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09-08-2022, 04:52 AM - 3 Likes   #1
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Burnt out on photography?

I got the title of this thread from a video by the Northrups on YouTube, which had got me thinking about why I take so few photographs these days.

My wife makes photo books about our three grandchildren, and she asked me for some of the photos that I took back in January when we visited our family in the US. I was horrified to see that I had done no processing on any of my raw captures since August 2021, and that I haven't taken my camera with me on walks, visits etc since May of this year. I knew from last year that my interest in photography had declined and I didn't know what to do about it. I tried to change focus (sorry) and spend more time on particular areas such as macrophotography - but that didn't kick me out of my torpor. So I got down to processing the photos that my wife requested, and I was distressed by what I saw.

During our January family visit, I used the FA 100mm f2.8 Macro almost exclusively, and was dismayed at the number of the photos that were soft. The lens is cenrtainly not soft so I looked at the EXIF data, and saw that I must have been turning my brain off gradually over time. I knew that the 24MP K-3II needs to be used in a particular way to optimise image sharpness. I knew the rule of thumb about at least doubling the shutter speed related to the focal length of the lens. What I saw was that in this series of photos with the 100mm lens, many were taken at around a twenty-fifth or one thirtieth of a second - a tenth of what they should have been. Even with IBIS, there was clearly camera-shake. How did this creep in over time? One culprit could be my seeming increasing focus (sorry again) on wanting to keep the ISO down to 100 or 200, resulting in a low shutter speed in gloomy conditions using Hyper-Av, my normal mode.

Something needs to change, it seems, if my interest is to re-kindle. I've always shied away from the use of TAv mode, although I know that it's a mode that many here use a lot, so maybe that's the way to go, especially with the sharp-as-a-tack 100mm lens. However TAv mode lets ISO float, something that other members here won't do as it can lead to increased noise. So there may be something of a paradox here, but there has to be a way forward. There has been incremental improvement in the handling of high ISO noise with newer camera models, but there has also been incremental improvement in the ability of post-processing software to handle noise in raw files, so that letting ISO float over a six-stop ISO range while controlling shutter speed is probably more practical these days than it has been.

So, I shall try using TAv a lot more. I use Bridge/Camera Raw/Photoshop for PP with a good technique for noise reduction, so that will help. 'Lower your expectations and enjoy the process' was the message from the Northrups' video, so that's what I'll do. How do people here maintain their involvement with photography?

09-08-2022, 05:13 AM - 1 Like   #2
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QuoteOriginally posted by microlight Quote
One culprit could be my seeming increasing focus (sorry again) on wanting to keep the ISO down to 100 or 200
I don't know about re-kindling of the photgraphic urge, but you do seem to be hung up on ISO. I did not even use as low as 100 in film days. Today I rarely go below 400, usually 800, and my picures are mostly of static subjects in broad daylight. My advice is to stop worrying about ISO, unless for some special purpose.
09-08-2022, 05:15 AM - 3 Likes   #3
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You do forget if you don't use your camera regularly and you do get out of practise. Right now I haven't picked mine up since June. It's a newish camera to me and I've forgotten some of the more complex menu driven features already. I'm probably not going to take it on a upcoming wknd away either. I think this time that's more of a conscious break, the creative juices had dried up.


I too am currently wondering how to re-kindle them but I know that I will come back to it, alluding to what the Northups said, I find the process of using a camera relaxing, even if I end up with nothing, it's the slowing down and looking. I've often thought of leaving the memory card out because of that but that probably wouldn't work. Although I do remember a very satisfying and relaxing walk in the woods taking pictures before I realized I had no card in. I just shrugged, turned to the dog and said 'I didn't put the card in'. He didn't mind either.
09-08-2022, 06:01 AM - 2 Likes   #4
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Personally, I use TAv almost exclusively on the bodies that have that Mode.
1/1500 @ f/8 is my chosen starting point … even in the brightest of sunshine (locally, 49N) I haven't found my cameras over-exposing under normal circumstances and noise has only ever been a minor issue on my K-5 under fairly dark conditions, at which point I'll wind down the shutter speed or open up the aperture as appropriate … the K-70, KP and K-3iii have such good low noise performance I've simply taken to not considering it to be an issue.
I've taken to reading (and re-reading) old photographic books and magazines (1950s-'60s) for inspiration, on occasion, the focus (pun intended) in those days was far more on the final image and far less on the capabilities (or lack thereof) of the camera!
Inevitably … YMMV

09-08-2022, 06:47 AM - 1 Like   #5
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Perhaps your settings or techniques aren't the hurdles you face. When I confront burn out or stagnation, the issue usually is what to photograph, not which gear, settings, or techniques, etc. to use. There is a good, short video recently posted the "Recommended YouTube Channels for Photography thread discussing the Ernst Haas quote, "I am not interested in shooting new things. I am interested to see things new." Might be worth a watch. Here's a related video:

Last edited by EssJayEff; 09-08-2022 at 06:54 AM. Reason: added direct YouTube link
09-08-2022, 06:54 AM - 2 Likes   #6
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I have K-3/3 but even in time of K-50 I used to set up max ISO on whatever I saw as passable (now it is 6400) and just let camera modes do whatever I need. I use P mostly so I can adjust either shutter speed or aperture to whatever I need at certain moment, but other then this I let software do it's job. I spent so much money on the camera that I want to use it's features to possible maximum. Screw the noise, I rather have noisy photo then no photo at all.

I cared a lot when I had K-50, but at some point I turned around and decided that I wasted too much time fiddling with setup, forcing myself to shot at long exposures to keep noise low and it was putting me off from my photography. So now I just want to take photos that I like. If they are noisy, well, I can live with it.

As for how I keep myself interested? I don't. If I feel like I don't want to get out with camera, I do not. It comes back shortly after few walks without it and cursing about all the missed shots. Winter also does it for me, with long work hours and short days photography is a reason for me to get out of warm house

Last edited by jersey; 09-08-2022 at 07:01 AM.
09-08-2022, 06:58 AM - 1 Like   #7
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QuoteOriginally posted by microlight Quote
How do people here maintain their involvement with photography?
Your post is timely for me. Just this morning I was thinking that I really should get out more with my camera. Not sure whether the pandemic has conditioned me to stay closer to home, or whether it's just a normal cyclical waning of interest.

I belong to a local camera club (Camera Club of Ottawa - founded in 1894), which holds regular friendly competitions, photo outings, and member 'challenges', all of which help to encourage members to get out and shoot. For example, our summer challenge prompted me to drive for an hour to a small, historic town for a sunrise shoot, which I really enjoyed. Our first competition will be Festivals and Celebrations, so I'll go to one or two fall fairs in the Ottawa valley region.

Our September weather brings fog on the Ottawa River, and I'm hoping (not planning, yet) to do a sunrise shoot within a 30-minute drive from home. Of course, that means waking up before sunrise and prodding myself out of bed...

I think it's true that not shooting regularly and frequently gets one out of practice. On my photo excursions, I try to remember to spend 10 minutes at the start just to re-familiarize myself with my gear, settings, and composition 'rules'. The first shots are throw-aways, usually.

- Craig

09-08-2022, 07:27 AM - 2 Likes   #8
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I find these comments interesting. Much of my photography is done on nature reserves when I am out birding, so obviously birds form a major part of the images. However, I also photograph other wildlife - plants, flowers etc, and occasionally any mammals (non-human) that turn up, and landscape and cloud formations. As I always also carry a spotting scope on a tripod, using the same QR plates as I have on my camera and long lenses, I have a reasonable chance of at least acceptable images. (Apropos of this, why do so many people use equipment with QR fitments, but only one baseplate, thus necessitating the swapping of the plate from one item to another, completely negating the advantages of the QR system?). I usually manage two or three birding days per week.

Another interest is vintage railways - locos, rolling stock, stations and other infrastructure. With these it is almost impossible to exclude HS, but I do my best. These are often called 'Heritage Railways' - where hundreds if not thousands of unpaid volunteers have laboured countless hours to restore the 'heritage' deliberately destroyed in the past on the orders of accountants, who know the cost of everything - and the value of nothing.

With urban architecture, I often use a monopod for added stability (mine as well as the camera !) - the Manfrotto Head on this could possibly serve for personal protection if needed. Many of the somewhat quirky buildings around (this is Norfolk, after all !) are possibly in danger of 'improvement' or demolition, so hopefully recording them will later serve some purpose for local historians.

When I return from any day on which I have taken photos, I copy the images to folders on each of my computers, then usually stay up till all hours assessing them and processing many. Who needs sleep ? And it is a far less aromatic procedure than long hours spent in the darkroom !

My major 'fear', if I can call it that, is that I will not live long enough to take all the photographs I wish ! And no, I do NOT photograph every meal placed before me !
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Last edited by 35mmfilmfan; 09-08-2022 at 07:29 AM. Reason: Grammar
09-08-2022, 09:01 AM - 1 Like   #9
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Magic happens outside of your comfort zone. For me it was the transition from ”available light photography” to using flashes for portraits. Strobist was the nudge I needed.
09-08-2022, 11:16 AM - 3 Likes   #10
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I haven’t used my cameras in almost a year. But the grandmother I’ve been providing 24/7 care to passed this afternoon. Time to live again…
09-08-2022, 11:20 AM - 1 Like   #11
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It sounds like you should start playing around with macro flash. It makes a world of difference, particularly if you take up bug-hunting. I prefer my macro photos to have a bit of protein in them.<g>
09-08-2022, 11:46 AM - 2 Likes   #12
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I have a KP that I broke the mode dial on and it is stuck in Shutter priority, which is OK as I use it mostly for wildlife and birding. I set the ISO to a range that I think will be OK, and set the shutter speed depending on the available light. That works pretty good, the lenses that I use with it are good wide open with the DA TC. I'm as happy with that setup as I was using TAV.

Try doing some of the Pentax Forum challenges, things like Project 52, Weekly Challenges, and Daily in...given month, give you a goal that may be out of your comfort zone, but doing those things sometimes opens up your mind.

Sometimes when I have been in a rut as you are I've went out with a goal in mind, maybe it's something you don't normally shoot, or a different way to shoot something, or even a specific time of day or night. That's when I can usually start seeing something different than what I was seeing. Sometimes it's just taking a lens out that you haven't used for a while.
09-08-2022, 02:32 PM - 1 Like   #13
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I spend too much time in front of a screen to read everything here, so apologies if I missed details of your post or the comments that followed. But nothing you've described sounds unusual to me.

Stuck in an iso 100/200 mentality - yup. Still do it all the time. Except when I forget, crank up the ISO, and then next shoot in blinding sunshine.

Not use the camera for ages - yup. I go for months without using it, and then might take it out a few times. Very frustrating in some ways, as I spent 8 years with very few really sharp, new lenses and then managed to get a few on the Forums in the last couple of years which I've yet to put through their paces.


For me, photography is sometimes about challenging myself, so I have had times where I'll go out with a manual lens to see what I can accomplish with it. That can produce the odd excitement when I nail one or two shots with a K/M or m42 lens.


I will also sometimes take shots at school or community events just to force myself to use my gear, and hopefully to produce something of value to others.


TAv mode can be very useful, and depending on the camera model, I believe you can limit the maximum value.

The main thing I've learned to do is give myself patience and time. Life can be busy, chaotic, depressing or challenging, and that can all make photography hard, and post processing even harder. But there will be times, and perhaps favorite places where bringing a camera along leads to some inspiration. Just don't be hard on yourself in the interim.
09-08-2022, 02:48 PM - 3 Likes   #14
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QuoteOriginally posted by microlight Quote
There has been incremental improvement in the handling of high ISO noise with newer camera models, but there has also been incremental improvement in the ability of post-processing software to handle noise in raw files, so that letting ISO float over a six-stop ISO range while controlling shutter speed is probably more practical these days than it has been.
Absolutely. I think the improvements in in-camera high-ISO and in PP software in the last few years have been a quiet revolution. I'd suggest trying out programs with AI noise reduction, like Topaz or DxO PhotoLab (Elite edition). You should be able to get consistently good results with the K-3ii at 1600 and you can use 3200 or even 6400 where necessary.

I've been going back over some old shots I took with the K-3. As an extreme example, here's one I took in very poor light (well after sunset) at 6400 ISO, and even then it was underexposed by at least a couple of stops. (The koala was on our property - something pretty special.) So effectively something like 25000. OOC jpg (I was shooting RAW+)


After re-processing the RAW file with DxO PL5 with DeepPrime and Nik Color Efex Pro


I wouldn't choose to use these settings, and it's far from ideal - but it shows what can be done when the need arises.

This should help you overcome your aversion to floating ISO! I am one of those who mostly uses TAv. With the KP I generally cap the ISO at 3200, unless I need to go higher. With the K-3 I capped it at 1600 by default. At 400 ISO or 800 ISO there isn't much compromise at all.
QuoteOriginally posted by microlight Quote
How do people here maintain their involvement with photography?
One thing I got from the lockdowns was improving my PP skills. I spent some time watching video tutorials, which was invaluable. I recommend Robin Whalley's tutorials, which cover a number of popular PP programs.

I also recommend trying the Nik Collection, especially Color Efex Pro and Silver Efex Pro. (You can still get the free Google version if you don't want to buy the DxO one - there's not much difference.) There are some excellent DxO tutorials on YouTube (Nik Collection - YouTube). It works as a plug-in with other programs. So process as you normally would, then export as TIFF and take it from there in the relevant Nik program.

When photo ops are limited (as they are for me at present), you can go back and re-process old photos. There are nuggets to be found in the mine. B&W conversions are worth trying too.

Last edited by Des; 09-13-2022 at 02:28 PM.
09-08-2022, 02:56 PM - 2 Likes   #15
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Hmm simple, single in or daily in challenge, I have the camera at hand to take at least 1 photo every day, it keeps me looking out for photo opportunities and helps me try different techniques and exercise my mind and equipment, some days are brilliant some days are blah, but it keeps me engaged with my hobby.
Looking at what others are photographing from around the globe also helps me through and in dark cold winter , the sunny shots from the other side of the world makes me feel good.
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