I miss the day

Robin Usagani · Dec 4, 2014

I really miss the day when I was not money driven. I used to love to shoot anything. Now I have lost the the drive and only shoot for money. A couple of models have approached me wanting to elaborate but I kinda turned them down because I want $. I don't feel like leaving my house just to shoot for fun anymore. I wish I am more passionate like I was 4 years ago. Anyone else in the same situation? How do you fix it?

tirediron · Dec 4, 2014

Ugh... sorry dude. Not fun! I consider myself lucky; I still love to shoot anything and everything. My suggestion would be to find a personal project to work on. Mine is the Veteran's Portrait Project. While it's ostensibly a money-loser (in that I not only shoot for free, I give away a free print) I have actually done quite well from it through (heavily discounted) additional print sales. It's not making a lot of money, but it is more than paying for itself. The real beauty is that as it progresses, I keep coming up with different directions to take it.

Braineack · Dec 4, 2014

I wish more people would pay me money to shoot. It's the only reason I get out of bed at 5:30am every day.

ronlane · Dec 4, 2014

Do the kids have any interest? If so, give them a P&S and take them out for a walk. You get the benefit of having them with you and you get to shoot.

I have taken my daughter with me and let her pick the subject and we talk about how to compose it and get things set up and then I have let her press the shutter (so technically they are her shots.) I do this because she doesn't like the P&S we handed down to her because it won't zoom as well as my DSLR.

Robin Usagani · Dec 4, 2014

My kids are too young. I have let them go crazy with my x100s but I dont think they are ready to learn lol. they are almost 5. Maybe another year or two they will be ready. I guess I just don't have all the extra time. I am either at work or home with the family. If I take away time from kids, it better be for $.. you know? Yeah if I do go out with my kids, I do bring my camera. That's really the only time I shoot for fun.

ronlane · Dec 4, 2014

My youngest is almost 6 and I've taken him out a few times too. Here is one of my favorite photos to document the first photowalk I took him on (He was 4 at the time).

Photowalk 10-20-8 by Ron_Lane, on Flickr

The other thing that I do is get up early in the morning on Saturdays before they wake up and go out shooting or go out in the evening after they go to bed (if the wife doesn't mind) on Friday nights. I understand about spending time with them and that limits the time I go shoot too. I just have to make myself at the times I can.

Derrel · Dec 4, 2014

You could move to a cabin in the woods, and leave allll of that behind! You know, let your hair get all shaggy...maybe write a manifesto...hunt game, live off the land...no waitr,wait, that was a movie! :applause:

ronlane · Dec 4, 2014

Derrel said:
You could move to a cabin in the woods, and leave allll of that behind! You know, let your hair get all shaggy...maybe write a manifesto...hunt game, live off the land...no waitr,wait, that was a movie!

You left out the part about befriending a grizzly bear... lol

Braineack · Dec 4, 2014

start posting videos online about photography. Make sure to make up complete fabrications and stretch the truth and make people believe it's fact.

Robin Usagani · Dec 4, 2014

Will the cabin have electricity for me to edit my photos derrel?

Derrel · Dec 4, 2014

Braineack said:
start posting videos online about photography. Make sure to make up complete fabrications and stretch the truth and make people believe it's fact.

Nope...Tony's already got that niche sewed up.

And Robin, the electricity to generate your photos will come from solar power charging systems, one on the roof of the cabin, and several smaller, portable ones.

SoulfulRecover · Dec 4, 2014

Derrel said:
You could move to a cabin in the woods, and leave allll of that behind! You know, let your hair get all shaggy...maybe write a manifesto...hunt game, live off the land...no waitr,wait, that was a movie!

Mick Dodge with an eye for photography! that would be brilliant!

sashbar · Dec 4, 2014

Try something new. Like street photography. Check this guy - scroll down to his Suffering of Light album (or choose somebody of similar level, there is half a dozen) and prove to yourself you have an eye and vision and taste and dedication to capture something close to this. That would be a hell of a challenge. Get your result here and bath in our admiration.

Magnum Photos Photographer Portfolio

Trever1t · Dec 4, 2014

Robin Usagani said:
I really miss the day when I was not money driven. I used to love to shoot anything. Now I have lost the the drive and only shoot for money. A couple of models have approached me wanting to elaborate but I kinda turned them down because I want $. I don't feel like leaving my house just to shoot for fun anymore. I wish I am more passionate like I was 4 years ago. Anyone else in the same situation? How do you fix it?

I got a better job, priced myself out of the range of most and only shoot for fun now...well for the most part. Passion comes and goes. How ya been?