Getting very irritated with my current style of photography. I looked back at the things i did 6yrs ago when i started and i find that it has changed dramatically. I seem to have lost something in the last 6 yrs. Somebody pointed out to me that day, that the spark in my photos that they used to see, the uniqueness, is gone. Now my photos just look like something ripped of a magazine. Maybe its time to quit and start afresh. Opinions?
Should i quit.
- Thread starter szekiat
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Welcome to the club dude.
guess everyone will come to this point where they feel like crap and shooting crap. the feeling of reaching "another" pinnacle of their shooting style.... the real need to reinvent their style, to sample more varieties and make the issue of photography come alive again....
My take: take a break
dun be too eager to pick up the camera and shoot. Take time to admire the scene presented before and lock it in your mind. Translate it into images/ style on 35mm frames when you have collected enough of these data to try photography again.
Everyday is a start afresh opinion
guess everyone will come to this point where they feel like crap and shooting crap. the feeling of reaching "another" pinnacle of their shooting style.... the real need to reinvent their style, to sample more varieties and make the issue of photography come alive again....
My take: take a break
dun be too eager to pick up the camera and shoot. Take time to admire the scene presented before and lock it in your mind. Translate it into images/ style on 35mm frames when you have collected enough of these data to try photography again.Everyday is a start afresh opinion
sorry man! but i'm not a new member. I actually did take a break a couple of years back. Sold everything i had for a mjiu 2. But eventually, i got tempted back to the events business cos the money was just too good. I used to be able to have to styles, one for the job where every shot has to be perfect, so no experimentation and one for fun where i just burn a lot of film trying all sorts of shots. Of late, this line seems to be blurring.
szekiat said:
I dont think he meant that you are a new member. What he meant is put down your camera for a short while, 3 months or so, learn to enjoy the world again. See how people walk, talk, see how the sky turn. Go for a holiday, try to find the missing pieces naturally. Do not delibrately look for it, when inspiration hit, well ...... inspiration hit hard ...... then your burnt out feeling will be gone.
BS, you so bad!Bluestrike said:
Should take a break lor. I used to get short "bad shoot" spells earlier this year, but I found a happier balance in what I do for fun (leisure) and what I do to feed myself. Sometimes when I haven't the mood to shoot, just watch other shoot or watch them do other silly things, like play with children, etc. You'll find that life has so much more and suddenly, the mood is back!
Hope it works out for you a.s.a.p!
Azure is right .. you need to do other things as well to wean off your weariness and get back to basics .. which was your initial style .. you have been trying too hard to be perfect. I have gone thru that too.
You could take casual shots, load them into your PC and create beautiful or funny scences with it. Use technology to create fun or bring out your creativity as a stress relief.
If needed, use a P&S but take it easy .. best of luck! :thumbsup:
You could take casual shots, load them into your PC and create beautiful or funny scences with it. Use technology to create fun or bring out your creativity as a stress relief.
If needed, use a P&S but take it easy .. best of luck! :thumbsup:
szekiat said:
Another way to look at it is that maybe you/your skills are growing/evolving and you are reaching another plane or level... :think:
maybe it'll turn out to be a blessing in disguise.
Maybe your pics will have that special 'X factor' if you manage to get out of this rut. ... All I can say is dont give up... :xmas:
hey brother! don't be upset!
take another break!
go do some travel-photography and just forget about your style and uniqueness and just indulge in free-style and experimentation.
i guess this is mid-life job crisis where one loses faith in what one's doing as there seems to be no progress in one's area of work?
maybe we can organise an overseas excursion!
take another break!
go do some travel-photography and just forget about your style and uniqueness and just indulge in free-style and experimentation.
i guess this is mid-life job crisis where one loses faith in what one's doing as there seems to be no progress in one's area of work?
maybe we can organise an overseas excursion!
szekiat, why not drop some of the projects and perhaps take on a person project? e.g. find a worthy theme or genre and actively work to fulfill that instead of shooting professionally all the time?
i get that feeling all the time, and you know i shoot freelance/part-time as well. so it's a constant struggle to find that muse within ourselves.
i get that feeling all the time, and you know i shoot freelance/part-time as well. so it's a constant struggle to find that muse within ourselves.
If you can afford it, stop shooting for money.
Shoot for yourself instead of satisfying others.
A job is a job.. If the job is so rewarding and satisfying. Why would you need to be paid to do it?
If shooting for yourself still make your unhppay, then it might do you good to quit and take up other hobby.
It's your life, surely you will know what to do with it. What we can do is only advise. Being a photographic forum, most will advise you to stay on.
Shoot for yourself instead of satisfying others.
A job is a job.. If the job is so rewarding and satisfying. Why would you need to be paid to do it?
If shooting for yourself still make your unhppay, then it might do you good to quit and take up other hobby.
It's your life, surely you will know what to do with it. What we can do is only advise. Being a photographic forum, most will advise you to stay on.
thanks for all the encouragement and support. I'm working on something called the 26things hunt. Hope it'll help. Meantime, i'll be taking only the bare min projects. Sigh, just got made official unit photographer, didn't even know SAF has an estab for such a position. Thanks ppl.
BS: Would u really want/need any of my stuff. I think u have most of what i have.
BS: Would u really want/need any of my stuff. I think u have most of what i have.
haha.. the SAF can have any kind of estab they want.. as long as the OC or CO happy can liao.. i was also in one of those funny positions because of some rare skill (common sense). but if it keeps u away from most trainings and saikangs, it's ok lah.. if not better not mention u got the skill.. or even more arrows come ur way. :sweat:
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