[6BQ5]

motivational mojo is slowly returning. I have been exploring my K-5ii (new toys always help) and shooting my son everynight. I am also planning to sign up for a local weekend photo seminar. And, I am really interested in trying out some new techniques, such as stereographic panos. My biggest problem is work has been a bear, and most of my shooting opportunities are limited to indoors at home or walking to the parking garage in the dark. I have been carrying my q7 to/from work, but so far little good has come of it. Guess I just need to get out more.

While my motivational mojo is slowly returning, I am still suffering from the "all my work sucks" phase and find myself deleting entire cards (as compared to when I started I thought everything was a masterpeice and kept raw, tiffs and jpegs of every shot).

Take those opportunities as a chance to learn about flash photography!

Even if the shots don't come out correct right away, take 'em! Fire that bulb! Don't worry about the subject matter right away. Take pictures of parking blocks, pen/pencil cups, etc. You know what they ought to look like because they are simple. Now add the element of flash and see how your camera's sees them. It can be a very interesting game to play. Just keep some extra battery power with you in case you run out.

[waterfall]

Want to change your photographic life in as little as (say) six weeks? May I suggest that you get a copy (used is OK, too) of ...


Why Photographs Work: 52 Great Images Who Made Them, What Makes Them Special and Why: George Barr: 9781933952703: Amazon.com: Books


It contains an analysis of the work of 52 photographers. Page through the text and images, then select a photographer whose work you would like to emulate. Consider that person your personal secret 'mentor'. Google, then learn everything you can about that person. Using your current tools and everyday subjects, dedicate (say) a week to producing at least one excellent image a day that is slavishly faithful to the style of that person and only that person. Do not allow yourself to do things your way. Work hard at being a copy cat. Once you feel that you've entered that person's 'photographic world' (their skin), stop and pick another photographer. Repeat the exercise. Do this for (say) six separate photographers before you break their spell and attempt to do things your way. Once you are done, return to this thread and post what you learned.


It works... trust me.

Cheers... M

Great advice. I will do it myself for education.

[pentaxian_tmb]

Want to change your photographic life in as little as (say) six weeks? May I suggest that you get a copy (used is OK, too) of ...


Why Photographs Work: 52 Great Images Who Made Them, What Makes Them Special and Why: George Barr: 9781933952703: Amazon.com: Books


It contains an analysis of the work of 52 photographers. Page through the text and images, then select a photographer whose work you would like to emulate. Consider that person your personal secret 'mentor'. Google, then learn everything you can about that person. Using your current tools and everyday subjects, dedicate (say) a week to producing at least one excellent image a day that is slavishly faithful to the style of that person and only that person. Do not allow yourself to do things your way. Work hard at being a copy cat. Once you feel that you've entered that person's 'photographic world' (their skin), stop and pick another photographer. Repeat the exercise. Do this for (say) six separate photographers before you break their spell and attempt to do things your way. Once you are done, return to this thread and post what you learned.


It works... trust me.

Cheers... M

Got the book. Working through it. Fantastic images. As far as being a copy cat, I will do what I can, but we seem to have a shortage of sub saharan elephants here on the frozen tundra.

[waterfall]

Got the book. Working through it. Fantastic images. As far as being a copy cat, I will do what I can, but we seem to have a shortage of sub saharan elephants here on the frozen tundra.

What no wooly mammoths in Mad City? Just yesterday one of the beasties showed up at my deer feeding bin, chased the squirrels off and emptied all the cracked corn in two gulps.

[Parallax]

"In funk. Lost Mojo. Need help",
Buy more gear.

LBA, though a disease itself, can cure other conditions much like injecting a cold virus into certain tumors can kill cancer.
You'd be surprised what LBA can do to cure lackofinterestosis.

[elouisyoung]

Taking a break can be a good thing!
I love basketball, but I've taken long breaks from playing.
I love video games, but I've taken long breaks.
I love programming, and breaks are definitely required there.

If you're anything like me, and you dive deep into things you love to do, then it is simple rules of nature that you would lose interest at times. A break is sometimes required!
And a few weeks/months/years later, you'll be out at the mall, or on a hike, and it will just hit you hard - "I need my camera!"

[K McCall]

I am trying to reconnect with my love for photography. I had a lot of major life changing events in the last year, including my 1st child, and photography took a back seat (although I have plenty of pics of the litter bugger).

This may sound odd or too philosophical, but I am just having a hard time reconnecting with the "passion" of photography. That innate desire to grab your camera and take it everywhere; seeing potential photos in everything in your daily life. When I do pick up a camera, I feel like I did back when I was a beginner and don't know what to shoot, or wind up deleting everything I take for not being up to my standards.

Am I crazy? Anyone else go through this? How do I re-discover the passion? (The easier answer is to buy some new gear....but I would like more motivational/inspiring respones). Thanks.

I totally feel you. When I first started, I shot something every day for close to three years straight, and I felt like I was so experimental and creative. I was looking back through my Flickr feed recently, and I realized I skipped almost a year where I posted next to nothing. I stopped taking photos while I was pregnant, and then that whole newborn phase just drained me. I tried not to sweat the fact that my camera was just collecting dust, and I took lots of photos of my daughter (most of which I deleted, and very few of which I posted for others to see). It took a LONG time, but one day, I wanted to take my camera out and just take photos for me. I made sure I was by myself with no distractions, and even though I didn't get any shots I was happy with, I enjoyed the experience and felt like I was creating something again.

Now I try to get out at least once a month (again, by myself!) to shoot. It always ends up being something like 2pm on a sunny day, but I try to work with what I find. I'm pretty hard on myself too. I feel like everyone expects a masterpiece, but looking back at lots of my first shots, they weren't great, but I remember how proud I was of them at the time. So I'm trying to take that pressure off and just take delight in playing with the scene. Still, most days I don't get anything worth processing. My New Year's resolution was just to take one photo each month that I could be proud of. If I miss a month, hey - there's always next month.

Best of luck to you, and if your experience is like mine, it will get better! The older they get, the easier it is to take them with you. Eventually you can bribe them with candy and make them stand still while you stalk bees or what have you (seriously, I just did this yesterday).

[atupdate]

Best of luck to you, and if your experience is like mine, it will get better! The older they get, the easier it is to take them with you. Eventually you can bribe them with candy and make them stand still while you stalk bees or what have you (seriously, I just did this yesterday).

Once they reach school age, the photo ops really start to open up. I did more shooting when we were forced to keep our kids entertained on the weekends or provide taxi service. Taking them to places like.........

... a working historical farm


... the zoo


... local summer festivals


... the BMX park


Now that my kids are a bit more independent, I'm back to shooting less.

Tim

[K McCall]

Tim, that first page just keeps drawing me back. Perfect processing for that shot!

I hope your experience holds true for me as well! And as for you saying that you're back to shooting less, I think that's not necessarily a bad thing. I find that the older I get, the more particular I am about a lot of things. Sometimes the wind and the sun just aren't going to cooperate, and I don't have 5 hours to wait for the light to change. C'est la vie; there's always tomorrow, right?

[atupdate]

I find that the older I get, the more particular I am about a lot of things. Sometimes the wind and the sun just aren't going to cooperate, and I don't have 5 hours to wait for the light to change. C'est la vie; there's always tomorrow, right?

So true. I'm much more interested in quality over quantity.


Tim

[jamesm007]

I am trying to reconnect with my love for photography. I had a lot of major life changing events in the last year, including my 1st child, and photography took a back seat (although I have plenty of pics of the litter bugger).

This may sound odd or too philosophical, but I am just having a hard time reconnecting with the "passion" of photography. That innate desire to grab your camera and take it everywhere; seeing potential photos in everything in your daily life. When I do pick up a camera, I feel like I did back when I was a beginner and don't know what to shoot, or wind up deleting everything I take for not being up to my standards.

Am I crazy? Anyone else go through this? How do I re-discover the passion? (The easier answer is to buy some new gear....but I would like more motivational/inspiring respones). Thanks.

Have not read the other replies (started to) so I can give my true feelings...


I was in the same boat. I stopped enjoying the hobby for reasons not fully known to me. I could step back and see how I was truly a fanboy. I laughed at how serious people took a little noise at ISO1600 versus another brand. I could see sites such as DPR wanting conflict over gear or gear lust to keep us deeply interested and open are wallets. I could see it for what it was.


I slowly re-started my passion for the PC. Being a few years short of 50 I grew up with the PC and the Internet an amazing dream come to life. I was into PCs at age 13. Bought my first PC the Commodore Vic 20, then Commodore 64 at 14. I really enjoy the PC, building them, researching the best parts for my budget. It could take me a month to find the best video card! I would buy one, read how another for just $20 more was twice as fast and return my card and get that one. I live near a huge PC (MIcrocenter) store that allows returns of CPUs, RAM, anything. I would benchmark my PC for fun. Look up Cooler Masters Sniper Black Edition Case. This is the case I use. I am not a gamer at all. That should tell all. I am a PC nut.


Second, but first. My first hobby was Hi-Fi. I really enjoyed it as much as Photography if not more when young. I read all the magazines (no internet). Music could/does get me high or that rush, the rush, get up and dance with that huge surge of energy going through you. I slowly built up a system that peaked with the Definitive Technologies BP10 mains, PF18TL sub (18" flat to 20Hz at house shaking volume), surrounds. I really hit a peak. The system had no limit with volume and could play flat to near 20Hz. It did have a limit of course but it was truly insane and I listened loud all the time but this system could play louder than a sane or insane person could listened to. This system exceeded anything I could ask for in quality of sound, deep bass, volume/dynamics it had it all. It would cost thousands of dollars to improve its dynamics and bass. I slowly lost my passion for Hi-Fi after about 2000, especially since surround sound, its been gong backwards with small systems IMHO. I then started my PC passion again.


Seven or 8 years ago I fell head first into photography with the purchase of the 6Mp Kodak Z612. It was replacing my old 2Mp Kodak DC5000 as a tool to work with my PC. I was stunned at the quality of the photos. I bought and sold a lot of cameras in one year. I have three or four camera bags full of accessories. Photography was my new deep passion.

Like I said I kinda lost my deep interest for pic taking a couple years ago. I never lost my interest in photo gear, however. But going out to explore pics that did not happen much, I lost a lot of drive. I met an older Photographer, a client at his house. He was well over 70 and still sharp as a tack mentally. I noted he had many pics hung up in his living room and long hall. I could tell they were pictures from a camera and local scenes. He told me he is lifetime photographer. He shot medium format and showed me his MF camera. His daily camera was a Canon 40D. He had outstanding pics IMO. We talked for awhile and he explained to me you do fall out of photography now and then and also get more into the gear versus taking pics. Its all a normal process unless someone is paying you.


What got me back into photography was when I bought my K-5 about one year ago. I could not wait to get home from work to use it. But I still don't have that lust of going anywhere to get my photo fix. I feel like I took pics of everything I could and would be wasting my shutter on nothing. But I still take pics everyday. Just not as much. I have more responsibility at work and home now (someone is ill). But its all normal.


Enjoy your life, all is as it should be
Kind Regards
James M

[pentaxian_tmb]

Poor attempt at some abstracts. Def. not my best, but a start. 2nd one is deliberately OOF

[jamesm007]

Poor attempt at some abstracts. Def. not my best, but a start. 2nd one is deliberately OOF

The first is stunning with its colors. It does invite you to look at it. The pic looks complex, colorful, technical in an artistic sense. Not that I am anyone to critique art! Just IMO.