What do you guys do to get your Mojo back?!

Cg_Girl

Cg_Girl

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Hate feeling like this...... Wanting to pick the cam up but not knowing what i want to do.... i would love to do a portrait of strangers series or something but i know i just haven't got the confidence to ask people!. I've bottled it so many times!... so i would need to hide and get sneak shots lol

I don't have a set style i'm random and often see shots in everything, i enjoyed the Autumn with leaves and some landscape/forest shots but now even thats not grabbing me!!

Maybe it's just the gloomy weather recently or that i am always going out on my own which i never thought a major issue before, i don't know but either way i want it back!!

What do you guys do if you feel it trying to escape? :thinking:
 
Personal challenges are great.

Doing something you will have to push yourself at mentally, not the best way as it can kill your mojo. If you are not confident shooting strangers then I wouldn't recommend personally. Others might.

But trying something new, absolutely. Last time my mojo went I set about doing some water droplets. Not saying this is what you should do, just ideas. Basically stuff that is indoors, where you control all the lighting and you can do by yourself. For me, that sort of thing always re-ignites the fire.
 
I too, hate feeling like that. If I'm really struggling (which luckily doesn't happen very often), I have a look back through some old shots and have a play in photoshop to see if I can improve my editing skills. I also have a look on YouTube for tutorials to see if there are any styles that grab my attention.

I recently found a 'Nightmare' action for photoshop that I thought looked really cool, and it gave me an idea for a shot. I picked the camera bag up and went out straight away to get the base shot that I wanted to apply the effect to and was really pleased with it.

I also found that because I was actually out with the camera, I was shooting other subjects at the same time, which gave me more to work with when I got home. Not forgetting that satisfying sound of mirror slap! ;0)
 
feeling the same, I blame the weather and the fact it's dark when I get back from work.

I was out there on most sunny days the weeks before turning the clocks back. hardly taken many pictures this month compared to the last two months.

do you carry your camera everywhere? I think it helps, otherwise I'd have 0 pictures this month! also don't forget a flashgun.
 
I was really finding it difficult to get out when the clocks changed, always dark now! But I have started looking for X-mas markets \ events etc that are on, usually reasonable light and plenty of different subjects.

Feel your pain tho!
 
Try some self-portraits....just mix it up with flash guns if you have them or just normal side lamps or normally window light. You can mix up changing the white-balance for a different feel.

Try and nail the ambient light or remove it and think about where you want the shadows to fall on the subject.

just a thought...
 
I like looking at photos, trying to reverse engineer it, find sources of light and lighting methods. Works for me!
 
Join up with a few other photographers for a photowalk...but DON'T bring your camera.
After 30 minutes you'll be ready to mug someone for their camera to get the shots they keep missing.
 
RichardtheSane said:
Personal challenges are great.

Doing something you will have to push yourself at mentally, not the best way as it can kill your mojo. If you are not confident shooting strangers then I wouldn't recommend personally. Others might.

But trying something new, absolutely. Last time my mojo went I set about doing some water droplets. Not saying this is what you should do, just ideas. Basically stuff that is indoors, where you control all the lighting and you can do by yourself. For me, that sort of thing always re-ignites the fire.
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At the moment i'm reading a few how to's on here and learning more in lightroom and ps, trying not to stress over not being out with the cam is harder tho as i usually go out often
 
OldGoat said:
Join up with a few other photographers for a photowalk...but DON'T bring your camera.
After 30 minutes you'll be ready to mug someone for their camera to get the shots they keep missing.
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Haha love this comment thank you made me smile and so totally right i know i would, maybe it is the always on my own thing thats an issue :thinking:
 
Danzaroonie said:
Try some self-portraits....just mix it up with flash guns if you have them or just normal side lamps or normally window light. You can mix up changing the white-balance for a different feel.

Try and nail the ambient light or remove it and think about where you want the shadows to fall on the subject.

just a thought...
Click to expand...


I seriously hate self portraits but it is something i have been thinking about for sometime as i love portrait work but don't get the opportunity very often and if its just me infront of cam it would help me learn about lighting as i know nothing, more of a challenge aswell as i dont have flash gun so it would be lamps window light etc...... :thumbs:
 
Nikon_Nick said:
I too, hate feeling like that. If I'm really struggling (which luckily doesn't happen very often), I have a look back through some old shots and have a play in photoshop to see if I can improve my editing skills. I also have a look on YouTube for tutorials to see if there are any styles that grab my attention.

I recently found a 'Nightmare' action for photoshop that I thought looked really cool, and it gave me an idea for a shot. I picked the camera bag up and went out straight away to get the base shot that I wanted to apply the effect to and was really pleased with it.

I also found that because I was actually out with the camera, I was shooting other subjects at the same time, which gave me more to work with when I got home. Not forgetting that satisfying sound of mirror slap! ;0)
Click to expand...

Maybe someof my problem too is my editing style, i use LR4 tho i have since realised using it at basic capabilities and trying to master ps, i kind of know what i want to shoot and the style but figuring and learning how to get there!,, maybe i'm stressing to much and need to relax!

wuyanxu said:
feeling the same, I blame the weather and the fact it's dark when I get back from work.

I was out there on most sunny days the weeks before turning the clocks back. hardly taken many pictures this month compared to the last two months.

do you carry your camera everywhere? I think it helps, otherwise I'd have 0 pictures this month! also don't forget a flashgun.
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Yeah this time of year is pants and i don't have a flash gun so my time with cam doesn't always play ball with the weather!... Always have cam with me tho just incase or i'd go home gutted!

adam.wilkinson said:
I was really finding it difficult to get out when the clocks changed, always dark now! But I have started looking for X-mas markets \ events etc that are on, usually reasonable light and plenty of different subjects.

Feel your pain tho!
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Yes xmas markets i'm looking forward to those you can often find little treasures to snap, i need to find my nearest ones!!

kelack said:
You could have a look in this section here:

http://www.talkphotography.co.uk/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=129

There's monthly competitions happening ie POTYII and challenges that you can join in with

Might help get the ideas flowing
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Oh thank you yes that does warrant a look! :thumbs::)
 
First of all, don't shoot unless your creative juice is flowing, you will just get frustrated with yourself and self perpetuate your rut.
Create a project that YOU want to shoot for yourself, not because its "de rigueur"
Make it something you can work up to, with a finite start and finish point, you won't necessarily adhere to this but its good to have a guideline.
Work out what you need to complete the task, gear, confidence perhaps extra knowledge or technique. Make the project something deeper than just the final images.
Feeling and personality will win over technically perfect any day.
But don't force yourself to shoot anything you don't particularly want to as it will show for sure.
Try and aim for a cohesive set of images in the end and perhaps even finalize the project with a photobook.
 
I'm in the same predicament this time of year.

Although with the darkness early on, comes the opportunity for light trails which I like to focus on at this time of the year. And bringing out my 50mm to get good bokeh is always fun.

For me, the hardest part is finding the right location.
 
Been there a few times, so I feel for you.

The answer for me has been to either; a) try something completely new, b)stick to one prime lens or c) pick a theme and stick to it. So far it's worked every time.

For example:
a) shoot only into the sun.
close-ups using extension tubes on an 85mm f1.8

b) Well, obvious really - but for everything.

c) This week, I'll only photograph blue.

And that sort of thing.

Edit: Actually, for anyone losing their mojo at this time of year, I can't recommend the 85mm and tubes highly enough. I love it.


Oak Leaves by simon ess, on Flickr


Festoon by simon ess, on Flickr

The possibilities are endless.
 
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Thanks guys some ace ideas here and I'm hoping it comes back soon, I hate not having that "ooh I'm going out with my camera today" feeling
 
I love this sort of weather, bit boring to the eye but captures really well with a touch of editing.
 
Naphta said:
I love this sort of weather, bit boring to the eye but captures really well with a touch of editing.
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I love certain things in most seasons especially frost and snow but when the sky is that bland grey mass I struggle!
 
I look at lots of photographs. That usually inspires me.
 
Manc Man said:
If you manage to find your mojo, ask if he's seen mine.

I know only to we'll how you feel.
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It's horrible isn't it, maybe they've been stolen!..... seriously tho it's got to come back soon i feel lost and irritable


Pookeyhead said:
I look at lots of photographs. That usually inspires me.
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Yes i've been doing that and i'm wondering whether just a change of scenery would help..:shrug:


FruitFlakes said:
This, and watch lots of films.
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Films for inspiration or just to have a break and not stress?:)
 
I book a holiday to somewhere like Peru, New Zealand or Cornwall.

That may sound glib but the reason I'm into photography is to capture the moments of places I've been and things I've seen. I don't photograph stuff for the hell of it.

I guess that's why I don't necessarily consider photography a hobby, more a skill that is necessary for me to capture memories that in time my brain will forget.

That's why I don't fret if I don't pick my camera up for a month or so, sooner or later the situation will call those skills (such as they are) into use again.

Not much help I guess but I think that if you have to force it then it stops being fun and becomes a chore which will almost certainly put you off doing it.
 
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Simon photo said:
First of all, don't shoot unless your creative juice is flowing, you will just get frustrated with yourself and self perpetuate your rut.
Create a project that YOU want to shoot for yourself, not because its "de rigueur"
Make it something you can work up to, with a finite start and finish point, you won't necessarily adhere to this but its good to have a guideline.
Work out what you need to complete the task, gear, confidence perhaps extra knowledge or technique. Make the project something deeper than just the final images.
Feeling and personality will win over technically perfect any day.
But don't force yourself to shoot anything you don't particularly want to as it will show for sure.
Try and aim for a cohesive set of images in the end and perhaps even finalize the project with a photobook.
Click to expand...

This, precisely! :clap:
 
Inspiration, often go through periods where I just pack my cameras away for a few months and read/look at photographs/watch films/focus my energy on projects that aren't photography. It's important to consume and create as many different forms of art as you can so that you don't stagnate.
 
DT01 said:
This, precisely! :clap:
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Yeah i liked this too, made perfect sense :)

Nawty said:
I book a holiday to somewhere like Peru, New Zealand or Cornwall.

That may sound glib but the reason I'm into photography is to capture the moments of places I've been and things I've seen. I don't photograph stuff for the hell of it.

I guess that's why I don't necessarily consider photography a hobby, more a skill that is necessary for me to capture memories that in time my brain will forget.

That's why I don't fret if I don't pick my camera up for a month or so, sooner or later the situation will call those skills (such as they are) into use again.

Not much help I guess but I think that if you have to force it then it stops being fun and becomes a chore which will almost certainly put you off doing it.
Click to expand...

Yep i get you totally, i'm sure if i booked a holiday it would come flooding back just because of being somewhere different!


FruitFlakes said:
Inspiration, often go through periods where I just pack my cameras away for a few months and read/look at photographs/watch films/focus my energy on projects that aren't photography. It's important to consume and create as many different forms of art as you can so that you don't stagnate.
Click to expand...

I think it just panics me when i don't have my camera in hand that it will never come back, although i know i have felt like this before and i'm pretty sure it was around the same time.
 
Cg_Girl said:
Films for inspiration or just to have a break and not stress?:)
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Both... but mainly inspiration. To many people watch movies and don't really appreciate what's in front of them: Photography.
 
Pookeyhead said:
Both... but mainly inspiration. To many people watch movies and don't really appreciate what's in front of them: Photography.
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That's true!!.... I kinda need to chill but its stressing me loads, I'm still learning the cam so when i do pick it up all stressy and all my picks are bin worthy i get even more upset! :shake:
 
The trick is not to bin them too quickly - analyse them until you know WHY they are bin worthy and then remember that next time you're shooting.
 
Nawty said:
The trick is not to bin them too quickly - analyse them until you know WHY they are bin worthy and then remember that next time you're shooting.
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I'd been deleting them straight from the camera so I didn't get more depressed after uploading! Lol
 
I wonder if you suffer from the same illness as me - excessive self criticism.

I used to be terrible. Everything I did was rubbish. I'm a bit better now, but it's still there.

Sometimes I deliberately take rubbish pics. with a smile on my face and tongue firmly in cheek. Sometimes they turn out quite cool.

Have a word with your internal critic and try to just enjoy it more.



By the way.....I'm still a rubbish photographer, I'm just not so bothered about it:thumbs:
 
I love to use my camera, and then I'm almost looking for an excuse to and cursing myself when I don't.

I really like subjects like 50 pics in 50 days and 50 pics in 50 yards type of challenges. I keep saying I'm going to try one of these just for the fun of it and keep my mind stimulated.

Maybe a challenge like that will help your mojo?
 
^ I'm the same (edit: re Simon's post).

I find that talking to/reading about enthusiastic photographers and looking at their pictures gets me back out with the camera after a dry spell. I'm under no illusion though - my pictures aren't anything special - but it's fun trying!
 
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simon ess said:
I wonder if you suffer from the same illness as me - excessive self criticism.

I used to be terrible. Everything I did was rubbish. I'm a bit better now, but it's still there.

Sometimes I deliberately take rubbish pics. with a smile on my face and tongue firmly in cheek. Sometimes they turn out quite cool.

Have a word with your internal critic and try to just enjoy it more.



By the way.....I'm still a rubbish photographer, I'm just not so bothered about it:thumbs:
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Lol thank you that made me smile! you could well be right tho, i know i have soooooooo much to learn and perhaps i expect to much too soon, i got the cam in Aug and refused to shoot auto right from the start and am trying so blooming hard to learn manual but i get so confused and just fiddle without fully knowing what im doing so i can go out one day and feel i've done ok then maybe lighting is different on the next day and my photos are worse than a 2yr olds, then the doubt sets in and hence mojo ups and leaves, sharpish! lol



wibbly said:
I love to use my camera, and then I'm almost looking for an excuse to and cursing myself when I don't.

I really like subjects like 50 pics in 50 days and 50 pics in 50 yards type of challenges. I keep saying I'm going to try one of these just for the fun of it and keep my mind stimulated.

Maybe a challenge like that will help your mojo?
Click to expand...

Yeah i always (or did until recently) look for excuses to pick cam up!... i keep thinking on a challenge as that appeals to me, i guess whilst mojo is on holiday its hard to be fully focused tho, i seem to go to bed at night thinking yes i'll try this that and the other be full of ideas and then morning bam its gone:bonk:

ZoneV said:
^ I'm the same (edit: re Simon's post).

I find that talking to/reading about enthusiastic photographers and looking at their pictures gets me back out with the camera after a dry spell. I'm under no illusion though - my pictures aren't anything special - but it's fun trying!
Click to expand...

Yeah you're right, talking especially or going out with someone thats as passionate helps, i perhaps need to find more people in my area instead of it just being me all the time!
 
Cg_Girl said:
Lol thank you that made me smile! you could well be right tho, i know i have soooooooo much to learn and perhaps i expect to much too soon, i got the cam in Aug and refused to shoot auto right from the start and am trying so blooming hard to learn manual but i get so confused and just fiddle without fully knowing what im doing so i can go out one day and feel i've done ok then maybe lighting is different on the next day and my photos are worse than a 2yr olds, then the doubt sets in and hence mojo ups and leaves, sharpish! lol

Yeah i always (or did until recently) look for excuses to pick cam up!... i keep thinking on a challenge as that appeals to me, i guess whilst mojo is on holiday its hard to be fully focused tho, i seem to go to bed at night thinking yes i'll try this that and the other be full of ideas and then morning bam its gone:bonk:

Yeah you're right, talking especially or going out with someone thats as passionate helps, i perhaps need to find more people in my area instead of it just being me all the time!
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Hi T.
I would suggest trying a 52 week challenge to get you shooting/thinking. As we are near the end of the year, a new thread will be started anytime soon for next year.
I completed one in 2010 and am now coming to the end of this years. Its been fun most of the time, some weeks are harder than others to find the inspiration on that weeks subject.
There is a friendly group doing the 52 with lots of comments and encouragement. I highly recommend it. Iain
 
blakester said:
Hi T.
I would suggest trying a 52 week challenge to get you shooting/thinking. As we are near the end of the year, a new thread will be started anytime soon for next year.
I completed one in 2010 and am now coming to the end of this years. Its been fun most of the time, some weeks are harder than others to find the inspiration on that weeks subject.
There is a friendly group doing the 52 with lots of comments and encouragement. I highly recommend it. Iain
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Hi Iain!

Thank you and yes perhaps this might be more beneficial to me than trying to just do something on my own, seeing others and encouragement etc is probably what i need right now!

I shall wait for the thread and search this past one too see how it works etc :)
T
 
Cg_Girl said:
Hi Iain!

Thank you and yes perhaps this might be more beneficial to me than trying to just do something on my own, seeing others and encouragement etc is probably what i need right now!

I shall wait for the thread and search this past one too see how it works etc :)
T
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You won't regret it, I'm sure.
You could even have a go for these remaining few weeks just to see how you get on before starting proper next year.
This weeks theme is "Round" over to you as to how you interpret the theme. There are no hard and fast rules, except those which you set yourself. Some people for example award themselves say 3 "jokers" to be played through the year if they struggle with a particular theme.
I haven't bothered with rules myself, I just go with the flow, if its late so be it. Give it a go!
On the subject of meeting other people to go photographing with, there is always something happening in the meeting forum. There is one for 22nd December in London which will be good. Not sure if you are willing/able to travel but I would recommend the meet. Iain
 
I go to my fav photos books with photo i really like,the one you look at and say to yourself i wish i had taken that.

That alway seem to help me :)
 
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