Photograher's block

[John Mitchell]

I suppose this is a bit of a lame question, but I'm wondering what you guys/girls do when you have "photographer's block" (similar to "writer's block" but it involves a lot of expensive camera equipment). You know what I mean: it's beautiful sunny weather out there and you have time on your hands, but you still can't seem to get motivated or think of what to go out and photograph. What are some tried-and-true personal strategies that you use to  alleviate this debilitating condition?

 

P.S. Sorry about the typo in the title. My proofreader has the day off.

[Robert Brook]

Deleted

[giphotostock]

Having a plan helps.

 

Come up with a shoot list or a list of specific ideas for what to shoot. Keep it as a living document: add to it when you have an idea, subtract when you get the shot, sort it into smaller shoots (by subject, location, etc), prioritize.

 

I have one that is now several years old, devoted to editorial (textbook), at 33 pages currently, with one idea per line. Another one (kind of a subject matter subset of the first) is 6 pages long. The newest, devoted to commercial shots, is at 4 pages. I do not remember when it was the last time whenI did not know what to shoot. )

 

GI

[Mark Baigent]

> when you have "photographer's block
I carve wood with an axe and knife, takes my mind off of the photography block.

Set yourself a project, just for yourself not for showing to others or with commercial use, just have fun.

Go somewhere that you have never been before and shoot nonsense.
Forget photography and read some novels, in the garden.

Motivation.... buy a Fuji :-)

[losdemas]

> when you have "photographer's block

I carve wood with an axe and knife, takes my mind off of the photography block.

 

Set yourself a project, just for yourself not for showing to others or with commercial use, just have fun.

Go somewhere that you have never been before and shoot nonsense.

Forget photography and read some novels, in the garden.

 

Motivation.... buy a Fuji :-)

 

I'm with Mark on this one: the last two points and especially "Forget photography".

 

Go somewhere, do something that you enjoy - or something completely different.  Either the break itself should help to clear your mind, or alternatively just the realisation of all the great shots that you know you've missed!

[Guest]

I suppose this is a bit of a lame question, but I'm wondering what you guys/girls do when you have "photographer's block" (similar to "writer's block" but it involves a lot of expensive camera equipment). You know what I mean: it's beautiful sunny weather out there and you have time on your hands, but you still can't seem to get motivated or think of what to go out and photograph. What are some tried-and-true personal strategies that you use to  alleviate this debilitating condition?

 

P.S. Sorry about the typo in the title. My proofreader has the day off.

 

I look at my bank balance and that seems to work.

 

Seriously, I have pages of concepts or keywords for concepts from shoot briefs/skyped meets. One of the best things about working with some agencies it that you are not alone...

 

It's also easy, for secondary editorial, to pick a keyword or location from AoA and just print off a (hopefully) big shoot list.

[Linda]

I am going thru this as well since I had my fall last April... I think block or burn out comes from many different issues in our lives and unfortunately manifests in the area we need the most;our careers.

 

It was a loooong cold winter in Chicago...Heard the suburbs had snow today...I've been taking a lot of seminars and have become totally inspired by the styles of some photographers much younger than me.I've yet to put that knowledge into action yet since I'm still catching up from last year.

 

 

What helped in the past was meditating and yoga. Amazing things would start happening almost on a daily basis when I'd meditate for appx 20 minutes a day and take a few yoga classes a week. It really releases the blocks to creativity and you'll start visualizing some amazing concepts and roads to take that you never considered before. Life becomes interesting again.

 

It also helps to step outside your comfort zone and challenge yourself.Last time I went thru this I challenged myself to not repeat any photo I had taken in the past.

 

Have fun on the journey finding your passion again.Let us know how it works out!

 

L

[John Mitchell]

Forget photography (and your bank account) for awhile, have fun, take up woodcarving, meditate, compile a shoot list, check AoA -- these all sound like wise suggestions to me. Can't afford a Fuji, Mark, but I agree that buying a new piece of equipment can sometimes help restore motivation, especially if it changes the way you do things. Sales help too, of course.

[Linda]

Forget photography (and your bank account) for awhile, have fun, take up woodcarving, meditate, compile a shoot list, check AoA -- these all sound like wise suggestions to me. Can't afford a Fuji, Mark, but I agree that buying a new piece of equipment can sometimes help restore motivation, especially if it changes the way you do things. Sales help too, of course.

Loving my Fuji X-T1 ...but I've fallen in love with cameras before. Sometimes material things can be the catalyst to get you motivated,but I've found unless it's coming from 'within' the motivation is only temporary.

 

Seminars and learning new things,photography related or not really can get you out of your current state of mental boredom.

I've just started changing some habits to get my own energy charged up again.

How many times does it happen in our lives? I think on my end possibly every 5 years.

L

[Inchiquin]

I agree that buying a new piece of equipment can sometimes help restore motivation, especially if it changes the way you do things.

 

Getting the NEX has made an enormous difference to my life. Instead of waiting until I have a few hours spare, picking up a heavy bag and scratching my head over where to go to make the most of it, I just slip the NEX in my pocket every time I go out, and keep my eye open for anything interesting or unusual. If I come back with nothing it doesn't matter because that's not why I went out. If I come back with two pics, it's two pics more than I would have done before.

 

But then you know all that because you've got one.

 

Please everyone stop talking about this wretched X-T1. I can't afford it but I already want one enough to be looking at specs and prices.

 

Alan

[Duncan_Andison]

I've been fortunate enough not to have experienced it. I have more projects scoped out than I know what to do with. As I'm working on one thing I have a habit of thinking of something else.... that can be distracting but I now write them down for later. I also tend to buy props as and when I see something that could produce some interesting shots. A room of objects of inspiration.... Editorial wise, I pick up stuff as and when and I now concentrate on creative / project stuff.... always fun to take and set up. I swallowed a PS Bible and I have an Adobe Premiere one on the menu for desert... You can see it now, websites are replacing main pics with video clips for promotion... 

 

Me, I just wish there were 48 hours in the day to get through it all......... try looking for additional ways to exercise your creative side that could also turn into cash for you..... sometimes a sideways step can be just as interesting (if not more so) than trying to go in a straight line.

[John Mitchell]

 

I agree that buying a new piece of equipment can sometimes help restore motivation, especially if it changes the way you do things.

 

Getting the NEX has made an enormous difference to my life. Instead of waiting until I have a few hours spare, picking up a heavy bag and scratching my head over where to go to make the most of it, I just slip the NEX in my pocket every time I go out, and keep my eye open for anything interesting or unusual. If I come back with nothing it doesn't matter because that's not why I went out. If I come back with two pics, it's two pics more than I would have done before.

 

But then you know all that because you've got one.

 

Please everyone stop talking about this wretched X-T1. I can't afford it but I already want one enough to be looking at specs and prices.

 

Alan

 

I was out with my NEX-6 today. As always, it was great fun to use (except for the wretched Sony menus, of course). Don't listen to those Fuji voices in your head, they are the work of the devil.

[Chuck Nacke]

Drink lots of vodka...

 

As Hemingway said, "Hangovers make you brutally aware."

 

I am joking about the vodka, I quit drinking more than a year ago.

 

Hemingway did say that though.

[Bill Brooks]

Do something new outside your comfort zone, and do not seek after perfection in your work. Spend some time making mistakes.

 

http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2014/05/16/anne-lamott-people-pleasing-haters-trolls/

[Betty LaRue]

 

I agree that buying a new piece of equipment can sometimes help restore motivation, especially if it changes the way you do things.

 

Getting the NEX has made an enormous difference to my life. Instead of waiting until I have a few hours spare, picking up a heavy bag and scratching my head over where to go to make the most of it, I just slip the NEX in my pocket every time I go out, and keep my eye open for anything interesting or unusual. If I come back with nothing it doesn't matter because that's not why I went out. If I come back with two pics, it's two pics more than I would have done before.

 

But then you know all that because you've got one.

 

Please everyone stop talking about this wretched X-T1. I can't afford it but I already want one enough to be looking at specs and prices.

 

Alan

 

Alan, you gave me my chuckle for the day. I'm still giggling.  And, for your information, my X-T1 is not wretched. It is beautiful, lovely, fits the hand like a glove, reduces pain, and oh yes, stunning images!  And....all that wonderful glass to go with. :)

[Linda]

 

 

I agree that buying a new piece of equipment can sometimes help restore motivation, especially if it changes the way you do things.

 

Getting the NEX has made an enormous difference to my life. Instead of waiting until I have a few hours spare, picking up a heavy bag and scratching my head over where to go to make the most of it, I just slip the NEX in my pocket every time I go out, and keep my eye open for anything interesting or unusual. If I come back with nothing it doesn't matter because that's not why I went out. If I come back with two pics, it's two pics more than I would have done before.

 

But then you know all that because you've got one.

 

Please everyone stop talking about this wretched X-T1. I can't afford it but I already want one enough to be looking at specs and prices.

 

Alan

 

Alan, you gave me my chuckle for the day. I'm still giggling.  And, for your information, my X-T1 is not wretched. It is beautiful, lovely, fits the hand like a glove, reduces pain, and oh yes, stunning images!  And....all that wonderful glass to go with. :)

 

I agree with you on the X-T1 love Betty! It's an amazing little camera that hate to say takes better pics that bigger more expensive camera equipment I've owned. I have the 55-200 and 60mm 2.4 on the way. Don't know when the 56mm 1.2 will be in stock though. :-( I also bought the battery grip.  I am going to sell of the DSLRs. I will keep the Sony RX10 though.

[Ed Endicott]

Go for a walk.  Take the camera with you.

Go for a drive.  Take the camera with you.

 

Works for me...though I don't always actually USE the camera.  It does clear my head though.

[wiskerke]

I used to be pretty good at getting people with the photographer's equivalent of writer's block working again. However It always took a bit more than just good advice or ten or twelve steps to happiness. Knowing someone's portfolio; current work; ideas is essential. Knowing what may have led to the block helps, but it's usually unknown at first.

The first time I experienced it myself, I was still in art school. And I can tell you it was scary.

The solution can be new equipment for some (or for some forms) or getting rid of all equipment for others; running (solves everything), cycling (my own favorite), dance class, travel, talking, reading, sobering up. It always involves some form of practice. (But you can call it play or routine.)

 

My swimming coach made me take boxing classes and later play ping-pong (which got me off the block faster).

 

My favorite with students before digital, was to make them take one photo per day only. To be presented as a diary at the end of 36 days in the form of a contact sheet. Some bought a second camera within days and started cheating ;-)

Now the opposite is a possibility as well: take 1000 images within a day.

A teacher or a coach may have some time to reach a solution. Maybe not like years on a couch once a week, but still a semester; a season or a year. In real life you often want or need a quick result. Quick and dirty is some sort of reset. That's where new equipment can come in, when it's capable of totally changing your way of working. Film to digital was such a thing. SLR to compact another. SLR to view camera would go the opposite way.

Unlearning is a slightly slower process of resetting. The notion goes back to the Bauhaus curriculum. It involves producing something (in this case image) with only very basic means. My favorite: prepare the studio with some some spotlights and some setups. Now give the student two pieces of stiff paper: a black one and a white one. Advanced version: the final product needs to be the size of a sheet and one of the sheets must still be in one piece.

Try it: it makes great practice if your composition skills are a bit weak. Maybe make it into a family game with (grand)children ;-)

If you think it's too much like playing, you're right. So if you need some theory with that, Google for deliberate practice or behavioral change ;-)

 

Oh and a block seldom comes alone. Whether it's triggered by that something else or not. In my case I had just lost 90% of my eyesight in my dominant eye. It came back after about a year, albeit not to a100%. Clearing the block took 2 weeks.

 

wim

[ReeRay]

I get this often, I'm going through it now. It's not so much a "block" as finding subject matter. I find myself shooting the same stuff over and over again and realise I'm in it.

 

So I put the camera(s) away. Forget them. Then go about my daily routine and trips. It's amazing what you see, and of course miss, when you don"t carry a camera are not consciously looking for photographs. 

 

Within a few days I'm getting withdrawal symptoms and all is well again. 

 

Works for me.

[John Mitchell]

Drink lots of vodka...

 

As Hemingway said, "Hangovers make you brutally aware."

 

I am joking about the vodka, I quit drinking more than a year ago.

 

Hemingway did say that though.

Hemingway also blew his brains out at the age of 65. He was a great writer, but not really a great role model in his personal life.

[Chuck Nacke]

John,

 

What you wrote  is one of the reasons that I quit drinking.  I was not going to mention the part about Pappa and the gun because it is

Friday night (at least in EST USA) and I had a good day.  I do disagree with you about Hemingway's writing skill.  I think

he was interesting, I've read everything he wrote, but in my opinion he was not great like Pushkin and a few others.

 

How about Capa, a real nut case, but a great photographer or Jimmy Marshall, a good friend or mine, Rest his sole.

[Linda]

John,

 

What you wrote  is one of the reasons that I quit drinking.  I was not going to mention the part about Pappa and the gun because it is

Friday night (at least in EST USA) and I had a good day.  I do disagree with you about Hemingway's writing skill.  I think

he was interesting, I've read everything he wrote, but in my opinion he was not great like Pushkin and a few others.

 

How about Capa, a real nut case, but a great photographer or Jimmy Marshall, a good friend or mine, Rest his sole.

I remember Jim Marshall! He wanted me to rep his work back in the 80s.  L

[Phil Robinson]

I agree that buying a new piece of equipment is a rather expensive way of overcoming a block. However, going out with equipment you don't use much can have the same effect. Go for a walk with a camera and ONLY a fisheye lens, or only a close-up lens - or a long telephoto. Then you have to look for things to photograph, rather than photograph the things you see.

[Matt Limb]

Photographer Block - Writers Block .................... pure humbug !

 

I write and photograph and never have block; you are at your most creative in the morning, early morning - look at the diaries of well published authors -  so after a couple of hours writing - not refining just get the words down, take a break even breakfast, then do some admin, then get the camera out, then back for some more admin, then refine what has been written; then call it a day ............. next day start again.  It is about life style!

 

Also you must have more than one project on the go, when you get 'block' with one leave it, to be honest you have no choice, go and do something else.

[Doc]

John, I have found Stockimo quite stimulating....

 

Kumar