Never to seem to have the time...

[rls2002]

Feeling kind of out of sync right now...

Anyone ever face my dilemma ... I love shooting but I never seem to have time and sometimes energy to pursue it the way I would like. After workdays and on weekends during my days off, it seems like I have difficulty dragging myself and my equipment out of the house long enough to shoot locally anymore. About the only time I find myself shooting is when I have planned it during a vacation. Some day when I retire from my day job I hope to supplement my income doing something connected to photography. But to do this I feel like I need to regain my passion for shooting.

Just gotta start dragging myself out more I guess...

 

[craig]

Certainly a deal that all artists go through. There was close to 5 years that I never picked up a camera to shoot personal work. long story short I blamed myself and eventually made the time and motivated. If you love art you always need to be doing it. Of course putting the camera down or whatever is necessary to regain your thoughts, but do not make it a habit.

 

[Imagee]

I know the feeling. I too am not shooting for fun as much as I once was. I do shoot weddings, but I'd hardly call that a fun day! Ok, it's fun...but Soooo stressful!
That's part of the reason I joined this forum. Maybe I can get motivated again!

 

[Big Mike]

Try living up here in the Great White North...for a couple months during the winter...it's dark when I go to work in the morning...and it's dark when I leave work...I hardly get a chance to see the sun...let alone get outside to do any shooting. I can't wait for the summer...when it's light out until 11:00.

 

[dese]

Me too. I think of things I would like to shoot but just never do. I as others are tired after work or have things to do with my kids. When I do have the time I can't get/won't motivated.

 

[Ab$olut]

I think most of us are going through this sort of stage seeing as its winter and all.Washed out skys and gloomy skys .I work nights so once I get up its already dark! .I too can't wait till the summer.

 

[Jeremy Z]

Yep, there's always weekends. Drag yourself out there. If you've been here for more than an hour and it's light out, you should be out there.

Even sometimes when it's dark, you should be out there.

I got out for a couple of hours today, even though I have a cold. It was liberating. (posted the pix in the landscapes gallery)

 

[table1349]

For me it is a change of interest that helps. I just became interested in Macro photography. On bad days or in the evenings I work on it. Granted, no butterflies or dragonflies right now, but I have been amazed with the small world there is to be discovered.

For the next few months I am going to completely explore it. I am sitting at my laptop right now typing this with a broken right ankle. Tomorrow, the Dr. will decide whether to cast it or do surgery. I'm gonna have lots of time where I can't get out so I am really going to explore the macro I can aroud the house and perfect my techique.

 

[Iron Flatline]

It's been really hard. I want to go out and shoot. I really have committed myself to shooting people. I needed to push myself creatively. I realized I had a lot of really well-composed shots of architecture, but they were dead... just lifeless and boring. But shooting people in Berlin when it is -5 out, and the sun sets at 4 PM behind three layers of thick clouds... man, it is hard to get motivated. I've been shooting at ISO 320 or even 640 and I'm still having a tough time nailing a good hand-held exposure, that's how damn dark it is. And the people are bundled up, and I'm shooting with thin leather gloves. Yeah, it's pretty hard to get motivated.

I have all these great shots in mind, when it is raining or right after the snow. I've been planning one shot for two years now, and two nights ago it finally snowed! Well, I've been sick, and working a lot, and the kids were cranky... and there was NO WAY I had the motivation to get out. I missed the shot. And I don't even regret it yet, but I'm sure I will.

I ordered a rain sleeve so I can take my Canon 5D and some fancy lens out in the rain, and shoot some cool stuff I have in mind... but I don't own a raincoat, and decent rain shoes, and I just can't get myself to go out in the rain... I don't want to set up the tripod, and stand there getting wet. And once again, I'm missing the shot.

So yeah, I'm hoping to run out of excuses soon, because there are some great shots out there, but I'm not the one getting them right now...