Finding camera time

mrstravis · Aug 9, 2011

My boyfriend says that I lack adventure bc I won't just drive around and shoot. Do you guys take your camera with you everywhere you go, or do you leave home with a set place in mind to shoot? I'm asking bc between work, my 5 year old and my bf, I find it hard to take pics. Admittedly, I am very scary and fear getting robbed, although I am using a ps camera, I still don want it stolen. Am I being silly? How do do you make time for doing what you really enjoy?

jentard · Aug 9, 2011

I believe that everyone has their own way of doing things. Personally I love taking random drives around town with my camera. However, people always ask me, "if you're a photographer why don't you have your camera with you alllllll the time?!" This saying makes me a tad angry! Lol. Anyways, it is a good thing to get out and explore, but if you can't....then you can't!! You can't force creativity/adventure.

SrBiscuit · Aug 9, 2011

do a search on this forum...there was a thread not too long ago about taking your gear everywhere you go...lots of great stuff in there.

edit - even did the legwork for ya

http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/...photo-gallery/235732-carrying-camera-you.html

mrstravis · Aug 9, 2011

Maybe I will get a can of mace. I would love to just go out and explore, but my fear holds me back. I would like someone to go out with me but I wouldn't want them to talk to me. Lol. One of these days I'm just gonna get in my car and drive. So if you see something interesting, will you pull over on side of the road if necessary? I think a big part of me doesn't want to look weird standing around snapping pics and having people gawking at me. " hey who is the nutcase with the camera?"

mrstravis · Aug 9, 2011

SrBiscuit said:
do a search on this forum...there was a thread not too long ago about taking your gear everywhere you go...lots of great stuff in there.

edit - even did the legwork for ya

http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/photography-beginners-forum-photo-gallery/235732-carrying-camera-you.html

Thanks for the legwork.. don't make it a habit, I would hate to turn into one of the noobs that expects everything to be done for them. lol, thanks again!

tirediron · Aug 9, 2011

Don't worry about it - the chances of getting robbed are pretty slight. I always have at least my 'ready' bag in the truck (one body, six lenses from UWA to medium tele, and a couple of speedlights) and usually my secondary bag as well (second body, three more lenses, speedlights, reflectors, filters, etc). I've carried a $5000 bag of gear through slums in India, the "REALLY" back streets of Tijuanna, Mexico, National City in San Diego, and over a good part of Asia. If you worry about what could happen, you will almost certainly miss the shot. I'd rather take a very slight risk with my gear than the much greater risk of missing that shot.

g-fi · Aug 9, 2011

At some point as a photographer, if you're going to pursue this as more than just a hobby you indulge in every now and then, you have to shrug off the self consciousness of "I'm shooting public, everyone is looking at me!" and just do it. It's really nothing more than cognitive behavioral therapy, the more you do it, the less it will bother you and cause you anxiety, and you'll see it's not as scary as you think.

I don't carry my camera with me everywhere I go, and I don't usually just drive around and shoot whatever because I don't really shoot landscapes, or wildlife. My shoots are usually planned to fit in with my schedule, but I do take a lot of pictures with my iPhone 4 when I'm just hanging out or doing a "day in the life" sort of thing. If you're into landscapes, urban cityscapes/life, street portraiture, I definitely think it's important to get in the habit of carrying a camera and capturing what you see, what draws your eye. Photography is like any other skill, no matter how innately good you are at it, you still need to practice, practice, practice. If carrying your camera around and photographing on the spur of the moment is just too much, SCHEDULE time to go shooting, find a spot that appeals to you, and go to town, even if it's just for an hour each weekend.

HTH!

g-fi · Aug 9, 2011

To add, if you are worried about being jacked or your gear getting messed up, insure your gear. I couldn't really tell from your post if you were saying you only have a point and shoot, or if you have a different set of gear, but peace of mind through insurance really isn't that expensive.

EmMcCon · Aug 9, 2011

if I'm somewhere particularly interesting I'll bring my camera otherwise I usually know where I want to go first

Ginu · Aug 9, 2011

I take most of my gear everywhere I go and sometimes I cuss because its way too heavy or because I dont have the Monopod or Tripod or who knows what else I didn't bring along.
In your case, point and shoot, cameras fit nicely in your purse so it can travel anywhere you go... even if it gets stolen its a wee bit on the inexpensive side.

mrstravis · Aug 9, 2011

tirediron said:
Don't worry about it - the chances of getting robbed are pretty slight. I always have at least my 'ready' bag in the truck (one body, six lenses from UWA to medium tele, and a couple of speedlights) and usually my secondary bag as well (second body, three more lenses, speedlights, reflectors, filters, etc). I've carried a $5000 bag of gear through slums in India, the "REALLY" back streets of Tijuanna, Mexico, National City in San Diego, and over a good part of Asia. If you worry about what could happen, you will almost certainly miss the shot. I'd rather take a very slight risk with my gear than the much greater risk of missing that shot.

Wow, well if you weren't worried about your $5,000 worth of gear in those situations then I shouldn't be worried about my whooping $300 worth of gear ( my Nikon Coolpix L120)!!!! Do you travel for the sole purpose of taking pics or were you just visiting those places? I've found that since I got into photography, I want to visit all types of countries just to shoot.

tirediron · Aug 9, 2011

mrstravis said:
Do you travel for the sole purpose of taking pics or were you just visiting those places? I've found that since I got into photography, I want to visit all types of countries just to shoot.

I wish, but no. I am lucky enough though to have a job which frequently finds me in different countries, and usually affords me a significant amount of time to shoot while I am there.

mrstravis · Aug 9, 2011

g-fi said:
At some point as a photographer, if you're going to pursue this as more than just a hobby you indulge in every now and then, you have to shrug off the self consciousness of "I'm shooting public, everyone is looking at me!" and just do it. It's really nothing more than cognitive behavioral therapy, the more you do it, the less it will bother you and cause you anxiety, and you'll see it's not as scary as you think.

I don't carry my camera with me everywhere I go, and I don't usually just drive around and shoot whatever because I don't really shoot landscapes, or wildlife. My shoots are usually planned to fit in with my schedule, but I do take a lot of pictures with my iPhone 4 when I'm just hanging out or doing a "day in the life" sort of thing. If you're into landscapes, urban cityscapes/life, street portraiture, I definitely think it's important to get in the habit of carrying a camera and capturing what you see, what draws your eye. Photography is like any other skill, no matter how innately good you are at it, you still need to practice, practice, practice. If carrying your camera around and photographing on the spur of the moment is just too much, SCHEDULE time to go shooting, find a spot that appeals to you, and go to town, even if it's just for an hour each weekend.

HTH!

I really really like photography and it's definitely something I want to get into heavily. Thus far I only do landscape, animals, etc, bc I don't feel confident enough right now to try portrait. I would like to study more and get more comfortable with the hobby first. Also, I have noticed that some people on the forum have only been in it for a few short months and think that they are good enough to charge for portraits. I don't want to be one of those people that jump ahead of myself and charge people for garbage. Outside of forcing my son and my boyfriend to pose in front of a comforter thrown over a door I haven't tried portraits. Lol.

I only have a ps. I purchased a Nikon Coolpix L120 mainly bc I enjoyed taking random pics during events and such. One day I went to the park just to play around with my new camera and discovered how thrilling yet relaxing photography is. So now that I have fallen in love I am saving up for a "big boy" camera as I call it.

mrstravis · Aug 9, 2011

EmMcCon said:
if I'm somewhere particularly interesting I'll bring my camera otherwise I usually know where I want to go first

Yeah, that's basically what I do as well. But I feel like I am limiting myself. I generally only hit the park, but that gets boring eventually. I think I just have to get over my fears and get out there.

mrstravis · Aug 9, 2011

Ginu said:
I take most of my gear everywhere I go and sometimes I cuss because its way too heavy or because I dont have the Monopod or Tripod or who knows what else I didn't bring along.
In your case, point and shoot, cameras fit nicely in your purse so it can travel anywhere you go... even if it gets stolen its a wee bit on the inexpensive side.

True, it wasn't very expensive but my fear isn't really about the loss of the camera but more so the emotional aspect of getting robbed.