Thinking of Dumping Photography

[jim_flinchbaugh]

Nancy,

 

Did you start photography as a hobby and then move into it professionally? A lot of people have turned hobbies in to careers and lost interest in them. I would listen to the advice of the others here on maybe just storing things away for a while, find something else to pay the bills and see if the hobby aspect of things returns. Putting financial pressures/burdons on something you love, is a sure way to kill it. IF you can change your circumstances, I bet your desire for photography will return. Keep your equipment until your sure.

 

Cabin fever days is not a good time to make drastic decisions. This winter will pass (not soon enough for me either :-) )

 

Jim

[phyrpowr]

Want to renew your interest, your fire!, in photography, start to see wonderful pix everywhere?

 

EASY!

 

Just sell all your gear and swear you're done with it. In less than three months you'll be on the phone to B&H "yeah, give me one of those, and two of that, and one of them too, my card # is..."

[GerrySiegel]

And another thing,Nancy. If you sell it all,who is going to photograph the pussycats in your life?Follow their sphinxlike,paw licking,docile feline acceptance of-call it the"que sera,sera." of day to day. Storms followed by calms. Sometimes a doldrum. An occasional tornado of output may follow with Spring thaw...

I absorb a lot of steadying vibes from my household canine. And "tiny tim" here,my giant shepherd (:-))takes the days one at a time. Bless the beasts.

 

Am confident you will regain your stride and energy. Most of us do as you see. gs

[mr. sullen]

I did not read past the title and say. Don't. That's it. Shay-

[david j.lee]

is there a place where i can see some of your work?

[GerrySiegel]

Morgen,also tired of rain rain rain. Hasn't lost eye nor taste for red ball.<div></div>

[Lou_Meluso]

Jack that is too funny....and, sadly, all too true. You got some good advice above about just turning your attention away for awhile. But don't sell your gear! Instead try drawing! The simplest of tools, pencil and paper. Completely different from photography but a terrific way to hone you observational and artistic skills so when you are ready to pick up the camera again, your spirit will be renewed and your eye much more sensitive and in love with the world. Read Fredrick Franck's "the Zen of Seeing" to get you started.

[bobatkins]

I'd add of course, that if you are tired of photography, there's no reason to force yourself to do it. Finding some other way to spend your time is an equally valid option.

[Barry Thomas]

<p>Whatever is going on in your head, don't blame the equipment for not being right. If you don't want to do digital, don't do it - there, that's one problem solved. Now it's <i>just</i> about what's in your head.</p>

[nancy s.]

To Anthony Stubbs:

 

Well, THAT had me ROFLMAO.... Sure.. I am over 50 and I would LOVE to find a "boy" but no more of 'em living in MY HOUSE. Nope. Not ever again. Don't want to share my living space with another guy.. too much like WORK... I got the DOG to replace the GUY. She is a good dog too. Doesn't make a mess, is always happy to see me and making dinner is a snap!

 

I suspect 1/2 of my problem is I AM settled down. Good Challenging Job which is a part of the equation which may Help to save the World from Humanity, house, all the rest...

 

And the winter blahs..

 

I used to post my work. I should put up more on P-net. Just haven't done it. Dial up here. Probably could burn a CD and do it from another 'puter with fast connection. Just don't get to it. I think in dog training it is called 'avoidance behavior..' or something like that.

 

Well, I won't sell the equipment. Most wouldn't bring me much anyhow.

 

BTW I started out learning and went right into pro photography not t'other way 'round. Teacher was really quite good because he understood the technical aspects. He is a really good street shooter but not so hot on the artistic end.

 

I do fine art. Paint, draw and sculpt as time allows and have since I could pick up a pencil at age 3. I draw better now than then and I do have a talent that never really matured in this (had to do stuff like earn money, work etc.).

 

Anyway.. I coupled the technical and pro stuff with my art ability and I know I am a good photographer. Always can improve.. always a better way to see it... always more to learn...you know the drill.

 

I will give it time and try to get something up on my member page here. I ain't great.. so don't be looking for that.

 

Maybe it is just too much dark weather, too many days in the office (maybe I ought to take a day or two off but with a PLAN to go somewhere.. and I want to bring my dog and my one cat). Maybe start a photo journey putting them in every photo or something like that.

 

I am not blaming photography.. just seems like a lot of things these days (including photography) are gathering dust.

[troy_taylor]

I kinda did the same but didnt throw everything away. I still use my photo stuff for a tool for my new hobby.

 

I was a tech for about 16 years trouble shooting PC and micro controllers that was my job and my photography hobby was gettin boring.

 

Doing this was related to my job but building PCs on my spare time for computer graphics was fun. Then I started getting into graphics programs like vector, 3D and I couldnt get rid of the cameras because they became a tool.

 

Now I depend on camera to do my new hobby and Im thinking of getting the Pentax DSLR camera body because all my old 35mm film body lenses fit it.

 

For me It would have been a big mistake to get rid of at the camera stuff because I need it in my tool box.

 

My friend on Myspace Cat Palmer is a pro-photographer that stayed film until 2005. She went digi and now really likes it.

[aplumpton]

I spend a lot of time thinking and planning my photography. Not enough time doing.

Probably true for many of us. Inspiration and motivation (or the other way around) is

the key, no? Doesn't come every day, and we have so much else to distract us from

photography. Take a trip, a weekend in a B&B or an inn in a small town that appears

interesting. Not knowing anyone there and not having the distractions can be

positive in acquiring a new perception of what you may see there.

[summitar]

From the 50s to 2000, the life cycle of new equipment offerings was on the order of 10 years. This gave one the opportunity to concentrate on mastering technique, rather than chasing the latest gizmo. Compare that period to the span from 2000 to 2008. Digital gear has gone from incredibly expensive toys to moderately priced professional gear, and our attention span has changed and shortened from getting the most out of what we had, to learning how to use the knobs and whistles on the latest wonder. My Nikon D70 is a far better camera than I am a photographer, yet I lust after the Nikon D300. The Nikon D70 is capable of magnificent 12 by 18 inch prints, the largest I ever plan on making. I almost never shoot black cats in coal bins nor sporting events requiring a machine gun-like fps, so these advances in the envelope are meaningless to me, but I still want one.

 

Don't sell your cameras. You will regret it. I have had two periods of intense photography, my year in Vietnam, and my last five years, retired and traveling frequently. Even though I spent 22 years in the military which encompassed 12 major assignments, I have very few photos of any of those years outside of Vietnam, to my vast regret. And they were great assignments. Even if you are not making art, recording your life's experiences can be very rewarding. I think you may have a case of the wintertime blues. I live in the Seattle area and this has been the longest darkest stretch I can remember. Seattle has the greatest summers in the world (I was a professional MIT-educated meteorologist) but the winters are not harsh but they are incredibly dreary. My goal is to find a way to spend Nov-Feb elsewhere next year. Why does Seattle have the greatest summers? -- daylight to nearly 10PM, blue skies with snow covered mountains east and west, air conditioning not required, low humidity, and virtually NO bugs. I have lived in Georgia, Florida, Alabama, St Louis, DC, Nebraska, Saigon and I grew up in the Buffalo area, so I know of what I speak. I have also lived in NYC and Boston, and they weren't so bad.

[summitar]

BTW, Josh, fly fishing is described as the most elegant way to not catch fish. Just as the programming language LISP was described by guru Dykstra as the most sophisticated way to misuse a computer.

[summitar]

Nancy, my wife often expresses the same opinions as your's regarding companions or POSSLQs, but she is stuck with me. We often debate what our futures will hold should one of us depart this world. She is convinced that I will remarry quickly because I need someone to take care of me, whereas she would never entertain the notion of finding someone new to take care of. Not so for me; I would merely impose on one of my children--they owe me!

[hjoseph7]

"Yup. I am thinking of dumping my stuff on Ebay and walking away from Photography"

 

Thanks Nancy for sharing. I felt the same way after I got a bunch of 3/3 ratings on this site.

[nancy s.]

Josh and Kerry...

Just so you know, I was fly fishing when I was 8 years old. My Dad taught me how and I tie my own flies. Quite honestly I have had more regular success catching fish with a fly rod than with anything else save Minnows in the fall on Brown Trout. I have a couple of killer patterns that seem to wake 'em from the dead... LOL

 

Kerry:

The equipment is still here.. I think I will hang in for a bit yet.

 

FWIW I started my college career in meteorology at SUNY Albany, but abandoned it for Geography with a specialty in air imagery interpretation and mapping. Had to learn how color film worked because I had to learn how Color Infrared film worked. I had a knack for the arial stuff but I wanted to be a farmer and I was a self employed FT farmer for almost 20 years.. then I was a bridge engineer and designer of short span bridges.. Federal Project manager for a NY County and now I work for the State in an entirely different field where I actually use my Geography and aerial stuff at times.

 

I "get" the winter Seattle weather thing.. I would hate all the dark and IF I did not have to go to work or if I had the $$ I would likely escape for a couple of weeks anyway to the South West in winter.

 

and Harry.. don't walk away because of ratings on this site. Better to find different raters.. ;)

 

Seriously I have never cared what my stuff rated. I do care if the image holds your eye, is properly lit and (if it is really good) leaves you with a feeling or a question or with knowledge.

 

Ah well, it is spitting snow (again) and we are to get a squall line with white outs for a bit tomorrow then back into cold and wind. I am not sure there is a sun out there anymore. I heard rumore of its appearance earlier today but it was just a rumor and no sighting was made. :(

[summitar]

Nancy, it appears that you had an amazing and varied background. Farming requires a high degree of self sufficiency and a huge capacity for work. My first degree was in Mech Eng at the U of Buffalo, now SUNY at Buffalo. Via ROTC, I lept at the chance to become a military meteorologist and there followed a year at NYU and shortly thereafter 2 years at MIT. My specialty was weather satellites.

 

Best of luck, and keep your cameras.

[colin carron]

I have been nterested in photography in and off for 50 years. There have been times I pretty much had a camera strapped to my forehead permanently and others when the gear sat in the bag. I think the 'down' times have been when I have changed the way I see things and coming back to photography have been able to express that new vision.

 

So I suggest you don't worry too much about it. Keep the lenses and when the bug bites again go and buy the latest camera to fit them.

[antoniobassiphotography]

Nancy

 

I went to your portfolio but found no images. Why? I would like to see your work in order

to better respond to your question. In the mean time, I'll tell you that for me taking

photographs is a way of life. I don't sell my stuff, I make a living playing the violin and

teaching it. I store all my images onto CD's and hard disks, print some of them for friends

or people that really like them and that's all for now. What really drives me to take images

is the excitment of capturing moments, people, lights, shapes that move something inside

me. I don't have a specific plan for my photography or a social motivation. I don't try to

"get involved". I just get an immense feeling when I am able to capture the way I want and

I see it something that inspires me, or an event special to my eyes. The minute I will

realize that I am being a photographer for money will be the minute that I stop being a

photographer. "Professional" simply means that you get payed for what you do, or better

that people pay you to get a job done. If you are tired of doing it professionally, do it

when you feel like it and just search for that special moment that is out there waiting for

you to capture it. Just a humble suggestion: don't do landscape too much, beautiful places

are great to see in person not through a photograph. I prefer to forget about the camera

and really live and enjoy a beautiful landscape rather than see it through the lens and miss

everything else. Try street photography with people, experience the human, look for

beautiful shapes that you have never seen before being hit by the sun light or simply just

take a break and let it sit for a while. Try to take pictures with your mind without a

camera and you will regret not to have it with you. When you have a moment for yourself,

just take a nice walk in the neighborhood and look for scenes that would be worth being

impressed on film, I do it often and I make better pictures than with my camera. After all,

the photograph is nothing but the image we saw transferred from our brain to the paper.

 

http://www.photo.net/photo/6800078

http://www.photo.net/photo/6881356

http://www.photo.net/photo/6931747

http://www.photo.net/photo/6334817

[antoniobassiphotography]

Nancy

 

"just seems like a lot of things these days (including photography) are gathering dust".

 

I am very sorry to hear that. I don't want to be invading your privacy but sounds like the

problem it's not only about photography. I went through some tuff times myself, loosing

interest for music while I was working in one of the best Opera Houses in the world, the

Teatro alla Scala in Milan. One day, during rehearsal, I disconnected from the music and

everything was happening around me and I felt like looking at myself in a mirror saying "I

can't believe I am not liking violin playing anymore". I felt like I was just playing a note

after the other like a robot but my mind was in a whole different place... I decided to be a

musician when I was 8 years old and for me, not feeling good when playing was a real

shock. The problem was that I was not playing music for pleasure anymore, I was doing it

for money at a Opera House. I realized that I was an employee and was working for a

system that produces entertainment for a few music lovers and a majority of people that

are there because it's a cool thing to do in Milan. Many people are happy in that "mental

institution", as I call it, but not me. I learned that I am not an orchestra musician. I guess

everybody is different. Of course that negative period influenced everything else I was

doing, including photography. Not having time to even eat in peace, the only thing I felt

like doing after work (at 12 pm) was watching tv. As soon as I got out of there I came back

to life. Your case is probably very different but the reason behind the loss of interest in

photography might not be photography itself. We always know what we want but

sometimes we don't have the courage to admit it to ourself for some reason or we are

afraid of big changes. I will resign from the orchestra where I work right now and move to

Santa Barbara, California, where I have no job but a beautiful wife waiting for me and the

idea of being finally together after five years of long distance USA-Italy gives me the

charge to do anything.

[david j.lee]

i still would like to see your work. i detect a "been there,done that attitude" that i don't see

even in salgado or Gibson.

[stwrtertbsratbs5]

'Maybe it is just a slump or maybe it is just this seemingly interminable winter. I am in such

good shape these days (phuysically) but I am tired all the time. "

 

Maybe you just need a light box to help you through the dark winter days:

 

http://www.alaskanorthernlights.com/

[oofoto]

"I DO still see things that inspire me but it is always on the way to work or some deadline and I cannot stop and give the image justice."

 

Nancy, that sentence tells me that your not ready to sell your cameras. It shows that you want to take photos but it is just not priority at the moment.

 

Also the fact that you have posted to PN means you are not ready to forget photography.

[Ian Taylor]

I read a great quote about music by the bassist Steve Swallow. The gist was "If you want to be a musician, don't. It's the worst job in the world. If you HAVE to be a musician, do it. It's the best job in the world."

<p>

I think the same applies to photography.