Loosing Interest.

craig · Nov 28, 2007

Why? With all due respect to Stubbsk and the rest of TPF. This Topic is played. Losing interest is a tough position for sure. We have all been there. Point is that photography is a personal journey. Sometimes the answer needs to be found deep inside. If you take the medium seriously then you have to get serious about finding the answers.

On closer reflection my comment could offend or be misconstrued. Simply trying to have fun and get my point across. I often forget that censorship on the internet is very important.

Love & Bass

Mesoam · Nov 28, 2007

i went through a stint of about 3 years with loss of interest...

one day i got bored and went out shooting just randomly (hopped in my car) and voila my passion was revived

sometimes you just need a break

WDodd · Nov 28, 2007

I am going through this very same thing myself. Reasons may be varied, school, the photography class I am taking, and whatever else. But I think going on a fun self-appointed photo assignment would be a good place to start. I know I haven't picked up my camera for myself in at least a month or more.

gizmo2071 · Nov 28, 2007

I think there's a problem with your aspirations if your losing passion for photography at a young age and want to go to university to study it.
If your losing the passion, then maybe decide sooner rather than later if it's going to be worth the money to go to Uni and study something that you've lost the passion for.
Working as a professional photographer requires alot of passion and dedication.
But that aside, I'm sure I read the word passion in a different sense than what you intended.
If your course isn't motivationg you, then your going to have to take it into your own hands. When I studided photography at college, my ability was way above that of what was being taught and thus the assignments were bleak and boring to me. So myself and my lecturers raised the bar. Instead of just shooting for the assignment, we decided on themes and tehniques that would challenge me, but still relating it to the assignment.
I'm not sure how to go about getting inspired, other than using your eyes. Looking at other peoples work. See what you like, find out how it was done. the internet is an indisposable source to get inspired. If you can't find something that makes you go "wow", then maybe you do need to take a step back and truely appreciate some of the things that you see.

shorty6049 · Nov 28, 2007

My technique for trying to bring back some of the fun is to usually either try a new technique, (create your own bokeh shapes, long exposure object distorion stuff, stock photography, etc.) and just sorta play around with stuff, maybe visualize what you want something to look like, then take a picture and use photoshop to MAKE it that, yesterday, i move a squirel from a garbage can to a stump...
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a296/shorty6049/sqrl.jpg
http://i13.photobucket.com/albums/a296/shorty6049/sqrlpshopped.jpg

or, maybe you could just learn more about technique and how to use lighting to create a mood... but yeah, college does that to you. i only shoot for yearbook now pretty much and i just loose motivation to go out and take pictures for fun... so i can definately relate to that

Antithesis · Nov 28, 2007

A couple of my friends are pro's and they look at photography as a simple means of income and that's it. If I ask if they want to go take some photo's of this or that they kind of just sneer at me. I don't ever want to lose my interest in the artistic side of it, as it's one of the more exciting mediums I've ever worked with.

It's easier to decide now if photography will make a good profession for you. Better now before you spend $20k-80k on a formal education that will just make you miserable.

shaunx · Nov 30, 2007

its true tht stdyng at campus is not at all effective.so take a camera and go into nature and unbound the secrets of that...

shaunx · Nov 30, 2007

will if u r intersted in taking any cameras take nikon d100 its nt so expensive and u ll get a very gud image in that...:thumbup:

stubbsk · Nov 30, 2007

You couldn't tear me away from photography before I was on meds but now that I take them I can actually work a job and get to college. It's really difficult to weigh up the pros and cons. I always hit this point where I question my doctor, It's kind of dangerous though.

Flash Harry · Nov 30, 2007

I did college here too and agree most assignments at the time seem pointless but they are structured to train you the art, learn you about the light, how to use it to best effect etc etc.

If your planning to pursue this game as a career then I suggest plodding on and in addition take time out from assignments to shoot for you.

When you do this for a living its not all glamour, I've had jobs that were terrible, photographing chickens in a farmyard for example, try lying in cow muck to shoot a chicken so some moron chicken farmer can have it made into a wheel cover for a 4 x4, point is, if you want to earn money you have to be prepared to shoot anything, it pays the mortgage, my advice is, just do it, and think, "it can only get better from here on in." H