[micromacro]

Sorry, I did not mention in previous post that I started enjoying not just reading, but reading about photography.
Before I was so "hungry" to go and shoot, to try explore different glass, gear. I've been forcing myself to read and learn, but never liked that.

Then, when I got K-1, it started changing. No more LBA, I don't need so many lenses. I don't like just to shoot anymore. Suddenly I don't get that fun, drive, or satisfaction from just shooting as before.
Instead I don't need to force myself into reading, or learning techniques, manuals- all about how to shoot. Probably for the first time ever since I got into DSLR, I stopped running, and slow down.
It's a weird feeling, and it's hard to tell, is not the end, or just another stage?
For sure, K-1 is somehow responsible for this switch.

[rawr]

Problem is, we are all human, not production-line robots.

Life has it's cycles, and our hobbies do too.

I've had peaks and troughs, but photography is a hobby with long-term rewards, particularly in capturing transitory scenes and memories, so I stick with it.

---------- Post added 2016-08-06 at 09:21 PM ----------

...For sure, K-1 is somehow responsible for this switch.

I find that very understandable. Some cameras have their own 'personality', which can have an impact on your shooting.

Some cameras just invite you to go out and shoot, others may be solid, reliable tools, but they make photo shooting seem more like work. I do get encouraging vibes from my K-1, but it's cameras like my K-x, or my little RX-100, that have always felt much more 'friendly'.

[ChristianRock]

I think you might be a bit overwhelmed with the things you've got to take care of and also learn. Learning the K-1 and the fact that now you have this new tool capable of quality we all could just dream of just a few years ago, might have added a lot to this.
So I would just take one thing at a time. If you are enjoying learning, just learn for a bit. Then maybe take a couple of weeks just to organize your pictures and get rid of what you won't use. And so on. In the meantime continue your normal life and if life takes you somewhere where you might want to take a picture, do it but don't feel forced to.
At some point you'll come back to it and you'll be a better photographer for taking care of other things first, and for just enjoying life.

[robgski]

Suddenly I don't get that fun, drive, or satisfaction from just shooting as before.
Instead I don't need to force myself into reading, or learning techniques, manuals- all about how to shoot. Probably for the first time ever since I got into DSLR, I stopped running, and slow down.

If I understand you, you're now trying to slow down, compose, look at your settings, and get a few good shots, rather than shooting several hundred shots and hoping that a few in that pile come out looking good? You're working on your technique and trying to get the shot that's in your mind to show up in the camera?

Good on you! Back when every photograph cost money and time to make, and I had little of both, I worked hard to get the composition and settings right before I opened the shutter. Even with digital photography, I try to work slowly and get the picture right before a shoot it. art of the reason I often shoot manual settings only is so I have to slow down and think before I take a picture.

[csa]

Sorry, I did not mention in previous post that I started enjoying not just reading, but reading about photography.
Before I was so "hungry" to go and shoot, to try explore different glass, gear. I've been forcing myself to read and learn, but never liked that.

Then, when I got K-1, it started changing. No more LBA, I don't need so many lenses. I don't like just to shoot anymore. Suddenly I don't get that fun, drive, or satisfaction from just shooting as before.
Instead I don't need to force myself into reading, or learning techniques, manuals- all about how to shoot. Probably for the first time ever since I got into DSLR, I stopped running, and slow down.
It's a weird feeling, and it's hard to tell, is not the end, or just another stage?
For sure, K-1 is somehow responsible for this switch.

Lana, I wonder if buying the K-1 you thought it would make you a better photographer, and you feel it didn't so you're disappointed? Remember, it's not the camera, but you that actually makes an image. If your heart's not in it, then it becomes work rather than pleasure. I know you took a personal course with a pro-photographer, and mutually ended it. I think perhaps you don't have enough confidence in your talent to use that K-1 to it's fullest potential, maybe the K-1 feels intimidating to you. As far as light meters, strobes, etc., I use none of them, and am quite content to shoot without them.

As far as judging your own images; we all judge ours differently. If an image pleases you, then it's a success, regardless of what others may think.

Taking a break may be your answer, only you can decide that. I hope you will regain that spark, and grab that new K-1 and give it heck!

[micromacro]

If I understand you, you're now trying to slow down, compose, look at your settings, and get a few good shots, rather than shooting several hundred shots and hoping that a few in that pile come out looking good? You're working on your technique and trying to get the shot that's in your mind to show up in the camera?

Yes, something like that, I'm not happy shutter release button person anymore, and suddenly got bored to shoot, and get lucky shoots.

---------- Post added 08-06-16 at 01:29 PM ----------

Lana, I wonder if buying the K-1 you thought it would make you a better photographer, and you feel it didn't so you're disappointed?

Carol, not at all. I just wanted K-1 for full frame vintage lenses. Somehow that camera disagrees to be only for that purpose. Surprisingly, it's teaching me.

[mee]

Have you ever get the similar feeling? Have you ever stopped like you needed a break to recharge and start all over? If so, for how long?

Yes. Yes. Until I get the desire to shoot again.

[sherrvonne]

K1 is the 'Ultimate' you achieved getting it. (I want one I do!) maybe now you feel like you have to 'Prove yourself' every time you you shoot with it. Sometimes that's the fun of of it, sometimes it really not. I was really happy with the shots I was getting until I finally booked an appt with an instructor/ ahhh AKA professional Photographer to learn more about Lightroom 5. Since I was having the problem with organizing editing and deleting (so boring and slow the turtle way I was doing it) photos in Lightroom 5.
I cannot tell you the sense of procrastination I wanted to have when I realized I had to bring an SD card of my stuff to show the instructor. I was thinking... I should just quit now... What am I going to show him? "Here's a bird perching on a stick....ummm a dragonfly..... A lizard on a leaf....?" "Is he going to think .... ???Pentax???" Lol. So then when I get there it got worse, I find out that he works with a couple of Nat Geo photographers. So I am thinking now, oh my so not in that league, I am nuts. Then he says he was helping the Nat Geo photographers to EDIT and Organize in Lightroom. Imagine that, professionals need help organizing their photos, now I don't feel so bad. He was nice, he looked over my cameras and equipment and... And.... And... Actually did not suggest that I needed to change any settings! So I have made it a goal to use every piece of info I learned as often as possible. But really I wanted to shut down for a bit. i think we have worked hard to learn what we have learned and sometimes we discount it too easy. And no way would I have gotten this far without the forum and that is what I told the instructor.
You have a a nice camera, a forum of 'instructors' and people to encourage, shut down, reboot, keep shooting!

[nomadkng]

I can tell for sure the wish to shoot less started building up when got K-1. After the first excitement and crazy lens testing I started feeling like the camera is changing me.
I still don't understand how, but the more I've been shooting with K-1, the more I felt like I have to slow down. Like the camera itself has been pushing me to stop.

It has been about 3 weeks since I stopped shooting.
My Lightroom catalogue is the total mess, with about 22K pictures, and about 80% of them is the total rubbish. And I still don't know how to organize it efficiently.
I can't judge my own work, I don't see where is good, and where is not really a winner.
I still don't know much, and don't use much photoshop elements, just very basics.
I don't use my strobes, and don't use flash when I should.
I still don't understand how the heck to use light meter.
I don't know how to pose people.
I don't like just chase lucky shots anymore, it became too boring.
I have an amazing camera, and we don't match. It pushes me to improve.

So, suddenly I love reading instead of shooting. Love the fact that I understand much more than before. I enjoy it, but... I don't shoot. Three weeks is the longest time ever I've not been out with the camera.

Have you ever get the similar feeling? Have you ever stopped like you needed a break to recharge and start all over? If so, for how long?

Your reading, while educational is avoidance. Something clicked in your head. You have reached some kind of mental pinnacle/wall and you don't see much point in going forward. To some it's called burn out. Just walk away. Don't look at your images, don't touch your camera, don't read any books, don't even post on PF for a minimum of 30 days. Set a minimum. BUT, don't come back until you miss it. As in really miss it.

I took two years off from golfing. I didn't start missing golf for that long. It's still a love hate relationship, but I look forward to my round every sunday.
I quit photography in 2008, sold all my gear and contemplated finding a new hobby. For me, it was a nearly two year long failure to break into selling my work coupled with the realization that I would never be able to quit my day job. I watched other "lesser" photogs sell dozens of images to my 1-2 a year. I got bashed and berated for errors by guys who couldn't even keep their horizons level. It made my photography seem futile.

But I found a motivation to prove them wrong. To this day I don't really think I take pictures for myself, but more the challenge of finding images other will buy. But it is the motivation that works for me.

You've got to find a new motivation. Maybe submit images to juried contests, join one of the couple really respected websites for wildlife pros and wanna-bes. Open yourself up to brutal, harsh, nasty and gut wrenching critiques from some of the true internationally recognized experts in the field.

It sounds like you are in a rut. It's time to reevaluate why you shoot images in the first place. Sometimes that's best accomplished during a sabbatical.

[pathdoc]

Sure, I go through that periodically. Right now I've been on a hiatus from using my cameras mainly for two reasons. The weather has been great for fishing and I have a new completely outfitted fishing kayak. It's been kinda nice enjoying nature without the feeling the need to capture something.

The capturing you're doing now is somewhat different.

[kadajawi]

I think sometimes you just need a break, to recharge, get creative again. I'm right now in that kind of position... for a few months the only photography that I did was work related, or done on my smartphone. Maybe you can use your off time to experiment in Lightroom? See what compositions you like best? Try to develop an eye. Look at other photography. Which photos do you like, and think about why.

Right now I'm trying to get my mojo back... there is something I'd like to try, but I need good weather during night time.

If it really came from switching to the K-1, maybe it isn't the right camera for you. Maybe you need something different... say go in the other direction, try a mFT camera with the great controls they have and the compact size and light weight.

[micromacro]

Maybe you can use your off time to experiment in Lightroom? See what compositions you like best? Try to develop an eye. Look at other photography. Which photos do you like, and think about why.

I plan to clean it up, save only the pictures I need, reorganize everything in my computer, add an extra drive (not personally, I have my kid for it ).
Then re-install LR clean and start all over.

That feeling to start over grew pretty strong recently. First, I liked the quality of DSLR pictures, then I used the photography for stress relief, then it became something more, and finally I felt I don't want to do the way how I've been doing it: mostly rely on luck and equipment.

I don't want to look at other photography to learn. From some point it became useless without knowing how exactly to achieve the same level. It's more than proper exposure, composition or following the rules. It's the knowledge of many aspects I had no time to understand while running and chasing lucky pictures.
It feels like I'm finally fed up by that approach. Totally overdosed.

The shooting lost the meaning, or purpose, and I put it on hold. I've been looking to find the new meaning, and yep, I will go at stadium to shoot the game. Not for the pictures actually.
Two years ago I've been there, and I've been shooting there absolutely clueless. I set the camera to manual mode, came out with pointless boring pictures. I was overexcited, ran all around ended up with the memory card full of garbage.
After looking at those pictures again I decided it's time to repeat that shooting and see if it will be different this time.
I will not be running all around for sure this time

[gatorguy]

I don't want to look at other photography to learn. From some point it became useless without knowing how exactly to achieve the same level. It's more than proper exposure, composition or following the rules. It's the knowledge of many aspects I had no time to understand while running and chasing lucky pictures

Maybe that's what I've been going thru the past couple of months.

I don't take those random shots as often as I was, so instead of 100 shots every week it's been more like a dozen or so. And my subjects have changed. For me personally it's no longer challenging enough to get nice images of static subjects like plants and flowers and architecture. Auto settings on our cameras are too good.

Water birds? Loved it for awhile, but I already have great ones that would be tough to improve on. I'll still take 'em when they're unique but otherwise meh.

Macro which was my initial interest is getting more difficult as my eyes get worse. Of necessity it's no longer major...

People shots? Uuhhh. Had no interest in them. . .Until I bought a Bower 85 on a whim.

That pushed me into dumping the auto settings and think about lighting, depth of field, motion and all sorts of things that Auto (and autofocus) typically took care of. Surprise, I got several good street shot portraits in my first outing with it. So maybe I can be decent at portrait work and that got me reading.

Bought a DA*55 to work with to see if it might be beneficial. Took over our under-used spare bedroom for my camera gear and photo-editing. Picked up a copy of LR6 to go along with my Adobe Creative Suite. Spend hours every evening reading reviews on studio gear and watching technique videos. Talked to a couple of local portrait photogs (good advice in general but VERY old school) at my local camera store. Bought a course from Tony Northrup on Lightroom. Bought a KelbyOne course on portrait retouching using Photoshop. That got me hooked as a KelbyOne monthly subscriber and more training videos.

Then started gathering studio gear. I'm beginning to feel re-invigorated, and like you not willing to settle for lucky shots all the time. I still take my camera everywhere with me and still take those weekend hikes with it for any new photo opportunities that come along. Lucky shots can still be great shots. But I'm not happy to just shoot away anymore and hope something sticks. I think I can do better than that and enjoying putting in the time to find out.

[micromacro]

Then started gathering studio gear. I'm beginning to feel re-invigorated, and like you not willing to settle for lucky shots all the time. I still take my camera everywhere with me and still take those weekend hikes with it for any new photo opportunities that come along. Lucky shots can still be great shots. But I'm not happy to just shoot away anymore and hope something sticks. I think I can do better than that and enjoying putting in the time to find out.

It seems like we are on similar path. Yes, going out and get lucky is still exciting, but not like before.
When I looked at my 22K pictures, the question was : what are they all for? I knew the answer before: making them was my relaxation therapy. It's over now.

It's good to hear from people here that's the normal to stop. And I'm not alone feeling that urge to change the perspective.

[normhead]

The thing that does it for me is , someplace new and different to shoot.

last time down in Niagara Falls, Tess was doing a lot of shopping. I hobbled down to an old police station I'd read about, and stumbled onto a block of old Niagara Falls near the train station, probably not ore than 10 buildings altogether.



I went home and worked over the images. Tess saw a few and though she'd been really only shooting sporadically for months, she had to go the next day. And of course she took some really interesting photos that I wouldn't have taken. Often when we come home from a place like that you'd swear we went to two different places.

Anyway, we stopped in again the next day, so she could shoot, and then went back the next day for some retakes.


There's nothing like new places to get you shooting again.

There was ague I saw there the first day I was there without Tess. He was there the next day as well. Obviously the same thing happened to him. Went home and looked at his images from the first day, when he had just been just walking along the Niagara gorge before he saw my shooting and came over to see what I was shooting and chat a bit. I'm sure he also looked at his images, saw some potential and came back to give it another go as well.

Slideshow

Sometime all you need to do is search the net under "old buildings" or "scenic building" or whatever to come up with some ideas for places to go. This place was hard to find, but now that I've been here three times it doesn't seem as hidden, or mysterious, but it's filed away as a shooting location Ready for our next trip tot he falls.