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

[brothernature]

Just for fun, have you considered documenting what "nothing to shoot" looks like? Perhaps while pursuing nothing, you will discover something!

This reminds me of Francis Alys' great video Sometimes Making Something Leads to Nothing

Paradox of Praxis 1 (Sometimes making something leads to nothing)

Mexico City, Mexico, 1997; 5:00 min Paradox of Praxis 1 (Sometimes making something leads to nothing) Mexico City, Mexico, 1997; 5:00 min © Francis Alÿs Public domain videos can be downloaded and shared with others as long as the authorship is credited and there is a link back to the website...

francisalys.com

I'm sure everyone has had a day out photographing that has felt a bit like the end of that video. 🙂

 

[Ororaro]

Addressing the importance of gear in the quality of output:

​

Who is this newb?
As relevant as any dude in a basement giving out his expert opinion on photography/crypto/biden/trump/music…

 

[boojum]

This reminds me of Francis Alys' great video Sometimes Making Something Leads to Nothing

Paradox of Praxis 1 (Sometimes making something leads to nothing)

Mexico City, Mexico, 1997; 5:00 min Paradox of Praxis 1 (Sometimes making something leads to nothing) Mexico City, Mexico, 1997; 5:00 min © Francis Alÿs Public domain videos can be downloaded and shared with others as long as the authorship is credited and there is a link back to the website...

francisalys.com

I'm sure everyone has had a day out photographing that has felt a bit like the end of that video. 🙂

Having lived in Mexico, Baja and mainland, this is almost believable.

 

[Jake Mongey]

Just for fun, have you considered documenting what "nothing to shoot" looks like? Perhaps while pursuing nothing, you will discover something!

Do you know what, Thats actually a really interesting idea... I might have a good think about this

 

[Bill Clark]

I was a professional photographer photographing people at various events.

I loved the business. Had wonderful clients. I looked forward to each event.

You have to be enthused about the business to be successful. Any business. Otherwise work for someone or get a job that’s well, just a job.

Same is true making photographs.

Your attitude and success is in your hands.

 

[boojum]

I was a professional photographer photographing people at various events.

I loved the business. Had wonderful clients. I looked forward to each event.

You have to be enthused about the business to be successful. Any business. Otherwise work for someone or get a job that’s well, just a job.

Same is true making photographs.

Your attitude and success is in your hands.

I take pictures because it is fun for me. On occasion it is fun for others. But what is important for me is that it is fun. Why else have a hobby?

 

[Bill Clark]

It was fun for me.

It showed on the faces of photographs I made of people.

I really enjoyed it.

 

[seany65]

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

I'm going to try and remember the original post I'd thought I'd made in this thread some time before the post I made a few days ago:

If you're struggling with inspiration for photography, then just give it a rest for a while. don't even think about it. Do other stuff and at some point you may end up thinking "wish I had a camera with me for this."

Alternatively you could buy a completely different type of camera (a cheap one) which works differently to any you're used to, from which will be a challenge to get a good photo. I bought a Gevaert Gevabox type 1 - metal body, 3 apertures, a focusing meniscus lens but no real idea of where the focus points are, so I'm in the middle of an experiment to try and find out and trying to add a few extra distances, this may well be pointless as the lens is an f8 and so it may not be possible to find any "near exact" distances. I do already have some idea of the photos I want from it though.

 

[Jake Mongey]

Just an update, I am still alive! I had just sold my desktop and my POS Dell XPS died for about the 5th time. However I have picked up my mothers old olympus Pen EP3 and absoloutely battered 17mm 2.8 Lens over christmas and have started snapping and actually enjoying taking rubbish snapshots.

Now ive got my laptop back and a way to view the images off the camera I will be able to share some. Its been refreshing to say the least, olympus files give lovely colours and the lens from sitting in my mums handbag for years has had just about all the coating forcibly removed - it gives a really lovely glow to highlights.

I am also spending a few days in london this weekend seeing old friends from when I was active with other photographers and will be going to some galleries and taking this little olympus with me.

All is looking good!

 

[wlewisiii]

I'll just say that the 17/2.8 is the best underrated gem in the Oly m4/3 lineup. It's the only thing I miss from those cameras. Enjoy!

 

[agentlossing]

I also really liked the 17/2.8. It's not exactly sharp at the best of times, but it has a very organic feel, and "texture" to the images, somehow. Sounds like a terrific match for an old EP3, even with a battered front element.

 

[Darthfeeble]

You're on the right path, just shoot, if nothing clicks then perhaps another pursuit is for you rather than photography.

 

[Jake Mongey]

Nice eveming of editing I also am reminded of how much I love olympus colours. Not that erm I really left many shots in colour but we will gloss over that. I have been enjoying groups of basic flat, geometric compositions like these. It so noticible how much fun I am having with this because im not expecting good results, I am actually just shooting for fun.







Nothing groundbreaking but I find things like this pleasing to the eye - Ive shot scenes like this for years but never would ever bother doing anything with them

 

[Jake Mongey]

Also have a few nice shots from a trip to the beach:

 

[wlewisiii]

That's fun to see you having some fun 🙂

 

[Archiver]

That's fun to see you having some fun 🙂

Yes! For many of us, this is what photography is about - just having a camera you enjoy using, taking photos and having fun 😁

 

[Richard G]

I think it was RFK who said 9/10 of success is just turning up. Artists, and this includes photographers, need either a day job or to treat their art as a day job. After all you have to run a business and work hard if that‘s your living. Out of bed and out the door, early. Take a different camera. Go somewhere different. Pick something boring. Make it work. Eg second hand plumbing supplies. Don’t wait for divine inspiration. Start shooting. Koudelka stayed one horrible weekend with Don McCullin in Wales, but was out the door in foul weather, keeping his lens legs oiled and moving, shooting a couple of rolls a day. Seinfeld says there’s no such thing as writer’s block. You aren‘t a genius. Do the hard work. Rhythm and habit will carry you. Including if you are a genius. Look at the top five tennis players. On a bad day they still beat the on-fire low ranked player, usually. Just turning up, with any luck, a little way in, you‘ll catch fire with a particular subject or light or both.

 

[boojum]

I think it was RFK who said 9/10 of success is just turning up. Artists, and this includes photographers, need either a day job or to treat their art as a day job. After all you have to run a business and work hard if that‘s your living. Out of bed and out the door, early. Take a different camera. Go somewhere different. Pick something boring. Make it work. Eg second hand plumbing supplies. Don’t wait for divine inspiration. Start shooting. Koudelka stayed one horrible weekend with Don McCullin in Wales, but was out the door in foul weather, keeping his lens legs oiled and moving, shooting a couple of rolls a day. Seinfeld says there’s no such thing as writer’s block. You aren‘t a genius. Do the hard work. Rhythm and habit will carry you. Including if you are a genius. Look at the top five tennis players. On a bad day they still beat the on-fire low ranked player, usually. Just turning up, with any luck, a little way in, you‘ll catch fire with a particular subject or light or both.

Maybe it was Woody Allen who said that 80% of life is just showing up. The other 20%? Don't argue.

Photographs happen with cameras. Overgaard, regardless of how you think of him capped it with "Always wear a camera." So my belief is that getting out there with the camera is how you do it. That camera can't take pictures by itself. ;o)

 

[PetPhoto]

I rediscover the images and how good they were in my old scans every time windows updates itself and gives me a new windows photo program. The current one righ tnow, I am really seeing some detail in negative scans i made in 2019 that i have NEVER seen before. Some moon shots that back then were just a white blob until i put them into an enlarger, but now they be good.

For me the great issue is finding things that dont bore me to death. I spent years taking animals shots through the window, i like that but its not fun anymore. And i just dont have the animals coming by anymore. Mainly because the neighbors have been hunting 24 hours a day, every day since 1999. To be honest, I only saw one buck in the last two years. And this year i have 5 does coming through randomly.

Birds have no interest for me now.