Here I am, surrounded by some of the most beautiful scenery in the UK which is alive with wildlife,and possessing some of the best camera gear; and what am I producing? Diddly squat!!
I have just lost all inspiration. I carry the camera most times, but when I do use it my images seem to be full of elementary mistakes. I am almost afraid to set up a tripod.
Has this happened to any of you guys?
Any clues as to what to do next? Sell the gear and take up knitting?
Any (useful) suggestions gratefully received.
Best wishes
Phil
Try putting down the camera for a while and just get back into enjoying the wildlife, always picks me up a bit when i'm down. Your photography will fall back into place when you enjoy the subjects you are presented with.
(my tupence worth)
I think every photographer goes through periods where nothing seems to click or work right. No magic remedies but some suggestions ;
1. Take a break from photography, follow Stewarts suggestion and spend some time just exploring your area and enjoying it.
2. Think of some specific projects. Often when there is an abundance of subjects it is difficult to decide what to concentrate on. I am not familiar with what species or subjects are local to you but choose something and work on that only. Red deer, otters, lapwings, whatever. Aim for a portfolio of images showing the subject in different ways. In flight, feeding, with young, etc. Set yourself some photographic goals. For landscapes try the approach of finding a scene you like and then photograph it at different times of year and in different weather.
3. Get inspired. Sometimes I like to just look through some other photographers work either in books or on the web. For the images that really grab your eye try to understand how the shot was achieved. Usually a combination of great composition, good technique, good light and the patience to wait for the right conditions. Then think how you might apply similar techniques to subjects close to you.
Patience Phil - you've only been there 5 minutes - your still a tourist! I agree 100% with Stewart don't worry about pics just explore and enjoy the place. A beautiful and much photographed area - I sure it is all too easy to produce trite pics.
Have patience your own unique vision of Bute will emerge and your enthusiasm will return.
Hi Phillip
Well as Shaun says take a subject and do a project on that 1 subject,look at it in every situation and try to get the best out of it,Take a common species easy to hand and spend some time with it,Thats what i have been doing for the last few months with the chamois and ibex and also the swans and grebes,My photography has improved in my eyes since i have taken this approach as well as my understanding of the subjects,try some different techniques with these subjects like i have been doing with slow shutter speeds and panning,Do something different
Make sure you are enjoying it otherwise whats the point
What are you after out of photography? pure enjoyment.selling a few?going pro
Dont get too dispondent if you put a few images up on the web and dont get good/any comments,it happens to us all
Keep your chin up its ment to be a form of enjoyment
If all fails donate your equipment a good home i.e mine
Regards
Dave C
one of the problems with photography is that it doesn't have clear borders between work and time off. as I've taken my photography more seriously, a relaxing hobby has almost turned into another form of work. carrying a camera at all times can become an obsession. I'm starting to understand why professional photographers leave their gear at home when they holiday.
perhaps you need a short holiday from photography or a complete change of scenery so you can get revved up for May.
I know exactly what you mean. I think we all get a little stale at times, especially if you have been photographing for many years and I often find it hard to motivate myself, which never used to be a problem. I used to work quite a lot with a friend, who sadly died some years ago, and by working together you motivate each other.
I also get very annoyed with myself when the weather is good and through lack of planning and insperation I end up doing nothing in particular.
Agree with Steward - try taking a walk with just your bino's or just set yourself a project, which even if it doesn't work out you often end up with decent images of something else.
Maybe it's that good where you are you can't see the wood for the trees - hope it won't be too long to your next post!
1) leave the camera alone for about 2 weeks.
2) Read some books ( any wildlife mag..any photo book on the subject ... actually 'Landscape Within' by David ward will get your brain ticking
3) analyse why their pictures are good
4) review your own to find out why you are not doing it as well as you would have liked
5) Plan, Prior planning prevents... so plan a project, set it up, pick the time
6) wait for the moment, and then get cracking...
We all go through the Doldrums, especially after significant moments in our life, set realistic expectations, cut the cloth, wear the suit..
I've been feeling the same for the last year or so.....I do try to shoot my way out of it, but it leads to further frustration and self-doubt when I see the results.
I've got two big photo jobs to do in the next couple of weeks, things that have involved a lot of jumping through hoops for the last couple of years to get the chance at, and now that the time has come I have no inspiration or real get-up-and-go to get on and do them
Maybe it's time we went on a bout of whisky sampling
i remember reading an article in a fishing magazine when i was really into fishing in my teens. it was entitled, going though the motions. it was a piece by a really famous (at the time) fisherman, who said that if you werent into what you were doing, you wouldnt get the results. strange to think that fishing could be more than just dangling a worm into a river, but through my fishing years it became apparent that fishing is as much about watercraft as photography is about fieldcraft.
maybe you are just going through the motions phil. just taking a photo without really thinking of the very best way to go about it. the results are not inspiring you maybe becasue you werent inspired when you took them. or maybe, that amazing place you moved to is just too much to convey at the moment. it does seem an amazing place, and the more amazing something is, sometimes the more difficult it is to convey that sense of wonder on film, epecially if that thing is as big as an island. take your time, get to know the place, and then begin to photograph it like the old friend it will become.
Yes, I've been going through the same thing for a while now (~18 months). The weather hasn't helped at all. I rarely take my camera with me when I go out these days, and when I do I'm invaribly badly configured for the subjects I do come across (eg. last month stood watching some Bearded Tits frolic 20 feet away from me -- I had my 28mm lens fitted). It's depressing and frustrating.
Perhaps it's time to arrange a Scottish UKNP meet-up , from the sounds of it you want somewhere with a good supply of Whisky for John though . Hummm, Wildlife & Whisky??? How about a red grouse.... Famous Grouse at Crieff
Thanks very much for all the useful comments which I have taken on board.
Perhaps we should meet before too long, John, trouble is, I'm a bit too partial to the amber nectar myself
Best wishes
Phil
After your rest period - maybe it's time to just try something different? I think we all get stale when we feel we're not learning and progressing. If you've burnt out on birds how about concentrating on a different field - maybe macro or landscape? As David said getting out in the field with a friend, especially one who maybe has slightly different interests might get those creative juices flowing once again. Looking at your website you have so many great images - don't take up the knitting yet except to make a long lens cover...
Discussion
15 repliesI have just lost all inspiration. I carry the camera most times, but when I do use it my images seem to be full of elementary mistakes. I am almost afraid to set up a tripod.
Has this happened to any of you guys?
Any clues as to what to do next? Sell the gear and take up knitting?
Any (useful) suggestions gratefully received.
Best wishes
Phil
(my tupence worth)
Stewart.....
I think every photographer goes through periods where nothing seems to click or work right. No magic remedies but some suggestions ;
1. Take a break from photography, follow Stewarts suggestion and spend some time just exploring your area and enjoying it.
2. Think of some specific projects. Often when there is an abundance of subjects it is difficult to decide what to concentrate on. I am not familiar with what species or subjects are local to you but choose something and work on that only. Red deer, otters, lapwings, whatever. Aim for a portfolio of images showing the subject in different ways. In flight, feeding, with young, etc. Set yourself some photographic goals. For landscapes try the approach of finding a scene you like and then photograph it at different times of year and in different weather.
3. Get inspired. Sometimes I like to just look through some other photographers work either in books or on the web. For the images that really grab your eye try to understand how the shot was achieved. Usually a combination of great composition, good technique, good light and the patience to wait for the right conditions. Then think how you might apply similar techniques to subjects close to you.
Hope that helps.
cheers
Sean
Have patience your own unique vision of Bute will emerge and your enthusiasm will return.
John
Well as Shaun says take a subject and do a project on that 1 subject,look at it in every situation and try to get the best out of it,Take a common species easy to hand and spend some time with it,Thats what i have been doing for the last few months with the chamois and ibex and also the swans and grebes,My photography has improved in my eyes since i have taken this approach as well as my understanding of the subjects,try some different techniques with these subjects like i have been doing with slow shutter speeds and panning,Do something different
Make sure you are enjoying it otherwise whats the point
What are you after out of photography? pure enjoyment.selling a few?going pro
Dont get too dispondent if you put a few images up on the web and dont get good/any comments,it happens to us all
Keep your chin up its ment to be a form of enjoyment
If all fails donate your equipment a good home i.e mine
Regards
Dave C
perhaps you need a short holiday from photography or a complete change of scenery so you can get revved up for May.
I know exactly what you mean. I think we all get a little stale at times, especially if you have been photographing for many years and I often find it hard to motivate myself, which never used to be a problem. I used to work quite a lot with a friend, who sadly died some years ago, and by working together you motivate each other.
I also get very annoyed with myself when the weather is good and through lack of planning and insperation I end up doing nothing in particular.
Agree with Steward - try taking a walk with just your bino's or just set yourself a project, which even if it doesn't work out you often end up with decent images of something else.
Maybe it's that good where you are you can't see the wood for the trees - hope it won't be too long to your next post!
David
2) Read some books ( any wildlife mag..any photo book on the subject ... actually 'Landscape Within' by David ward will get your brain ticking
3) analyse why their pictures are good
4) review your own to find out why you are not doing it as well as you would have liked
5) Plan, Prior planning prevents... so plan a project, set it up, pick the time
6) wait for the moment, and then get cracking...
We all go through the Doldrums, especially after significant moments in our life, set realistic expectations, cut the cloth, wear the suit..
All the best
Tim
I've been feeling the same for the last year or so.....I do try to shoot my way out of it, but it leads to further frustration and self-doubt when I see the results.
I've got two big photo jobs to do in the next couple of weeks, things that have involved a lot of jumping through hoops for the last couple of years to get the chance at, and now that the time has come I have no inspiration or real get-up-and-go to get on and do them
Maybe it's time we went on a bout of whisky sampling
John
hi phillip,
i remember reading an article in a fishing magazine when i was really into fishing in my teens. it was entitled, going though the motions. it was a piece by a really famous (at the time) fisherman, who said that if you werent into what you were doing, you wouldnt get the results. strange to think that fishing could be more than just dangling a worm into a river, but through my fishing years it became apparent that fishing is as much about watercraft as photography is about fieldcraft.
maybe you are just going through the motions phil. just taking a photo without really thinking of the very best way to go about it. the results are not inspiring you maybe becasue you werent inspired when you took them. or maybe, that amazing place you moved to is just too much to convey at the moment. it does seem an amazing place, and the more amazing something is, sometimes the more difficult it is to convey that sense of wonder on film, epecially if that thing is as big as an island. take your time, get to know the place, and then begin to photograph it like the old friend it will become.
mark.
Perhaps it's time to arrange a Scottish UKNP meet-up
Perhaps we should meet before too long, John, trouble is, I'm a bit too partial to the amber nectar myself
Best wishes
Phil
Just my 1p's worth....
Clive