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07/12/2006 10:46:26 AM · #1 |
Well, it's been a month since I've picked up my camera and taken any shots. I really don't know what is wrong with me. I've never felt bored with photography before. I take it this kind of thing happens to everybody? I've been jotting down ideas in my notebook daily, I just can't seem to find the energy to actually produce any images. Maybe I'm just lacking inspiration/motivation. Maybe it's the time of year. It's far too bright and hot at the moment.
*Sighs*
Anybody else feel this way? |
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07/12/2006 11:00:48 AM · #2 |
Right now I would love to be able to pick up my camera and go do some shooting. I've worked 197 hours in the last 18 days, my brain is shutting down and taking a shower exhausts me. But, yes at times I do get tired of it all, usually it means I need to change subjects for awhile.
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07/12/2006 11:05:00 AM · #3 |
Sure I get days I am uninspired and bored with it, but they are rare and usually months pass between them fortunately and seem to get rarer and rarer... I remember specifically may 2002 was very dull for me photography wise but I have pretty much been snowballing down a very steep hill as far as my interest towards photography goes.
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07/12/2006 11:06:25 AM · #4 |
yes - but thats why i like the challenges
something new to try twice (or more) a week .. keeps me thinking & experimenting ... |
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07/12/2006 11:13:31 AM · #5 |
Nope. I keep trying to improve, study, read, obsess about photography and that keeps me going. When I'm in need of inspiration I check out the websites of the "really big dogs" and try to learn from and / or emulate their styles.
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07/12/2006 11:17:13 AM · #6 |
I've never gotten bored, but there are times where im more inspired than others. Lately I really haven't had much inspiration :(
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07/12/2006 11:28:29 AM · #7 |
| I call it the "dry heaves", where you really want to get out and shoot and nothing happens. Do what Cindi does and look through books or the internet at some favorite photographers work, and you'll find some inspiration. |
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07/12/2006 11:30:10 AM · #8 |
I checked out your portfolio, Fraser.
Maybe to avoid boredom, you should start shooting in COLOUR once in a while... I know that Fuji is capable of it :-)
I'm just kidding. Your images are great. I am actually a big fan of b&w.
But I know what you mean about getting bored, or struggling to find stimulation. But in my case, it's not the photography that's boring me. It's usually work or other things going on in my life that are draining me, leaving me listless and uninspired to take photographs...
It's usually the photography that puts some excitement back into my life - but I've got to force myself to do it during those listless periods.
Message edited by author 2006-07-12 11:31:45. |
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07/12/2006 11:32:47 AM · #9 |
Unfortunately I get bored of many things at one time or another...I swear I must have ADD or something :)
Sometimes a good hit of inspiration or some motivating factor will give me the kick in the butt that I need to get things done. Don't get me wrong, I love photography, but sometimes I just feel pretty *blah* and couldn't be bothered to pick up my camera to shoot or do some long overdue processing of photos or even read up on a particular technique/skill I really want to learn.
As you can see from the varied responses, some lose the energy, even if only for a short time, while others always have something to keep their head in the photographic process in some way. Hope you find the inspiration/motivation you need to continue on :) |
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07/12/2006 11:34:26 AM · #10 |
I get bored with everything I do at some point. I lose interest in my Camera from time to time. I will leave it sit for a week or two. But then I will get the sudden need to go take pictures.
I am the same way with my video cameras even more extreme as I burn out on them much quicker, But that is because I tape an average of 20-30 hours a week and spend another 20+ hours editing. My wife films most of our home videos. There are times where I want nothing to do with any camera. And others where I kick myself for not bringing one along.
When I need a break from the Camera Life I usually turn to music. And I spend a bit of time playing Disc Golf.
I do most of my work from Home so I spend most of or all of the day with our 3 kids. When I need a break from them . thats when I grab a camera and hit the road. Usually once per day if I am lucky... :-)
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07/12/2006 11:35:26 AM · #11 |
Right now I am in a slump. I have tried to go out on camera expeditions, and the images are coming back worse and worse. I just shot mushrooms. Lots of them growing right now, and nearly all the images were blurry. Not really bored per se. I will just try to shoot something, in this case mushrooms and fungus, which keeps me going. My problem most of the time is the capture. Here is the best one of the bunch, though I would have loved the red one to come out, but that was too blurry.
Message edited by author 2006-07-12 11:44:48. |
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07/12/2006 11:37:00 AM · #12 |
NEVER HAVE it's just toooo toooo much fun. every day, there's something new. i don't care what it is, people, places, things. i'm always looking. the only thing that really frustrates me is not having time to shoot everything i see that i'd like to shoot...
i guess this is why i do it for a living. |
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07/12/2006 11:39:31 AM · #13 |
I sometimes get a little tired of it if I spent a lot of (frustrating) time shooting for a challenge, especially if it doesn't work out and I have to try a different idea. Or if I take a ton of pictures several days in a row. I don't take pictures for a day or so and then get the itch to start taking them again.
I was burned out a bit on Monday (fireworks here again on Sunday) and took a walk at lunch with my camera (just in case). Before I knew it I was about 20 ft from a deer that I startled. Click click click. Then it bolted and I got a few shots in burst mode. It moved farther away and it's young came to nurse. Click click click. Shots turned out ok considering the deer were in the cattails and I'm limited to in-camera zoom.
My motivation is learn and take great pictures. And get one of those ribbons one day. |
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07/12/2006 11:40:11 AM · #14 |
| No, much to my surprise I haven't. I get bored of a lot of stuff, but I haven't of digital photography. There are times when I wish I could get up the nerve to make different images than what I make now, but that's different than boredom. |
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07/12/2006 11:40:36 AM · #15 |
NOOOOOOOOO WAY...
I was waiting for this opportunity for YEARS... so I could afford to do photography, now I can and I don't think I ever get bored...
LONG LIVE PENTAX... and photography... and other good DSLR cameras... and photographers :D |
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07/12/2006 11:55:44 AM · #16 |
| I have to say yes though I get bored very quickly and with a lot of things. I have to have several projects on the go so I can jump from one to the other. |
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07/12/2006 12:01:30 PM · #17 |
I get bored with the type of photography I do, sometimes. When I'm at university, I get tired of always doing photojournalism work, and when I'm back on break, I get tired of always going to the same places and shooting the same things.
Granted, that's something I can change pretty easily - all I need to do is go somewhere different! But it's sort of a regional thing, where I want whole new landscapes to see.
When this starts to happen, I try to look at things differently. Concentrate on just light, work just macro or just wide angle, experiment with B&W, go with astro & night shots instead of day shots. Anything to mix it up.
Oh, and new toys always help, too, when I'm able to afford them :-)
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07/12/2006 12:05:15 PM · #18 |
I don't get bored with my photography. I guess its because I'm still learning and what I have learned I try to implement it immediately and master it as best as I can. Sure I get discouraged, but if I give up, then I'm only hurting myself. Right now I'm trying to build a business. I certainly can't expect to go perfectly because that would be unrealistic. So I take one day at a time. There are some days I don't even get my camera out of my bag but there isn't a day that doesn't go by that I'm not either editing photos or reading up on the lastest cameras, filters, software etc. I did take some time off when my Dad passed away last year, but the one thing that helped me out of my depression was picking up my camera and looking through that lense. I'd say it saved me because I don't think my Dad wouldn't have wanted me to quit something I love to do. I'm always looking for ideas. Its ok to have "photographer's block". Kind of like writer's block. Its ok to take a little time off. I bet one day you'll find yourself picking that camera up and your off and shooting again.
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07/12/2006 12:06:08 PM · #19 |
Easy fix:
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07/12/2006 01:36:20 PM · #20 |
"Against boredom even the gods struggle in vain."
--Friedrich Nietzsche, The Antichrist
"To escape boredom, man works either beyond what his usual needs require, or else he invents play, that is, work that is designed to quiet no need other than that for working in general."
--Friedrich Nietzsche, Human, All Too Human
"Life is never boring but some people choose to be bored. The concept of boredom entails an inability to use up present moments in a personally fulfilling way. Boredom is a choice; something you visit upon yourself, and it is another of those self-defeating items that you can eliminate from your life."
--Wayne W. Dyer, Your Erroneous Zones
"Boredom sucks like a forty-pound leech!"
--Mick Newton, DPChallenge, Thread ID 425872
My theory is that everything comes in waves. I got involved with art when I was very young. It began with drawing, and then progressed to various forms of painting, and eventually to photography. I've worked off and on with some form of art for about forty years now, but it has always been an off-and-on kind of thing for me. Actually, I suppose it's been more off than on for most of that time. Many times, I’ve tried to force myself to be creative during an off period, but when I do, it just isn’t fun any more. It becomes too much like work—something I avoid like the plague. However, if an off period goes on for too long I start getting urges to createâ€Â¦ somethingâ€Â¦ anything. This has led me into several new, and usually expensive, hobbies over the years. Once, about twenty years ago, it even led me into a new career. I started playing with computer programming as a hobby, and now I’m a senior software developer. Oddly enough, programming is something that seldom bores me. I’m not sure why, but it may be because I’m good at it and the pay is good too. Anyway, photography is something that I’ve been doing off and on for a long time too. It started in high school with a photography class and a 110 instamatic camera, then later with several 35mm SLR cameras, and most recently with (very expensive) digital SLRs. Several waves have come and gone during that time. Right now, I’m sitting on my bored, waiting for the next wave. I hope it’s a big one. :D
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