TIPS: How to break our from a dry spell?

pemmett · October 17, 2009

Dear DGrinners,

I need your help. I can't afford a shrink and even if I could I doubt if they would help as they would not understand my situation. I need help from professionals who understand, who can empathize and who can relate.

I am going through a long dry photographic spell in terms of inspiration and passion. I have tons of interest and the DGrin competition and forum have a lot of great info and great pictures, but I still cannot seem to get out of this rut.

Does anyone have any tips and tricks, in fact anything at all, that could help me re-ignite my passion and inspiration for photography? :dunno

Thanks

Peter

sherstone · October 17, 2009

Peter,

The question you ask is very hard to answer definitively, but I will do my best to as least try and communicate how I personally deal with so called "dry spells".

First of all go read a short article I wrote about this very thing here: http://sherstone.com/info/103

I fear your situation is even more dire as I suspect you may have already tried the simple stuff like changing things up or challenging yourself. Do not fear all is not lost and your feelings that you should just sell all your equipment and call it a day should NOT, I repeat NOT be listened to. (I am extrapolating my own experiences here so if you don't feel like selling your equipment yet - then GOOD)

Firstly - Ask yourself "Why did I start taking pictures in the first place?". Do you always find yourself looking at the world through an imaginary view finder? Is your passion to create something so en-grained in you that if you don't create something you become even worse off or even depressed. Does the very act of holding the camera and pressing the shutter calm you?

You need to remember why the passion that you once felt for photography began in the first place and run back to that kid in the candy store feeling when you took pictures of absolutely everything.

Recently (within the last 6 months), my wife gave me the best bit of encouragement and advice that any caring and supportive wife could give. She told me to go back to the basics. What she meant was that she had seen a progression in my photography that had taken me to a place that involved more and more layers more and more setup more and more of that "perfect" shot chasing. I had become frustrated because even though I was creating it did not have any life to it. So I took her advice and started just doing what I did in the first year I had my DSLR, I started taking more pictures of anything and everything again. Keep it simple, let your passions for communicating a story, or even just a thought, flow through you.

I have seen your images and read some of the tutorials you have written Peter and it is obvious that you have those passions within you. If you didn't have them you would not have been driven to take up photography so seriously in the first place. You just need to let them flow out again. Right now, your at a point where they are dammed up. Go find the little boy that has his finger in the hole of the dike and tell him your taking over. Once he has gone home take your finger out of the hole and let the water come spewing out. Pretty soon the trickle will break the dike and all the passions that are waiting on the other side will gush forth like a torrent, flooding your life and all the people around you with them.

To summarize: Remember where your passions came from and simplify what your doing to once again let those passions flow.

Hopefully even just one sentence I have written here has helped in bringing back the spark that you are in search of. If after taking a couple weeks to simplify has still not brought forth fruit then please know we as a community and friends will do our darnedest to make sure we find something that will work for you.

I know you live half way accross the world but I'm sure there is a calling card that will enable me to call you for cheap. If you need that, I am willing to take the time to call you personally to speak about this further.

Do not give up and don't feel like you are alone. You are not.

Sean.

bf2015 · October 17, 2009

I actually lost my interest for photography for almost 20 years, and have just recently this past year gotten back into it with all the same passion that I had before. I'm sure a 20 year hiatus isn't what you want to hear, but that was me.

I don't know your situation, but Sean makes an invaluable point! Go back to the basics. Don't worry about getting the shot (I know, that's harder said than done). Just get out there and shoot. My photography professor in college years ago gave us an assignment one time that I thought was nuts, but turned out to be a great adventure. And to this day, I still use it for getting out of a dry spell. It was way before digital cameras and HDR and autofocus and desktops and Photoshop, but the assignment was to shoot 4 rolls of film in 5 minutes. Don't working about anything except point focus shoot point focus shoot. You will be amazed at what you might get. 144 shots in 5 minutes is actually alot harder than it sounds! (I always used 36 exposure rolls

). You have no time to think, no time to set up, no time for tripods, just point focus as best you can and shoot. Maybe 2 of the lot was worth printing, but looking at the negatives, you would be amazed at ideas that start forming that you can then focus on (angles, composition, etc).

And that's what it is all about. Seeing things in a new light, at a different angle that you never thought of, things that you didn't see, but the camera did.

Hope this helps.

Brian

divamum · October 17, 2009

Random musings... excuse the long (and rambling) post!

This is interesting indeed. Pursuing photography intensely in the last year has been what kept me going artistically when my musical world collapsed under the weight of the economic crisis, leaving me with an empty performance calendar for the first time in 11 years (happily, it's picking up again - if slowly - but this time a year ago things were looking more than bleak, and 2009 has been, to put it mildly, slow)

With too much time on my hands, I have THROWN myself into matters photographic, as many of you have witnessed. I've absolutely loved - and continue to love - every minute of it, but there's no doubt that as you start to master self-imposed challenges, realise that you have CONQUERED things that for years were a nemesis..... the initial all-consuming passion can dim somewhat, and settle into a less intense relationship; not "better" or "worse" just.... different. It's still exciting, I'm still 100% committed to continuing to grow and do this "for real", I still love the buzz of getting a great idea or a great shot but... I don't feel quite as obsessively compelled as I was earlier in the year (or at least not until I get that idea and start the shoot, at which point it's the same ZAP of energy!). A year ago, there was NO WAY I would have skipped a single challenge once I started doing them; now (such as in the last round), I find that if I'm too busy, don't have a strong idea, or don't feel I can match a high standard that I might previously have achieved (even if only on a "personal best" level).... I'm sitting it out. And I don't mind - now that I know "I could if I wanted to", sitting out feels like a choice instead of a copout of inadequacy.

Sorry to be so self-referential!! On to possible ways forward....

One thing that has often "got me back" when I've felt burned out or complacent in my musical life is fear. Seriously! Something like a really big, intimidating role or audition has come in and because I felt I could easily fall short and land FLAT on my face, somehow the compulsion to work and excel was back, if only so I didn't actually make a fool of myself. Anger sometimes does the job too - working with a director or conductor (usually an unreasonable one!) who makes me see red can prompt a, "Well I'll show YOU!" response. It's not necessarily the best way of rediscovering the energy and passion, but it often has the bizarre fringe-benefit of achieving it, and sometimes once that button has been pushed - by any means - it continues to grow on its own afterwards.

As I say, random musings. Most importantly - WHY do you take pictures? What do you want to ACHIEVE with them? What technical aspects of the "job" do you feel you have yet to master that you can set yourself as an assignment, perhaps push-starting your desire to achieve?

Lastly, I will say this (again relating it to my musical world): even if you don't want to... just do it anyway. Sometimes the thought of getting into the studio and practicing (even when I have a performance coming up) is a total turnoff, even though I generally LOVE to practice. What do I do? Get off my a** and do it anyway. Often it's perspiration which leads to inspiration, and someitmes we have to look for and find it the hard way.

All the best to you.

JAG · October 17, 2009

Here is what pulled me out of the desert several times.....

1. Go back to basics
2. Surf the net for ideas
3. Immulate your favorite artist for practice.

Develop your own style and continue to improve upon it.

No magic here...just keep plodding along. Cut yourself some slack for failures and see them as learning opportunities to better yourself. Then move on and try again. Nothings is ever gained by quiting while in the desert...but everything is gained by walking through it and finding the beauty along the way.

MrsCue · October 17, 2009

I read somewhere the other day...

"Don't photograph the scene, photograph the light".

Wow! I love it!!!

pemmett · October 18, 2009

Thank you everyone for your encouraging words

A lot of what you have said resonates with what I'm going through and I would say that it's good to know that I'm not alone in going through this.

Your words about going back to basics have also helped me realize that I need to get my life back to basics also. I've made life quite complicated by taking on more than I can chew which means that everything suffers.

I know that having friends like yourselves in this forum I'll be able to re-ignite my passion for creating art. I know that it may take some time and that together with bringing my life back to basics, that I'll be shooting again with inspiration.

Have a great weekend and week ahead.

Cheers/Peter

tinamarie52 · October 18, 2009

Already on the road back
Peter,

Whether you know it or not, you are already on the road back. The fact that you asked for help was the first step down the path.

Awesome advice here. You seem to already know the root of your block. Take these suggestions and modify them to your situation.

And for goodness sake, don't wait until the journey back is over to post here! Let us come along with you.

I'm looking forward to seeing your next image.

Al the best,
Chris

bartron · October 18, 2009

I was in a rut as well...for the past few months I've barely taken any images.

It's happened to me before and what usually works is along the lines of the "back to basics" suggestions. I grab my camera, stick on the 24-70 and just have it with me....In the car, at work etc. On the way to/from work I might pull up at some random location and give myself 5 minutes and see what's there...sometimes it's nothing, sometimes there's a gem.

My personal opinion is that setting yourself a challenge is not the way to get out of a rut as you're not in the right headspace for it. Not until you're actually happy about picking up the camera. If you not happy picking it up you're heading into a world of frustration if you limit yourself to a particular challenge or say to yourself "I'm only going to shoot with a 50mm". Remove all limitations to you shooting whatever it is that happens to be in front of you at whatever time...feel the freedom of not being upset that you have a camera and nothing to shoot.
Just a personal opinion though.

First step is acknowledging you're in a rut.... so

Second step is feeling good again about picking up the camera
after that you'll be able to better think things through and enjoy photography again.

HoofClix · October 18, 2009

Sometimes you need to just run fast in the opposite direction.

Now if I knew what that meant, I'd tell you!

No really, it might just be time to stop trying to capture it all and just take it in with your eyes and ears and every other sense you have, your heart above all. Try taking a weekend to go to those places where you might normall go take pictures, only this time don't bring the camera and just notice what's there in a new way. Just breathe it in without trying to make something out of it. It'll come back.

We don't know what's going on or what you've taken on, but maybe you just don't need to fight it and let some of it pass on down the road. Hang in there.

adbsgicom · October 19, 2009

Don't know if this would help, but have you tried just shooting some fun events for family/kids for their consumption? Small private school, church, temple, mosque, what-have-you. Don't be going in thinking about getting a great shot, or fully documenting the event. Just shoot everything that you see and pitch the stuff that is total garbage (meaning there's nothing there at all). I find that

1) They are wildly appreciative of what you've done
2) They are not nit-picky about what you've done
3) They tend to be impressed with what you've done (even when you think it isn't a keeper).

In the end, you feel good about having used your camera to just make some folks happy and capture some moments that they never would have.

Good luck with it, Peter. Love your captures!!

Kinkajou · October 19, 2009

I swear there was a similar post in one of the other forums a couple weeks ago, and I thought I responded, but apparently I didn't...

Anyway, my suggestion (this is assuming you actually are ready to pick up the camera in the first place) is to just pick one setting and shoot that way for a little while... throw on a prime lens and decide that you're only going to shoot at a single aperture or a single shutter speed for a week... long exposure only, f22 only, f1.4 only... something like that, which is really simple but forces you to see things a little differently. It might help get you out of a funk and point you in a different direction for a bit.

Best of luck!

divamum · October 19, 2009

All these suggestions are so great, and the fundamentals totally apply to my musical artistry/activities as well photograhice - in fact, I think it applies to any artist in any medium: REMEMBER WHY YOU STARTED DOING IT IN THE FIRST PLACE. The "shoulds" so often get in the way of the satisfaction of making art (whether musical, visual, dance, whatever) - sometimes just saying "to hell with it" and doing it for the joy can be a wonderful way of breaking free.

Peter, the question may have been asked for yourself, but you've prompted a lot of inspiring discussion that I think can benefit many of us in all sorts of ways. Thanks for posting, and here's hoping that you rediscover the joy you always bring to others with your shots (and, not at all by the way, I really like your blue abstract that you posted! You may not have "felt inspired", but it's a very cool shot!

)

sherstone · October 19, 2009

divamum wrote:

I really like your blue abstract that you posted! You may not have "felt inspired", but it's a very cool shot! )

Halite · October 19, 2009

Reading all the responses, I'm struck once again by what a supportive community this bunch of Dgrinners is.

Creativity comes from play. So be serious about play! Peter, you identified that you've probably overcommitted. It could all be good stuff, helpful stuff, or even important to you or someone else. But if it's getting in the way of play time, and you're feeling the loss, it's probably too much. Don't feel guilty about taking time to play either. If creativity is an essential part of who you are and how you want to be in your time on this planet, then time for creativity is at least as important as any other activity you could possibly engage in. Which doesn't mean that we all get as much time as we could ever desire to pursue our creative passions, given all our commitments. But we can keep reassessing and reprioritizing. And occasionally say "no" to someone or something, however good or noble it would be to say "yes".

The exercises suggested in previous responses could be good ways to explore and play around. I've found the exercises in David duChemin's recent e-books to be quick, useful tips. The main thing is to be process oriented rather than goal oriented. That is, don't worry about the results, about whether you're going to end up with a good image at the end of the day. Instead, be open to the experience and realize you may not shoot anything of "value" in a given session.

There are good books on the topic of creativity and artist's block, if you're interested. Three I've really found useful are:

Most well-known is The Artist's Way by Julie Cameron.
Also good for a kick in the pants is The War of Artby Steven Pressfield, who wrote "The Legend of Bagger Vance".
Finally, Twyla Tharp's book The Creative Habit supports the idea of making creativity routine.

You took a great step by reaching out to this community. By now, you realize you're not alone in this experience. Heck, creative block is the address I lived at for the better part of my life!

HoofClix · October 19, 2009

Peter, I guess we're all on your side!

I had some other thoughts on this, mostly because I'm kind of in the same place you're in right now. The challenge of the DSS hasn't inspired me much lately, and folks be clear, they are still inspiring competitions with entries that have been inspiring everyone else, but I have been taking a break. Let's face it, creativity is sometimes hard to push. I was feeling like I had to go out and create a masterpiece, and simple #### was coming out.

So what I've been doing is to dive into the learning. I've been taking time to read through Muench University, taking it in, coming back to where I left off. Haven't put anyting in there yet, but there's so much to learn from what is there. Maybe do a few of the challenges, and you'll see what good stuff you might come up with. Go to the book store and see if you can find a new facet to learn.

With my hores shows, where it can be very "samo," I am always trying to find a new shot to add to keep things fresh. You seem to be a natural performing arts as well as street photographer, so go to the same old places and find some new angles on the old subject.

Just some more thoughts, dude! Maybe you're my therapist now...:D

e mari ad terram · October 20, 2009

I have a simple rut-busting technique I use... Nothing fancy.

I set my camera to AV and f/2.8. I slap my 50mm (nifty fifty) prime lens on. Switch it to manual focus, and bring it in as close as it will go. Now, the idea is to take three images that have some relationship to each other at that focus length. To focus, you must physically move into or away from your subject matter.

Simple, but it causes me to try to see the world differently, make connections with my shots, and takes out all the technical side of the shot. I also helps me to fall back into seeing my world through a viewfinder, watching it slowly come into focus as I move in on a possible shot.

Kinda cheesy, but that's what works for me... Not all the time, but most of the time.

I guess it goes directly with the whole back to basics...

Good Luck!

Ryan

davev · October 20, 2009

2 words - Road Trip.

Go to 2 places, one that you've never been to, then to a spot you been to alot.

The first place will have you looking for/at something new, something that will hopefully peak your interest.
Then go to the familiar spot, and try to find a new take on it. If you can, everyplace you've ever been to
becomes new again.

This road trip doesn't have to be a long one. I have areas within blocks of my house that I haven't seen.
(a playground, school, old building, walking path, a construction site, the list goes on and on)

Good luck.

pemmett · November 2, 2009

Thank You
What a awesome community I belong to. Thank you everyone for your support. It's been a real eye opener having so many people reach out to me. I was especially touch by one member who PM's me and offered to give me a call - as I live in the Philippines if was very touching to have someone offer to do this.

The advice seem to fall into two camps (1) Go back to the basics & (2) walk away from it for a while. So as am am me I decided to both

I decided to walk away from trying to kill myself for the quality of the photos I was taking and I also decided that I would do a bunch of stuff but keep it as simple as possible.

So here's what I've been up to in the last two weeks since I posted:

(1) Took some halloween photos for familes at work:

(2) Went out after the last typhoon and took a few photos of the damage:

(3) Took some abstract images in a restaurant:

(4) Went to the local wet market here and bought a bunch of chicken heads to enter the lastest DSS Round:

Not sure what you guys think - I don't think they're brilliant, but I am a lot happier with the results than I have been in a long while

Again thanks again for all your feedback and the really positive affect you've had on me

Thanks/Peter

Halite · November 2, 2009

Peter,

You made a wise choice to keep shooting, but take the pressure off. This way you can shoot each time for why you want to shoot at that time. Without censoring the results. Just continuing to look and see and do the work will be enough.

These are good images you've attached. The chicken heads are indeed creepy! And I like the restaurant abstract. I'm hoping to do a high key, white background set of shots for some cast pictures next week. Care to share your set up for the Halloween shots?

pemmett · November 2, 2009

Thanks for the feedback. I used a very simple setup with two 580EX IIs (one on each side) with shoot through white umbrellas set at 1/8th @ 50mm. I used one umbrella lower on the right so that I could capture both children and adults without having to move the umbrella, which also gave me slightly uneven light which I liked.

For the back lighting I used a 420 EX with a stofen filter bouncing of the back wall (actually it's the corner, but it's bright enough that you don't see the corner of the room). This was set to 1/8th also at 50mm.

Overall, the photos came out well considering I didn't change anything for the photos due to time constraints - you can say it was a very nice safe option, which although did not make any scary photos, it did produce some nice images for each of the participants.

Happy to share more info if you want.

Thanks/Peter

Halite wrote:

Peter,

You made a wise choice to keep shooting, but take the pressure off. This way you can shoot each time for why you want to shoot at that time. Without censoring the results. Just continuing to look and see and do the work will be enough.

These are good images you've attached. The chicken heads are indeed creepy! And I like the restaurant abstract. I'm hoping to do a high key, white background set of shots for some cast pictures next week. Care to share your set up for the Halloween shots?

michswiss · November 2, 2009

pemmett wrote:

Thanks for the feedback. I used a very simple setup with two 580EX IIs (one on each side) with shoot through white umbrellas set at 1/8th @ 50mm. I used one umbrella lower on the right so that I could capture both children and adults without having to move the umbrella, which also gave me slightly uneven light which I liked.

For the back lighting I used a 420 EX with a stofen filter bouncing of the back wall (actually it's the corner, but it's bright enough that you don't see the corner of the room). This was set to 1/8th also at 50mm.

Overall, the photos came out well considering I didn't change anything for the photos due to time constraints - you can say it was a very nice safe option, which although did not make any scary photos, it did produce some nice images for each of the participants.

Happy to share more info if you want.

Thanks/Peter

Peter, all I can say is I'm glad you've gone back to basics. What you've just described is PhD stuff to me!

:ivar

Now back to giving me some lessons in photography when you visit Shanghai...

Keep it simple and fun, Babe.

sherstone · November 2, 2009

pemmett wrote:

I decided to walk away from trying to kill myself for the quality of the photos.

Thanks/Peter

Great shots Peter, I think the biggest contribution to your burst of energy is not beating yourself up about "perfection" and just letting it flow. Having Fun!

It's awesome to see and hear that you feeling better about things!!!!!

Keep flowing! (Water takes the least resistant path and flows around things, not through them), be water

lizzard_nyc · November 2, 2009

I'm glad this thread was started ya'll.
I'm not hitting a dry spell--too new at this and loving every second, but my little bro is--He has to come up with 150 for his portfolio to get into school--he had his stolen--so he's been furiously going at it--he called me last night and was so down in the dumps and said he's hit a wall and pretty much sounded just like the OP.
So I shared this thread with him---and Sherstone I just texted him the "be water" part as well.

So thanks for the words of wisdom--I'm glad they helped Pemmet--but also glad I could share them with my brother.

Thank you.

PS---Pemmett--your chicken shot is something else, a total mind freak---just perfect for the challenge.

BeachBill · November 2, 2009

Zack Arias: Transform

Mod Edit: Changed video to link.

nightpixels · November 2, 2009

Great start to getting out of funk, Peter. You have a worthy entry!

sherstone · November 2, 2009

BeachBill wrote:

see vid above

How could I have forgotten to link to this. That video and it's content is perfect! and very human.

adbsgicom · November 2, 2009

Peter, glad to see you back in the forums, and doing some wonderful work.
Beachbill, thanks for posting that link.

BeachBill · November 2, 2009

sherstone wrote:

How could I have forgotten to link to this. That video and it's content is perfect! and very human.

It's the first thing I thought of when I saw the subject of this thread.

dlscott56 · November 2, 2009

Peter, this is a fantastic thread you've started here. I don't know you but have looked through some of your stuff. You're a very talented photographer.

I find it interesting that people on such varying levels of skill can share common problems like this. You, an obviously skilled and talented photographer, and me, the obvious amateur.

A friend and I were recently having this same discussion and he sent me an article on a somewhat related subject. They quote a cognitive neuroscientist from the University of Columbia as stating that the "mind wandering is a much more active state than ever imagined, much more active than during reasoning with complex problems". It was part of a report in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences earlier this year.

I think this would strongly support the idea that we all need to put time aside for goofing off, having fun, and letting our minds wander a little.

And, just so you know, I'm ALL for goofing off and daydreaming!

pemmett · November 3, 2009

BeachBill wrote:

It's the first thing I thought of when I saw the subject of this thread.

BeachBill / Sean, That video is really amazing - not only does it hit the nail on the head for me, but it inspires hope for people, like me, who are struggling with "their voice".

The best both was that all the greats sucked - must mean that I'm on the right road

Thanks again to all who care. I hope that this thread can help others find their voice.

TIPS: How to break our from a dry spell?

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