Ever Suffered from a Photographic Burnout?

12/30/2012 07:33:04 PM · #26

You know what really inspires me and gets me going? Psychgeography; the Situationists- 'Beneath the city sidewalks- the beach!' stuff like that. When i lived in London i used to do this sort of stuff all the time, either alone or with friends.

Try this...

10am - Set out your provisions for the day - camera-food-watch/alarm clock-chalk-pen-paper etc. Sit at your kitchen table with a map of your city or town and 10 pieces of paper. On the pieces of paper write instructions- 1 to 10... Throw a dart into the map to determine your start position in your city. Get a train or tube or bus there if you have to.

11 am- at start position set your alarm on your watch to go off after every 30 minutes. Open first instruction.

1- Turn left then walk until you reach the nearest right turning. Walk until you feel like stopping. Look for the oldest thing you can see. Take a photograph of it.

2- Look into the sky and try and determine which way the clouds are moving. Follow the clouds. The first person you meet ask them a question. Any question. Look around and take a photograph of their answer.

3- Turn right then right again. Stop. Look for a door. Imagine this was the door that your grandparents walked past whilst they were courting at the age of sixteen. Take a photograph of the door with a suitable offering that you have found in your vicinity. Maybe write them a message.

4 - Look around and walk down the longest street you are on. Walk until you get to the end. As you walk pay very close attention to the ground. At some point something will catch your eye. Pick it up and put it in your pocket. Take a photograph of the sky.

5 - Eat your food that you have brought along with you. Look around. If anyone is around ask if you could take their photograph. It's for an art project tell them.

6- Take the first left and find the first available door that you can walk into. If it is a shop buy something cheap. Take the thing that you have bought and put it into your pocket. Walk out the shop/house/building what ever. Look up. Take a photograph of the highest point you can see. Then look down. Take a photograph of the lowest thing you can see. Take a photo to your left and to your right.

7 - Toss a coin. Heads you walk left and tails you walk right. Walk until you find some writing engraved into the street. Put down what you have bought from the shop (if you didn't go into a shop then put down what you picked up off the street earlier). Arrange what you have next to the engraved writing. Take a photograph. Try and make it compositionally interesting. Take another photograph of the sky.

8 - Walk until you meet the nearest person. Ask them a question. Write their answer down on a piece of paper and ask them to hold the paper up so you can take a photograph of them. Ask them to take a photograph of you holding the paper. Tell them it's for an art project.

9 - Walk as far to the left as you can until you meet a dead end. Take the chalk out of your pocket and draw a map of where you have been on the nearest available surface. Be as intricate as you can-detailing shops, people met, doorways etc. Take a photograph of the sky.

10- Take your watch/alarm clock and stamp on it so it breaks. Place it inside your chalk map and take a photograph of it. Go home and print out all the photos from the day and lay them out in order.

You honestly would be surprised at what a wonderful time you have.

Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS

12/30/2012 07:39:41 PM · #27

Originally posted by rooum:

WOW! Did you just come up with this? ;) I like the lot except for #10 - I can't stamp my Iphone!

GAP2012

Canon EOS-550D Rebel T2i

12/30/2012 07:45:19 PM · #28

Originally posted by rooum:

You honestly would be surprised at what a wonderful time you have.

This is one possible way and i admire your challenging yourself in this way, ive lived in london and have done similar things, london is a great source of creativity and history... unfortunately here in Perth West Aus we lack a lot of that exposure and creativity due to its infancy and sometimes terrible choices of government in architecture and creative choices hehehe

there are many ways ive learnt as an artist that you can creatively spark thoughts and influence you and give you inspiration, creative brainstorming techniques can help (google them if need be), sit down with post it notes and go through the dictionary randomnly and blindly pick a word and try to write down any ideas and use that word say 36 ways, do not limit your imagination of how you could do it, give yourself a couple of minutes on say each set of six post-its, until done and then go back and see if any of them can realistically be captured candidly or prepared in advance and then photographed... we learn such techniques for times when creatively challenged, you can involve others too and see them light up from creative thought... :O)

12/30/2012 07:52:59 PM · #29

Originally posted by GAP2012:

Originally posted by rooum:

You honestly would be surprised at what a wonderful time you have.

This is one possible way and i admire your challenging yourself in this way, ive lived in london and have done similar things, london is a great source of creativity and history... unfortunately here in Perth West Aus we lack a lot of that exposure and creativity due to its infancy and sometimes terrible choices of government in architecture and creative choices hehehe

there are many ways ive learnt as an artist that you can creatively spark thoughts and influence you and give you inspiration, creative brainstorming techniques can help (google them if need be), sit down with post it notes and go through the dictionary randomnly and blindly pick a word and try to write down any ideas and use that word say 36 ways, do not limit your imagination of how you could do it, give yourself a couple of minutes on say each set of six post-its, until done and then go back and see if any of them can realistically be captured candidly or prepared in advance and then photographed... we learn such techniques for times when creatively challenged, you can involve others too and see them light up from creative thought... :O)

I am in Melbourne. A bit more choice probably but I'd rather do random wandering in Paris when I am there next time! (I will have to blank out some areas though for safety reasons) Brainstorming reminds me of my work at Telstra, for some reason it does not seem as attractive as getting creative in Paris! ;)

Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS

12/30/2012 07:58:16 PM · #30

Yes, i think this sort of thing works fantastically well in a city. London was perfect-as is Paris or Rome or any other city i imagine. I'm in the welsh rural countryside now so it doesn't really work in such a way.

Nevertheless; i think the technique holds well because it's about seeing not looking. It's about building and forging a relationship with our living environments, which are, i say, quite living. Engaging our creativity and having a conversation. Embrace the randomness and the chaos and after a while you realise that the randomness and chaos are just being a bit shy.

GAP2012

Canon EOS-550D Rebel T2i

12/30/2012 08:07:23 PM · #31

Originally posted by rooum:

yes totally!!! thats very wise and without trying to sound arrogant and im definitely not even if it may come across that way :OS i would have said the same thing in my own way or even literally ...makes no difference how but the essence is there and whats important ;O) i commend you sir! :O)

GAP2012

Canon EOS-550D Rebel T2i

Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS

12/30/2012 08:13:26 PM · #32

Originally posted by MNet:

Originally posted by GAP2012:

Originally posted by rooum:

You honestly would be surprised at what a wonderful time you have.

This is one possible way and i admire your challenging yourself in this way, ive lived in london and have done similar things, london is a great source of creativity and history... unfortunately here in Perth West Aus we lack a lot of that exposure and creativity due to its infancy and sometimes terrible choices of government in architecture and creative choices hehehe

there are many ways ive learnt as an artist that you can creatively spark thoughts and influence you and give you inspiration, creative brainstorming techniques can help (google them if need be), sit down with post it notes and go through the dictionary randomnly and blindly pick a word and try to write down any ideas and use that word say 36 ways, do not limit your imagination of how you could do it, give yourself a couple of minutes on say each set of six post-its, until done and then go back and see if any of them can realistically be captured candidly or prepared in advance and then photographed... we learn such techniques for times when creatively challenged, you can involve others too and see them light up from creative thought... :O)

I am in Melbourne. A bit more choice probably but I'd rather do random wandering in Paris when I am there next time! (I will have to blank out some areas though for safety reasons) Brainstorming reminds me of my work at Telstra, for some reason it does not seem as attractive as getting creative in Paris! ;)

well believe me working for telstra or even in IT which i have too... creative thinking techniques can be fun not boring regardless of art or technical, its about the outcome and the difference in the outcome, so challenge that thought first and see it as a creative way of sparking an idea not about satisfying others or business or for moeny or work but for your personal benefit and creativitys sake ;O)

smardaz

12/30/2012 09:01:40 PM · #33

I don't know about burn out but sometimes I have photographic skid marks....

12/30/2012 09:04:17 PM · #34

Originally posted by GAP2012:

Originally posted by rooum:
Yes, i think this sort of thing works fantastically well in a city. London was perfect-as is Paris or Rome or any other city i imagine. I'm in the welsh rural countryside now so it doesn't really work in such a way.

Nevertheless; i think the technique holds well because it's about seeing not looking. It's about building and forging a relationship with our living environments, which are, i say, quite living. Engaging our creativity and having a conversation. Embrace the randomness and the chaos and after a while you realise that the randomness and chaos are just being a bit shy.

yes totally!!! thats very wise and without trying to sound arrogant and im definitely not even if it may come across that way :OS i would have said the same thing in my own way or even literally ...makes no difference how but the essence is there and whats important ;O) i commend you sir! :O)

Cheers. I think we're on the same wavelength or whatever. I like these approaches to creativity. It's like automatic writing or speaking in tongues. None of this is un-connected and applying it to photography is fascinating and productive for me.

Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 USM Macro

12/30/2012 09:05:31 PM · #35

Originally posted by smardaz:

I don't know about burn out but sometimes I have photographic skid marks....

Stigmata. Run with it!

daisydavid

Canon EOS-5DS R

12/30/2012 09:51:09 PM · #36

Try film as time out from digital. Makes you slow down and think. Because you cant see the result immediately you are forced to think about the light, angles, perspective and how they relate to the camera AND film you are using. You get to experiment more with iso and deal with grain versus ice cube pixels. It's about 50 cents to $2 a shot so that stays in the back of your mind. Black and white is a breeze to develop yourself, colour is better left to the lab (to lab develop it's about $11 for E6 35mm 36 frames or the same for medium frame 120 - 16 frames). Old medium frame cameras are cheap, as are 35mm. Scanning is the only drag. Film makes me see, digital makes me look. Worth a shot.

Message edited by author 2012-12-30 21:52:21.

12/30/2012 10:25:42 PM · #37

Originally posted by daisydavid:

Thanks for the idea. I used to develop my own B&W prints years ago. It was expensive and messy, digital came as a great relief ;)

Canon EF 80-200mm f/4.5-5.6 II

12/30/2012 11:02:21 PM · #38

I think just slowing down generally is a good idea. I don't shoot film at the moment but i want to get back into doing it. Very good suggestion. Slow down. I like that. Good advice for myself.

neenee1999

Nikon D70

12/31/2012 12:43:58 AM · #39

WOW such irony, I have had three photoshoots in the last three days, it was a struggle for me to get through them. That is one of the reasons I love DPC, it gets me out of the rut of the mundane cheesy shots people seem to expect and that is not my style. Thinking out of the box and going with something different is exciting to me, the mundane shots gets me burned out quick. I have a photoshoot of an older couple in January they are wanting a studio portrait in matching shirts and a saddle they bought and want in the image. Cannot wrap my mind around an interesting shot. I hope I can talk them into doing something other than sitting on a bale of hay with a cheesy smile, while resting their elbows on a saddle....