Trying to re-learn the idea of taking pictures just for fun

Cygnus Studios

Greetings everyone.

I've been a member of Dgrin for quite some time but it's been a long time since I was truly active. Over the last few years the studio has been so busy that I somehow forgot what it was like to just shoot for the fun of shooting.

Honestly I didn't even know that I had stopped taking pictures for fun until someone asked me about it. When I started trying to remember the last time I pulled the camera out of the bag without a client paying me to do so, I was stumped. It has been a few years since I've really put some effort into just shooting because I saw something that I liked.

I realize it sounds kind of silly to forget how to take pictures for fun, but it just kind of sneaks up on you and before you know it all you're doing is shooting for clients.

I tried heading out to the coast and the whole time my brain is screaming at me "who's going to buy these pics" and I ended up with nothing but a nice drive.

So if anyone has been stuck like this, or just has suggestions on how to wrap my head around taking pics for no other reason than just because, I would love the advice. I truly miss the "fun" shots, but obviously missing it hasn't been encouragement enough for me to just go out there and do it.

denisegoldberg

Cygnus Studios wrote: »

I tried heading out to the coast and the whole time my brain is screaming at me "who's going to buy these pics" and I ended up with nothing but a nice drive.

So if anyone has been stuck like this, or just has suggestions on how to wrap my head around taking pics for no other reason than just because, I would love the advice. I truly miss the "fun" shots, but obviously missing it hasn't been encouragement enough for me to just go out there and do it.

My full-time job is not photography so I suspect I haven't encountered your situation (yet).

How about choosing a destination that interests you and heading there without the thought that it will be a photo destination? Take one camera with a single lens and pull it out only when the mood is right. Maybe allowing yourself to enjoy a place without focusing on client photos will help.

Please keep us posted!

--- Denise

Cygnus Studios

Next month (Sept) starts year 25 of making my living with a camera and every single day I consider myself blessed to do something I love. I still love the challenge of capturing what the client has in their head but I'm really missing the fun part. I just recently dusted off my dslr cameras to see if that can re-inspire me, I've been shooting medium format almost exclusively the last couple of years. I'm really hoping by getting back here to Dgrin and seeing the breathtaking images posted here on a daily basis that I'll start remembering why it was fun to take pictures.