Motivation suggestions

There is actually a somewhat well-known neologism for this feeling:  vemodalen, coined about 10-15 yrs ago in "The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows".

"the frustration of photographing something amazing when thousands of identical photos already exist..."

A long time ago I was stationed at a USAF base on a small island.  Easy to walk all the way around in a couple of hours.  There was one area with a cove where late in the day the light was just right.  And the scene with that lighting was only there for a short time during the year I was there.  Anyway, I took the photo (with my Mamiya-Sekor 500TL!, my first camera), and was quite pleased with the result.

I'd kind of forgotten about until I came across it a few years ago; poorly treated and stored over the years, spent a lot of time tweaking it in post, printed it out.  Really happy with the print.

But I wasn't absolutely certain where it was taken, so I did tried a Google image search, and found dozens if not hundreds of similar photos of the same scene.  At first I was mildly disappointed, but I still had the 35mm transparency.  Upon further thought, I realized mine was not exactly like all the others, it was unique to me.  And I have taken many more photos since then that look like tons of others.

Looking at all the other posts in this thread, it's obvious you're not alone.  You might do a search for "shutter therapy", which is the idea that you go out just for the sake of taking pictures that make you happy, and sometimes you find inspiration when you least expect it.

--JustGeorge

   I'm not a photographer, but I play one in real life.

   I take photographs to see how they'll look ... printed.

@delange Glad to hear it. Sometimes we all need a little nudge, it's human. 

Another thing I like to do is to switch to different kinds of photography depending on the season or my mood. Going from Macro to Birds in Flight for example, it's like a completely new set of challenges and feels nothing like the other. 

We were born with the instinct of needing change and to constantly learn. Sometimes that requires we make that happen ourselves. When we don't, it affects our spirit body and mind. 

@delange You're absolutely right that the Benelux countries are not exactly conducive to free roaming in nature (if there is any). I realized this when I pitched my tent in the Netherlands once. I just had to get through the night. The local police gave me a bill for about €90. The Ardennes, however, offers a little more freedom in comparison. I think you can find the peace and motivation you need there. I spent a few nights there myself. Enjoy the spring.

Posted by: @justgeorge

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You might do a search for "shutter therapy", which is the idea that you go out just for the sake of taking pictures that make you happy,

I had no idea there was a name for what I do! I should have patented it or copyrighted it or something. 😡 

I have been wrestling with the whole "comparing my stuff to 'amazing photographs taken by amazing photographers in amazing places" thing for a while now and I think I'm starting to get over it.

Yesterday, I saw an absolutely magnificent, technically perfect shot of Skógafoss Falls in Iceland...and after the initial "oh, wow..." I realized it was perfect...too perfect. I'm starting to see a sameness, almost a sterility about these photos that kind of leaves me flat.

I think watching videos about postprocessing has heightened that because I see just how much some of those photos are "massaged" - not faked or surreal, but cleaned and polished maybe a little too much. I realize "how much is too much" is completely and utterly subjective, but it almost feels like AI is trying to become human.... and humans are trying to be AI.

As I try to sort out what it is that *I* do, I am realizing that I need to take pictures that *I* like - with the realization that other people may, or may not agree...and that's ok. If they do, that's great, but t's all about me, dammit! 😝 

As I go back through my catalog (it's really more of a "kittenlog") I realize that the pictures I like the most are things that I "found" while out on a hike or my lunchtime walk. They might be a big panorama or a closeup of a bug. They might be abstract or patterns that just appealed to me...and maybe no one else.( Many of them were taken with my phone, because that's what I had with me at that moment in time).

I think it helps that I am not on social media, that I grew up in a small town where I didn't fit in and that all my life I have generally been a square peg in a world of round holes. I am more than ok with that and maybe it's made it easier for me to look at what other people are doing and go "....that's nice..." and go and do my own thing. <shrug>

We hear all the time that we need to take pictures that are "impactful" and "tell a story", but do we? All the time? I don't think so. I am not trying to make a living at this. I am not trying to generate clicks or likes, just trying to open my eyes to what's around me an maybe capture some of it. Do I need to work on my composition, technical and postprocessing skills? Hell yeah. I have taken many shots I've been disappointed with and I definitely have a lot to learn. Do I consider and value the input of others?  Yes, for sure. A fresh perspective can often be instructive. I can check my ego at the door when someone says they don't like something I've done. (Then I politely tell them to get the hell out of my house... 😝  ).

I've reached the conclusion I need to just grab the camera and go, and if I don't spoil a perfectly good hike by farting around with a camera, that's ok too.

Posted by: @libor-vaic

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@delange You're absolutely right that the Benelux countries are not exactly conducive to free roaming in nature (if there is any). I realized this when I pitched my tent in the Netherlands once. I just had to get through the night. The local police gave me a bill for about €90. The Ardennes, however, offers a little more freedom in comparison. I think you can find the peace and motivation you need there. I spent a few nights there myself. Enjoy the spring.

Wild camping in Belgium is not allowed at all. Same as in the Netherlands, you will get fined if the police catches you. There are only a very few campsites where you can pitch up. 

But yes, there a lot of place to "hide" in the Ardennes. I do visit the south of Belgium regularly. I have a van I can sleep in. Last spring I visited a new area that is not known by many photographers. There are a few nice compositions there. Last year we had a very dry summer and due to that there wasn't a lot of water in the streams. But this is an area that I will probably visit again this coming autumn. 

I went out past Sunday in a small woodland close to my home. It is a woodland that is not popular, even among hikers. Maybe it is a less known woodland, I don't know. But I had some fun there with my camera. The weather conditions were ok: overcast and rain; ideal for woodland photography. It was one week to soon for the wild garlic so I'll be heading there again this weekend. 

Are you a regular hiker (with a tent a such)? This is something I want to get into as well. This brings you even closer to nature.     

@delange Free camping is quite difficult in Europe. You would have to live in Scandinavia to avoid being prosecuted by the police. Maybe Romania and Bulgaria, but that's about it. I'm not sure, but if you spend the night in a hammock, it might not be considered camping. I slept in a hammock for a month in Australia and it was great.

I used to spend a lot of time in a tent. The golden age of camping for me was when I was doing field research in South America. I spent many months in a tent. But that changed a lot with the kids. But I think I'll get back to it.

You don't mention how long you've been shooting pictures, so this might not apply.

Put your camera down for a bit.

Look back through your image catalog. Closely look.

I find that after a time of not looking at my images, I see more of what's there.

Use this to perhaps change your ratings/reprocess/renew your imagery.

You might find that just looking back on the fruit of your labor might reignite the fire of why you took the images in the first place.

Start there, and stop worrying about social media. IMHO social media is a destructive influence on creative minds.

Create what speaks to you, not what others think, that's what is important.

good luck.

Posted by: @doobs

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You don't mention how long you've been shooting pictures, so this might not apply.

Oh, I don't like to count the years... too many :-)

I started in the film era long ago. My first camera was an F601. 

Posted by: @doobs

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Start there, and stop worrying about social media. IMHO social media is a destructive influence on creative minds.

Create what speaks to you, not what others think, that's what is important.

good luck.

Yes, that is good advice. And yes it is important to create what you like yourselves whiteout worrying what others think. 

I have been going out again with my camera. Had several good shots in a local woodland while the wild garlic was in bloom. Enjoyed myself! I attached one image below. 

So Pascal I have to ask, how's your motivation now? Have you printed yet? Nudge nudge! :)

Posted by: @delange

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Enjoyed myself! 

....and that's what matters.

(Oh, and I love the shot)

Posted by: @3percent

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So Pascal I have to ask, how's your motivation now? Have you printed yet? Nudge nudge! :)

Motivation is starting to get back. Really enjoyed myself during the shoot in the woods. I did come back with several good images which helps motivation too. The one above being one of them. I post them on my Flickr page on a weekly basis (more or less). And of course, I do print the images; it is a part of the whole experience.  

I also visited another place to scout. For this particular location I need some foggy morning. I'll need to keep an eye on the weather forecast... If this doesn't materialize during spring then I could still shoot it in snowy conditions. So I have options here. 

And I need to scout for more locations so that I have a "catalog" of places to go to for different types of weather conditions. The interesting spring conditions are slowly coming to an end. I think I might turn my attention to coastal scenes soon.   

Posted by: @bo-gussname

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Posted by: @delange

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Enjoyed myself! 

 

....and that's what matters.

(Oh, and I love the shot)

 

Thanks! 

And yes, couldn't agree with you more!

At time, nothing wrong at all with "take a break". Enjoy life without a camera of any kind. When it is right you will start wishing you had one to record or interpret your world.

That said, when in the doldrums pick some banal, everyday subject or bit of metal or building or whatever and start recording images of it, around it. Easy to throw away what doesn't work, or all of it. In doing so you might find a new project to work on.

https://www.ndaga.org/dan-smith.html

A project that is ongoing. Found Images - of the everyday.

If you want to see what I consider the top of the mountain for this type of idea check out Ernst Haas book THE CREATION.  https://www.ambushdesign.com/en-us/stories/creating-timelessness-the-photography-of-ernst-haas

It is excellent. Sure wish it would be re-printed with the top quality available now.

The original story I was told about it was that an assistant brought him a bunch of his images arranged in sequence and told him "you have photographed the Creation". He shot more and filled it out and the book was printed.

Or, looke to Jim Brandenburg. 

A National Geographic shooter who figured he was in a rut, tired and needed inspiration. He set a goal of ONE shot per day(one Frame, not one culled from many) for 90 days.

He stuck to it. The video is interesting and inspiring. So is the book.

Getting out of the rut may not be easy but it can be done - and even "the great" among us find times that they have to work to do so.

My thought is that I am still a happy snapper. That is where I start. I will photograph the hotel, the bedroom, the messy table with laptop and CF reader, the road I came in on. The equipment I have .. just takes better memories.

Then I can take "proper" photographs when I think about it for a bit.

Not sure if that makes sense, but I understand it.

cheers, peter