when you're in a photographic rut...

[Alex_Es]

<p>Thanks Arthur. This is Starbucks; no sushi yet :-). </p>

<p>Who's the pretty girl, Matt? Truly a delightful block breaker.</p>

[don_e]

<p>Ah, winter. While away the hours bidding on those cheap or peculiar cameras on the auction site. Keep a box of inexpensive c41 on hand for 'testing' your winners. Soon enough, it will be Spring.</p>

<p> </p>

[michael s.]

<p>Hey Matt. This is your issue: mind overly attentive to attractive women. I'm not sure this qualifies as a disability though. :)</p>

<p>The problem I have, consistently, is our area -- burbs w/ <em>no</em> real street life or activity at all nearby.</p>

<p>First one, the woman bundled, is a good street shot, by the way.</p>

<p>And I must say to A. S. that the thought of the peripatetic Alex Shishin as the subject of a series of street snaps -- vs. <em>simply</em> the photographer -- is an eye opener. Worth a try. :)</p>

[steve_mareno]

<p>You're already doing the best thing. Just go out and shoot anyway. Of the shots you posted the first one is fine. There are times that I go months w/o getting what I consider a keeper. Then there's the times when 3 or 4 appear on one roll. Just how it goes. Obviously though, this would be an excellent time to either go into the darkroom or the digital lab and make some prints. For me, there's nothing like seeing the results printed and on the wall to stir up the old juices.</p>

[matt_m__toronto_]

<p>haha. she is actually one of my best friends and doesn't mind having the odd snap taken. <br>

i think the other rut is that my work is so slow these days that i'm not stimulated much so i think my brain is going a bit soft. will try to force another walk with camera in the next day or two. </p>

 

[aplumpton]

<p>Matt, I agree with Alex about the attractiveness of your Canuck (Canuckette) friend. You have destroyed one of my paradigms - I thought all the beautiful women came from my home province of Québec. </p>

<p>More to the subject, perhaps our brains have to become a little soft from time to time, to enable them to re-absorb new ideas without constraints, and to then go on to new things.</p>

<p>A sub-4-minute miler cannot produce continuously!</p>

[vic_.]

<p>Some people swear by Eric Maisel's book:<br>

The Creativity Book: A Year's Worth of Inspiration and Guidance </p>

<p>(I haven't read it, but you can see it on Amazon.)</p>

[peteradownunder]

<p>I usually buy a new camera or lens.</p>

[Spearhead]

<p>I just look for women taking off their clothes, works every time for me...</p>

<p><center><img src="http://www.spirer.com/bcbjan142008/slides/357P5100.jpg"/></p>

<p><em>Dancer, Copyright 2009 Jeff Spirer</em></p></center>

[thomas_sullivan]

<p>I force myself to shoot. Actually, I found out a long time ago that I just plain like shooting pictures. Especially street phot0graphy. Just being out there, in the crowds, watching all that activity from people, seeing what they do, how they do it, guessing which two people are gonna stop and talk to each other, listenning to conversations (I probably really shouldn't or even don't want to hear)....it's all great stuff. If I do manage to get a few shots in amongst all that....so much the better. But it keeps me in practice for when that burst of inspiration does hit............and it rarely hits sitting home complaining about creative blocks....it happens in the middle of crossing the street most times.<br>

And, if all that don't work...........I just head to midtown NYC where all the gourgeous women are...........now that's inspiration! Semi boring street pics....but a lot of fun doing it.</p>