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04/18/2006 07:02:52 PM · #1 |
Has anyone else ever lost their photographic mojo? You know, you just don't feel like you have it anymore?
I just spent about 48 hours in New York City and came home with a card with 163 photos on it and that was after deleting some as I went along. There is nothing, I repeat NOTHING, on that card that really jumps at me. I just never really felt "it" while I was there. The camera spent more time in the bag than out. It almost became a nuicance to be carrying the bag around. Almost all of my exposures are wrong, and my subjects and compositions are mostly uninteresting.
Has this ever happened to you? What did you do to get out of the funk? Did you lay the camera down for a while or did you keep shooting, hoping "it" would come back to you?
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04/18/2006 07:05:09 PM · #2 |
I found that taking a break of a couple of weeks made a big difference for me. I did that a few months ago after finding myself in a funk and it really helped. I came back when I felt like it and was much more creative & productive.
(And I think I need to do it again based on my recent scores...) :-)
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04/18/2006 07:06:03 PM · #3 |
I'm still trying to find my mojo....it seems to be lost more than found. But when I get in a real big funk, I set the camera aside for a few days, then take my next free day and force myself out of the house to shoot whatever I see. I don't worry about any of the technicals that day - I just got out and shoot for fun. Usually that'll spark a little something back in me.
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04/18/2006 07:08:58 PM · #4 |
The other thing is, I find that all I look for when shooting is: "Does this fit the cureent challenge?" "Could this win a ribbon at the fair?" "Could I sell this as a print?"
I don't feel like I'm shooting for myself. I need to take this week and make sure I can shoot nice prom pictures. I'll practice each nice with the flash and exposures, so hopefully I'll be ready by Saturday evening, but maybe after that I'll take a few weeks off.
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04/18/2006 07:09:47 PM · #5 |
I went to Rome last year and was so lucky to be at the popes inauguration ceremony, over 1 million people were there, I had my camera and some lenses, and I really didn't feel like taking pictures.. I shot a few but none of them were any good...
a phototrip gone really bad... good thing there was plenty to see there, many galleries, ancient artifacts and stuff..
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04/18/2006 07:09:53 PM · #6 |
Yes, it happens to me frequently. I have periods of shooting day after day which can go on for weeks and mostly after a period like that everything goes wrong.
I know it'll come back. Most of the time I lay my camera down for a while ( but not to long, lol ).
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04/18/2006 07:23:33 PM · #7 |
Getting out of a funk is easy. Shoot something that is completely out of your norm. If you shoot mostly landscapes, take your camera inside. If you shoot portraits, find a flower to photograph.
It's often when we are out of our element that we find ourselves again.
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04/18/2006 07:28:42 PM · #8 |
My greatest inspiration for photography is Music ,I love having my mp3 with me it puts me in to tune right away and deffinatly makes a diffirence in my photos ,i havent lost my mojo as yet but for me music is the cure .Favorite to listen when shooting is Massive Attack 100th Window ,i never get tired of that album .
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04/18/2006 07:29:21 PM · #9 |
| Buy a few new L lenses :D |
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04/18/2006 07:30:17 PM · #10 |
Originally posted by peterish:
Buy a few new L lenses :D |
he he
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04/18/2006 07:41:56 PM · #11 |
Originally posted by fotomann_forever:
It's often when we are out of our element that we find ourselves again. |
Very Deep Bro! :-) |
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04/18/2006 07:45:18 PM · #12 |
lol
Originally posted by thegrandwazoo:
Originally posted by fotomann_forever:
It's often when we are out of our element that we find ourselves again. |
Very Deep Bro! :-) |
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04/18/2006 07:45:47 PM · #13 |
Take a day and go someplace where photo opportunities abound- a zoo, a park, a wildlife preserve, mountain, beach or other attraction. Use a long lens so you're forced to focus on something specific. That works for me photography-wise.
Creativity is a whole 'nother matter entirely. My scores are almost entirely dependent on original concepts. For that, I have to be totally focused. A quiet room with a notepad and pencil is a good starting point, but I think up most of my best ideas (and/or the finishing touches) in the shower- where there are no distractions! |
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04/18/2006 07:48:13 PM · #14 |
I've never lost any mojo. You got to have some before you can loose it.
Many times I have come back from a shoot and found that I didn't capture a single image that I really like. In fact, I think that happens more often than not. After 30+ years of shooting it no longer surprises me when it happens, that's for sure. When it gets to the point that I'm not having fun with it, then I leave the camera alone for a while and go do something else. Actually, I'm just about done with my latest 'no photography' period. I haven't picked up my camera for several weeks. I think it's almost time for me to get back to it.
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04/18/2006 07:48:49 PM · #15 |
Originally posted by scalvert:
I think up most of my best ideas (and/or the finishing touches) in the shower- where there are no distractions! |
Dan it, I get distracted in the shower.
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04/18/2006 09:07:26 PM · #16 |
Having a camera, does not mean you must use
When you feel you are shooting for the sake of shooting,
that could spell trouble. |
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04/18/2006 09:21:26 PM · #17 |
lol I thought you all were talking about me.
I agree with micknewton...you got to have it in the first place to lose it (for the record, I'm referring to myself) and I agree with peterish. New "stuff" always gets me inspired again. Spent 4 hours today with a new lens and had to force myself to go to work. ;D |
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04/18/2006 09:44:06 PM · #18 |
| Do a search on my threads about 'In the Groove'... |
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04/18/2006 09:58:22 PM · #19 |
Originally posted by fotomann_forever:
Getting out of a funk is easy. Shoot something that is completely out of your norm. If you shoot mostly landscapes, take your camera inside. If you shoot portraits, find a flower to photograph.
It's often when we are out of our element that we find ourselves again. |
It's often when we are out of our element that we find ourselves again.
Beautifully put |
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04/18/2006 10:02:12 PM · #20 |
Originally posted by larryslights:
Has anyone else ever lost their photographic mojo? You know, you just don't feel like you have it anymore? |
Yup - it happens at times.
Some days you can make a great shot out of a paperclip, other days you can't see squat in anything.
Has nothing to do with photography either.
It's mindset and where you are emotionally.
Message edited by author 2006-04-20 22:21:23. |
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04/18/2006 10:58:01 PM · #21 |
| I lost my photo mojo for about 10 years. Finally came back. |
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04/18/2006 10:58:58 PM · #22 |
Originally posted by Spazmo99:
I lost my photo mojo for about 10 years. Finally came back. |
Really?
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04/18/2006 11:47:50 PM · #23 |
I am in the biggest slump right now. Haven't shot anything creative since Feb of this year and haven't edited anything either for that matter.
I just seem to get in a photographic funk from Feb to April every year.
I also know that I'm tired cuz I've been putting overtime at work and I'm thinking of switching jobs, so my mind is not into it. I also have decided to forsake updating the 300D to the 30D since I hardly shoot anymore.
Hopefully I'll get my mojo back later this spring.
And oh yeah, my PAD went down the crapper after seven and half months of hard work :(
Message edited by author 2006-04-18 23:50:27. |
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04/18/2006 11:53:06 PM · #24 |
I lost mine during the end of winter, from the end of Jan to mid-March. It took spring to get it back. That, and some catering on my part - I went to some scenic places around here and on some grueling hikes with the camera, sometimes shooting, sometimes just enjoying the walk. And I tried some new things (astrophotography, marcro shots, advanced editing technique). Overall, it was what some others have posted above - a bit of a break, some new experiences/experiments, and an improved sense of being that comes with the good weather.
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04/19/2006 02:35:49 AM · #25 |
Originally posted by fotomann_forever:
Originally posted by Spazmo99:
I lost my photo mojo for about 10 years. Finally came back. |
Really? |
Yeah, I got sick of shooting crap like stacks of sweaters and towels 70-80hrs a week just to have to steal mac&cheese to eat. To be honest, I had absolutely no clue about running a business or even working freelance. When I had done a bunch of work for a company, I expected to get a check right then and there. What's this "We pay 60 days or 90 days" crap. Stuff like that.
I put my Nikons and my 4x5 away, went back to school and I didn't touch a camera for almost 10 years. |
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