Off days

Briony

Briony

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Does any of you get off days at all where you just cannot be bothered or inspired to pick up the camera, where you have nice things to tog and just "don't want to" ? If so, what do you do to get the "want" back :shrug:
 
I usually photograph scenery and love visiting small towns, villages and historical buildings, but for me I am only interested in going out to photograph them when there is blue skies with chunky clouds. Seems strange, but for me the cloud has to be good! I get very dissapointed going out on days with grey or solid blue skies because I mostly always come back home with 'average' everyday shots. As for inspiration to get out there and shoot, I would say buy some new equipment :lol: ...That always gets me back out there!
 
I just have a new 7 D and seem to have lost my "oomph" with it.:(
 
if I go out without a clear idea of what I want to shoot, I normally come back disappointed and often disillusioned...

then I look on here, see all the fab shots everyone posts and get all inspired again!!! :)

why not try concentrating on a couple of small things - like a still life or an object you particularly like?
 
Go out without a camera...
You'll see loads of things you'll wish you had your camera to record...
 
So true, Rob!
 
Wait for another day.
 
Arkady said:
Go out without a camera...
You'll see loads of things you'll wish you had your camera to record...
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:agree:

also go to different locations or try another type of photography like still life or macro :)
 
Briony said:
I just have a new 7 D and seem to have lost my "oomph" with it.:(
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I only aquired my 50d a short time ago, and to be honest I have not used it all that much. I am finding the harsh summer lighting (for landscapes anyway) the most annoying thing at the moment, as I can't find the will to be at any interesting location for sunrise or sunset.
I do however regularly log on to TP, and there is always something that keeps my interest going.
Anyway tomorrow I am heading north to the mountains, in the hope of capturing some decent shots. Fingers crossed for the weather and light.
 
I dont know about off days but its more like off months for me. The last time I picked up a camera and used it for something worthy was back at the begining of march, before that it was last used before christmas. Lord knows ive tried to get enthused, even with last weekends weather I thought it give it another go but to no avail, got fed up messing about getting kit out and went to the pub instead. Ive often thought long and hard about just selling the lot of it and finding a new hobby, if only I could get my mojo back but at the moment it well and truly gone.
 
Yes - have you tried a different subject matter to tog e.g. give the Kites a break and tog some flowers or landscape, and give yourself new challenges to your skills. Or work on your PP skills for a while.
 
You could try a day trip or two,doesn't have to be anything extravagant
i.e local zoo/safari park,RSPB reserve,seaside or perhaps another TP'er could offer something as you seem to have done for others.
hth
Tom
 
Just the sheer thought of everything going wrong makes me not want to pick up the camera, nothing seems to interest me at the mo :shrug:

Kites are having a rest from me at the mo, also.

I think I really need a kick up the a**e to get me in the mood again otherwise that will be it :( and "finito" :shrug:
 
Briony said:
I think I really need a kick up the a**e to get me in the mood again otherwise that will be it :( and "finito" :shrug:
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There's enough on here to do that for you Nicki, its the law of TP that your not allowed to pack in :rules:

Have a day or two's rest away from the camera then try something different to what you have been doing. Dont give up gal, you'll regret it ;) :thumbs:
 
Briony said:
Does any of you get off days at all where you just cannot be bothered or inspired to pick up the camera, where you have nice things to tog and just "don't want to" ? If so, what do you do to get the "want" back :shrug:
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Plenty of them :(
 
Off days? ... I've had off months :shake:
 
Try some new techniques - I recently had a blank and went out to try the welding glass ND filter technique - it worked brilliantly and I got some great results - as well as falling in love with long exposure B&W photography, give it a try!
 
JackMcIntyre said:
Try some new techniques - I recently had a blank and went out to try the welding glass ND filter technique - it worked brilliantly and I got some great results - as well as falling in love with long exposure B&W photography, give it a try!
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I am afraid I am not a B & W lover.

Supposed to be going out for the day next Wed. :shrug: fingers crossed.

Just hope I get the enthusiasm back by then :bang:
 
Try something different - there is a list of ideas here.

You may be feeling a bit overwhelmed by your new camera. Do you have PS Elements? You could get a book on it and start having fun learning to use it.
 
I find it's sometimes best to put your camera down and concentrate on a different pastime for a few weeks or months. Then hopefully you'll become refreshed and re-inspired to get back into it again.
 
Yep, :thumbs: I think that is the way to go, am off on holiday next week and seriously thinking of leaving the camera at home and just forgetting about it and chillin out. :shrug:
 
buzz said:
I find it's sometimes best to put your camera down and concentrate on a different pastime for a few weeks or months. Then hopefully you'll become refreshed and re-inspired to get back into it again.
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exactly what i did when i was having some down time, went off and did some mixing for a while, then went back to the photography, I found my images improved as a result.

now I tend to rotate my hobbies so i'm not just doing one thing or another, i'm doing a bit of each on different days
 
Briony said:
Yep, :thumbs: I think that is the way to go, am off on holiday next week and seriously thinking of leaving the camera at home and just forgetting about it and chillin out. :shrug:
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You could always take a point and shoot just for holiday snapshots, then when you start to miss your camera, you know you have cracked the dry spell.
Have a good holliday too :thumbs:
 
Trev4 said:
You could always take a point and shoot just for holiday snapshots, then when you start to miss your camera, you know you have cracked the dry spell.
Have a good holliday too :thumbs:
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:agree: :thumbs:
 
Join the 52'er list..... Plenty of new themes to get your thinking cap on.... Thinking about your theme and exactly the shot you want will give you some inspiration and some new avenues of photography for you.

I started a 52 but gave up early on as my 1yr old boy, work and wedding preperations took up too much of my time to get anything I liked. I will probably get back into it once back from honeymoon though.

Good luck
 
Last year I did a 365 project. The amount of motivation needed to keep taking a shot every day of the year was huge. By December, it was wearing incredibly thin, and I was just ticking off the days. Finally on new years eve, I'd shot the last image for the year, and put the project to bed. New years day I was back out shooting the village's annual soapbox derby, even though I didn't really want to see a camera, never mind take photo's. The only shots I took that month were for TP's POTY competition. My heart wasn't in it, and this was reflected in the lousy photo, and terribly low number of votes it attracted. February was much the same, but by March I was getting the calling back. Now I'm enjoying my shooting, on days that I want to shoot, and content not to shoot on days I'm not into it. I'm not doing this for a living - I don't HAVE to shoot every day and get it right, so, if i'm not feeling the groove, I don't shoot - because if I do, it'll be pants anyway.
 
I also find that if I go out with the intention of taking photos, most often I'll just take photos of crap that come out... crap. If I go out with a camera, and happen to take photos... then I am not so fixated on the photography aspect and the pictures come out better.

To solely go out on a togging trip doesn't work for me at all.
 
I agree with all the motivational comments and the step aside from it for a while. Trencheel303 has it right, if your heart isn't it, it's not going to be in the photo either!

When I upgraded on launch of the 5D MkII there was just so much pressure for justifying the expense that family and friends were like 'well if it's THAT good a camera, why aren't you doing anything with it?'. Why not go take a photo of some flowers, a pot, still life, anything? I had more fun when I got a set of studio lights the month before and apart from the obligational shots required of me because I had said camera, it was nearly six months from buying it to really using it.

But, at the end of those six months, I think I took the best photograph I have ever taken to date!

Sometimes I take the camera out with me, tripod and the whole works, and some of those times I don't even get it out of the bag. However, sometimes I go out and force myself to take photos, to practice composition, to react to the light, to play with apertures and depth of field so that when the inspiration hits I am ready.

I think when you aren't in that frame of mind you know it and you're going to hate what you take anyway and that is just going to make you feel crap about your abilities too (and hence make that downtime longer) so don't try and be anything but, go out and do whatever else gives you a buzz instead!
 
Briony said:
Does any of you get off days at all where you just cannot be bothered or inspired to pick up the camera, where you have nice things to tog and just "don't want to" ? If so, what do you do to get the "want" back :shrug:
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maybe not the camera at all....?:shrug:

"Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), also known as winter depression or winter blues, is a mood disorder in which people who have normal mental health throughout most of the year experience depressive symptoms in the winter or, less frequently, in the summer, spring or autumn, repeatedly, year after year"

(c) Wiki
 
Yardbent said:
maybe not the camera at all....?:shrug:

"Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), also known as winter depression or winter blues, is a mood disorder in which people who have normal mental health throughout most of the year experience depressive symptoms in the winter or, less frequently, in the summer, spring or autumn, repeatedly, year after year"

(c) Wiki
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:shrug: Blimey you will be sending me to see a psychiatrist next :lol::lol:

All I am saying is that I have lost my Mojo here with the camera, not much fun on your own:( just need to have a think . :thinking:


I am in the 52 week challenge but I cannot call "Stop" and "Isolation" inspiring and motivating either :shrug:

Yes perhaps I will just take a point and shoot on holiday with me.:thinking:
 
Briony said:
:shrug: Blimey you will be sending me to see a psychiatrist next :lol::lol:

All I am saying is that I have lost my Mojo here with the camera, not much fun on your own:( just need to have a think . :thinking:
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please dont take my post the wrong way...
I live alone, in an isolated farm cottage, with no neighbors and very little social contact - overall not a good situation to get "motivated"

the SAD symptoms are attributed to lack of winter sunshine - and are NOT depression, but manifest themselves in a feeling of "I really cannot be bothered" ... I bought a lovely F3 and haven't even put a roll of film in it yet - so know how you feel...:wave:
 
Yardbent said:
please dont take my post the wrong way...
I live alone, in an isolated farm cottage, with no neighbors and very little social contact - overall not a good situation to get "motivated"

the SAD symptoms are attributed to lack of winter sunshine - and are NOT depression, but manifest themselves in a feeling of "I really cannot be bothered" ... I bought a lovely F3 and haven't even put a roll of film in it yet - so know how you feel...:wave:
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Not at all just so much to do so little time at the moment :shrug:

Tel you what, I could do with some time in a isolated cottage wanna swop! :lol:

I understand where you are coming from but it is NOT "SAD" at all, just lack of Camera motivation, that's all.

Putting it away for a while.
 
Briony said:
I understand where you are coming from but it is NOT "SAD" at all, just lack of Camera motivation, that's all.
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Why don't you try reading his post again, and then re-reading it another few times.

Unless of course you're a doctor and can self diagnose...
 
Yardbent said:
please dont take my post the wrong way...
I live alone, in an isolated farm cottage, with no neighbors and very little social contact - overall not a good situation to get "motivated"

the SAD symptoms are attributed to lack of winter sunshine - and are NOT depression, but manifest themselves in a feeling of "I really cannot be bothered" ... I bought a lovely F3 and haven't even put a roll of film in it yet - so know how you feel...:wave:
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I know someone who needs a new F3 right about now...after his went swimming in a canal...lol...

Just make the effort - it's getting past the front door that's the hardest...

Same with me years ago when I was into Mountain-Biking - some days you looked out the window and just couldn't be bothered to train - half an hour into the ride you felt OK and by the time you got back to the house, you were buzzing and wondering why you'd felt so glum that morning.

Set yourself a task the night beforehand and stick to it. Make sure you actually get up to do something...
 
trencheel303 said:
Why don't you try reading his post again, and then re-reading it another few times.

Unless of course you're a doctor and can self diagnose...
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:eek:

Please, all I am lacking is the enthusiasm of picking up the dam camera, so that means I have SAD,:shrug: so when I don't want to do the food shopping, cooking, cleaning, ironing, etc that means I have SAD again, :cuckoo:

So then the abbreviation of SAD Seasonal affective Disorder is lack of Winter sunshine, is it not summer the last time I looked :thinking: where we have had plenty of sunshine in the last week etc

reading this is making me MAD not SAD.

Camera gone away now.:thumbsdown:
 
Briony said:
I certainly don't need winding up by idiots that's all,

sorry, next time I will keep my feelings to myself.
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firstly, I dont think that was appropriate.

secondly, I'll probably keep my feelings to myself too now. rather than trying to express some understanding

best regards...john
 
Briony said:
:eek:

Please, all I am lacking is the enthusiasm of picking up the dam camera, so that means I have SAD,:shrug: so when I don't want to do the food shopping, cooking, cleaning, ironing, etc that means I have SAD again, :cuckoo:

So then the abbreviation of SAD Seasonal affective Disorder is lack of Winter sunshine, is it not summer the last time I looked :thinking: where we have had plenty of sunshine in the last week etc

reading this is making me MAD not SAD.

Camera gone away now.:thumbsdown:
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He made a suggestion and was trying to be helpful, and in your usual attitude you basically told him that he was talking carp and gave a 'keep it to yourself' impression. He was only trying to help, there was really no need to be lippy towards him. Take a pill.

EDIT: If you consider advice to be 'wound up by idiots' then I hate to think what you say to your Doctor when he or she tries to help you. Or anyone for that matter. You sound just like the kind of irritating customers that we have to deal with every day in the office, and then have a chuckle about when the phone goes down.
 
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