, you will never be a photographer despite that you might make a lot of good photographs. The important thing in being a photographer, like with any other art form, is the Photography ... not the tools that you use to make it.

Jake posted while I was writing the above:

Life has got in the way of photography and I want inspiration and engagement, I cant ignore life but I want to try to enjoy photography, consume photographs and just be part of it as a whole in the way I used to do. But its been a long while.
...
How am I supposed to pick a method if I dont even know what to shoot and dont feel inclined to shoot!
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Life changes us as we live. You will never again be the person "you used to be." It's not possible to roll back Time and achieve that.
I've been through this many times. So ... how to reinvigorate your inspiration and engagement ...

Stop thinking about photograph and your desire to resume what was. Start looking at the world again with fresh eyes, unburdened with thinking about making photographs of it. Just take walks, look and see, read books, and find what tickles your imagination. Let you're native curiosity free to think about all the other things that contribute to becoming a photographer, again. Do that for a time, and when you have an idea about what is interesting, pick up a camera (yes, that F2 is a fine camera) and see what you can see with it. Don't be upset if you don't see much for a while. Just go looking. Take a few photos to exercise your muscle memory. But let that become part of your body, your mind, you subconscious. Keep your eyes and your mind open. Let things, people, situations you see affect you.

With Time, and with Luck, the meme will tickle you, whisper in your ear, itch in your gut. When it does: follow.

That's always worked for me ... It's working for me now, as I went through a catastrophic event of being hit by a car a year and some ago, nearly killed, and every ounce of my being, my brain, my energy had to go into reconstructing my body and my mind to survive. For most of a year. NOW I'm working to bring my Photography back from the dark world where I had to lay it down.

It is a journey. Keep your mind and your eyes open, work at it. There are no magic potions.

G

"All Men find what they truly seek. They may not know what that was, but they will find it."
- "The Last Battle" in "The Chronicles of Narnia" by C. S. Lewis
 
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Godfrey said:
As I wrote in another thread earlier today:

—
Gear matters, and gear doesn't matter. It depends on the context of the conversation.

Gear matters when you're discussing something like "What's the best way to capture birds in flight" or "I'm going to the Canyonlands National Park, what camera and lenses should I bring?". Or ... "I want to photograph the musicians at a concert, what can I use for that?"

Gear doesn't matter at all when you're discussing "how do I become motivated to make photographs again?" You can't buy gear to spark that kind of motivation ... Even if it works in the short term, the boost is always short-term and then, like an addict, you have to go dip in the "new gear" drug once again.
...
—

If all that motivates you to pick up your camera every day and go out seeking to use it is to enjoy using that gear, you will never be a photographer despite that you might make a lot of good photographs. The important thing in being a photographer, like with any other art form, is the Photography ... not the tools that you use to make it.

G
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Thank you Godfery, youve put this perfectly in the context of my original post, this is what I am trying to get at here. Its all in the context and the responses have moved into gear when in my personal situation and reason for this post doesnt fully matter.

Thank you for summarising this better than I can, my words are not my strongest asset
 
The Joshua Bell experiment.
It says it all.


What happened when Joshua Bell went busking?​

The Washington Post joined Bell in his tuneful test. Ahead of the experiment, the newspaper quizzed American conductor Leonard Slatkin about his predictions.

Slatkin said, “Out of 1,000 people, my guess is there might be 35 or 40 who will recognise the quality for what it is. Maybe 75 to 100 will stop and spend some time listening.” Slatkin thought Bell might make $150 (£121) from his musical metro endeavours.

Out of 1,097 people that passed by Bell, 27 gave money, and only seven actually stopped and listened for any length of time.

In total, Bell made $52.17 (£42.18). And this includes a $20 note from someone who recognised him.

$32.17 for Joshua Bell? It’s not exactly what we – or indeed Slatkin – might have expected. The surprising result of the experiment went viral, and was shared around the world (…)

——

Millions worth instrument, Millions worth artist… nobody cared, and everybody loves music. This says a lot.

In this light, could Steve Vai go into a guitar forum as “guitarman-5000” and share his honest opinions? He’d be lynched in no time for talking nonsense. Such it is.
 
Jake Mongey said:
How am I supposed to pick a method if I dont even know what to shoot and dont feel inclined to shoot!
Click to expand...

Right, to get back on topic. Have you seen this video on Henry Wessel?

Maybe a starting point could be to just go out into the world and photograph what catches your eye, instead of having any kind of pre-conceived notion of what to photograph. Let the photos you get back determine what you might be interested in.

As you start heading down a certain direction, saying yes to some things and no to others, you might find a certain camera or lens works best for what you are trying to do.

As for getting out the door, either the spark is there or not. If you find it really difficult to go out for a walk with your camera, maybe you just don't want to take photos? I'm not trying to be glib. Maybe by accepting that you don't feel like it right now and finding something else that truly excites you, anything at all, you will naturally return to photography. Maybe not! It's all about where the enjoyment is for me.
 
Jake Mongey said:
...I have moved across the contry in with my girlfriend, finally found an actually stable job and for the first time in a long while actually have both the time and a stable income that allow me to actually have hobbies and the itch is coming back big time.
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Hi Jake, could it simply be that you have more appealing options vying for your limited attention these days? I find that one of the trickier things about having increased financial flexibility is learning when to say "No" to stuff. And the better your financial situation is, the more potential distractions you will face.
 
brothernature said:
Right, to get back on topic. Have you seen this video on Henry Wessel?

Maybe a starting point could be to just go out into the world and photograph what catches your eye, instead of having any kind of pre-conceived notion of what to photograph. Let the photos you get back determine what you might be interested in.

As you start heading down a certain direction, saying yes to some things and no to others, you might find a certain camera or lens works best for what you are trying to do.

As for getting out the door, either the spark is there or not. If you find it really difficult to go out for a walk with your camera, maybe you just don't want to take photos? I'm not trying to be glib. Maybe by accepting that you don't feel like it right now and finding something else that truly excites you, anything at all, you will naturally return to photography. Maybe not! It's all about where the enjoyment is for me.
Click to expand...


That makes sense to me. Take the camera, always a help, and shoot what interests you. If something looks good, interesting, colorful, whatever, if it gets your attention shoot it. When you get home you can pick the winners. If you have none try it again. But remember, those pictures are not going to take themselves. That great scene you pass regularly? Stop and shoot it. That interesting scene, shoot it. Shoot a lot and select the best. No matter what you think of Overgaard he is right in "Always wear a camera." Just like ice skating, the more you do it the better you get. And remember, we all start at the same place: knowing nothing.

Added later: Don't throw away the images. Ones I did not cherish at the time somehow, sometimes look good decades later. Wessel has this as a tenet. Maybe he knows something?
 
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Ororaro said:
The Joshua Bell experiment.
It says it all.


What happened when Joshua Bell went busking?​

The Washington Post joined Bell in his tuneful test. Ahead of the experiment, the newspaper quizzed American conductor Leonard Slatkin about his predictions.

Slatkin said, “Out of 1,000 people, my guess is there might be 35 or 40 who will recognise the quality for what it is. Maybe 75 to 100 will stop and spend some time listening.” Slatkin thought Bell might make $150 (£121) from his musical metro endeavours.

Out of 1,097 people that passed by Bell, 27 gave money, and only seven actually stopped and listened for any length of time.

In total, Bell made $52.17 (£42.18). And this includes a $20 note from someone who recognised him.

$32.17 for Joshua Bell? It’s not exactly what we – or indeed Slatkin – might have expected. The surprising result of the experiment went viral, and was shared around the world (…)

——

Millions worth instrument, Millions worth artist… nobody cared, and everybody loves music. This says a lot.

In this light, could Steve Vai go into a guitar forum as “guitarman-5000” and share his honest opinions? He’d be lynched in no time for talking nonsense. Such it is.
Click to expand...

It's interesting. The circumstances were wrong. A Stradivarius in a mall. The great Jan Peerce ended up singing in malls too. I checked into hotel in Sydney late one night. I had French onion soup at the bar. There was a jazz saxophonist and pianist playing in the foyer. They were stupendous. I went over and listened and I complimented them, the saxophonist chiefly. Turned out he was one of the great Australian jazz musicians, Bernie McGann. But would I recognise a fine concert violinist in a mall? Depends on the piece, but probably not. Bach's Chaconne: yes. Or even his A minor flute partita transcribed.
 
Richard G said:
It's interesting. The circumstances were wrong. A Stradivarius in a mall. The great Jan Peerce ended up singing in malls too. I checked into hotel in Sydney late one night. I had French onion soup at the bar. There was a jazz saxophonist and pianist playing in the foyer. They were stupendous. I went over and listened and I complimented them, the saxophonist chiefly. Turned out he was one of the great Australian jazz musicians, Bernie McGann. But would I recognise a fine concert violinist in a mall? Depends on the piece, but probably not. Bach's Chaconne: yes. Or even his A minor flute partita transcribed.
Click to expand...


The Joshua Bell squib is old news and has been well chewed by most of the malcontents. They all know what is wrong. None have solutions. I would never have wanted to serve in the military with any of these folks. We had to develop solutions not whine about problems.

I used to double date to a dive bar on Staten Island when Bill Evans was working his way back. He had his usual piano trio. He was elegant. He was unnoticed. The four of us at our table enjoyed them and applauded them. They would join us on break. Not because we were charming but because we applauded them. We had no idea who they were at the time.

So what? Here's a clue: life is not fair. Get over it.
 
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