The Coffee House

[cgw]

Yeah - Maine Governor keeps issuing AQIs. Stay safe/healthy out there.

Thanks. It's a long weekend Civic Holiday Monday here that makes laying low easier.

 

[jeffashman]

Toronto came in 2nd this morning for the planet's worst air quality! Brutal year for wild fires out West. Memories of that long ago 2 pack/day habit--hack, choke, splutter...

I'll see your two packs and raise you two packs... when I was a young airman cartons were $2.50 at the Exchange... then one day I quit cold turkey.

 

[nerwin]

I'm not sure what to do. I lost so much interest in photography, I hardly touched my camera in almost 2 months now. I have no motivation to even take photos, its like I don't even care anymore. I have film I took and I'm considering just throwing them out haha. It just kind of sucks when something you've done for so many years and you start to let it go it feels like you are losing your identity you know? When I was actively shooting, I felt like I had a purpose but now I'm in search of something else. Looking back through my past work, I hardly even recognize my photos. I know I took them but they feel as if they were taken by someone else.

I'm having a hard time processing this, I feel a bit lost as what to do. I know photography isn't everything and theres more to life. If I don't love it anymore, why should I keep forcing myself trying to love it? It's just that I've done this for nearly 20 years, it's part of my life and its always been there. It's hard to let it go.

I'm not sure if anyone can relate, but I really do feel alone in this. I really do appreciate the support here over the years and one of the reasons I keep or well trying to keep active here is because this place was one of the original places I signed up for after getting serious about photography and I learned a lot from all of you so I thank you.

 

[smoke665]

If I don't love it anymore, why should I keep forcing myself trying to love it? It

The way I view life, is there are certain activities that are mandatory IE: Job, taking care of family, home, health, etc. You have to do them regardless of if you enjoy it. The time required for those mandatory activities ebbs and flows, sometimes requiring less sometimes more. That little sliver of time left over is for personal relaxation and recuperation. That time is valuable, you shouldn't be forcing yourself to do anything during this period. Take a photo, read a book, watch a movie, take a nap, take a walk, or do absolutely nothing but never feel pressured to do anything nor guilt on how you use personal time.

 

[snowbear]

@nerwin: Do something else for a while. I once got burned out from a painting class that I didn’t pick up a brush for years. When I finally did, I realized I missed it.

Maybe find some challenges. Those are really what got me back into painting. I’m not talking about a photo a day kind of thing but maybe a weekly or monthly theme.

 

[snowbear]

Staying in MD one more day to try and finish clearing the house. The main floor is finished and the basement is almost done, but I think there are a few boxes in the attic. The goal is to get it in the trailer, but we won’t transport home until September. Once MLSIL’s surgery is done, I’ll run the trailer up, then come back down after a few days.

 

[smoke665]

@snowbear I remember the last move 17 years ago, I'm gonna let the kids deal with it here when I'm gone. LOL

 

[snowbear]

@snowbear I remember the last move 17 years ago, I'm gonna let the kids deal with it here when I'm gone. LOL

They can deal with the next one.

 

[VidThreeNorth]

About Steven Brust:

I am near the end of reading "The Adventure of the Five Pips" story by Conan Doyle and I was thinking about reading something that was not Holmes for a break before I got into reading the next story. Now, I have always considered Steven Brust to be the best current living writer in the English language, and I thought that I would read a bit from one of his books. Then I thought about it, and I remembered that he had posted his own readings of his books and stories. So I searched Google and yes, he has something going on. Now, I might still read a bit of his anyway, but regardless of that, I thought I'd recommend that if you feel like listening to a great author reading his own (very fun) work, you might check out what he has posted:

"Hawk by Steven Brust",​

Posted to YouTube Oct 7, 2014 by "Corwin Brust", [Length 34:21]

""​

 

[nerwin]

Picked up an IBC tote today. Still had some "organic premium agave syrup" left in it. Was just used up last week.

 

[SquarePeg]

I'm not sure what to do. I lost so much interest in photography, I hardly touched my camera in almost 2 months now. I have no motivation to even take photos, its like I don't even care anymore. I have film I took and I'm considering just throwing them out haha. It just kind of sucks when something you've done for so many years and you start to let it go it feels like you are losing your identity you know? When I was actively shooting, I felt like I had a purpose but now I'm in search of something else. Looking back through my past work, I hardly even recognize my photos. I know I took them but they feel as if they were taken by someone else.

I'm having a hard time processing this, I feel a bit lost as what to do. I know photography isn't everything and theres more to life. If I don't love it anymore, why should I keep forcing myself trying to love it? It's just that I've done this for nearly 20 years, it's part of my life and its always been there. It's hard to let it go.

I'm not sure if anyone can relate, but I really do feel alone in this. I really do appreciate the support here over the years and one of the reasons I keep or well trying to keep active here is because this place was one of the original places I signed up for after getting serious about photography and I learned a lot from all of you so I thank you.

Interest in most hobbies will ebb and flow through the years. I’ve felt photo burn out for the last year+. During covid I really got into it and by 2022 had found a great group of photographers to shoot with. I took so many photos that I eventually found myself questioning the meaningfulness of it all.

These days when I go out to shoot it’s either a social thing - to spend time with my photographer friends, or it’s a self care thing to spend some meditative time alone. Rarely is it a quest for a certain shot like it used to be. I haven’t even downloaded the photos that I took of the Milky Way last week. My focus has shifted to gardening and painting. But I suspect that will change at some point and photography will come back around as a primary interest for me. If it doesn’t and a few years go by , then I’ll worry about it.

You seem to be focusing more on landscaping and farm type equipment. Nothing wrong with having multiple interests. Give yourself permission to enjoy other things without feeling guilty about ignoring photography for a while.

 

[VidThreeNorth]

Mozilla FireFox (?): New Problem -- Interface DOWNGRADE

I don't know if this goes beyond FireFox, but my Internet interface changed, REMOVING the "re-load" icon. This icon used to sit on my 4th line from the top. I used to have icons for "back", "forward", "home" and then "re-load". This is terrible. For example, If I open three pages of "YouTube" I normally keep the main "YouTube" page open in a tab and go back to it to see is something new is available. and then normally hit the "re-load" icon to see what's new. I really dislike this.

 

[VidThreeNorth]

Mozilla FireFox (?): New Problem -- Interface DOWNGRADE

I don't know if this goes beyond FireFox, but my Internet interface changed, REMOVING the "re-load" icon. This icon used to sit on my 4th line from the top. I used to have icons for "back", "forward", "home" and then "re-load". This is terrible. For example, If I open three pages of "YouTube" I normally keep the main "YouTube" page open in a tab and go back to it to see is something new is available. and then normally hit the "re-load" icon to see what's new. I really dislike this.

I seem to have fixed it. I'm not sure how, but it's back again, but now I have an extra blank in the menu bar. This I can live with, but it's getting reeeeally irritating.

 

[smoke665]

took so many photos that I eventually found myself questioning the meaningfulness of it all.

Been there done that. Glanced at my LR master file the other day, I'm sitting at 22,000 images. Scanning the file I found myself WTH was i thinking.

 

[terri]

I seem to have fixed it. I'm not sure how, but it's back again, but now I have an extra blank in the menu bar. This I can live with, but it's getting reeeeally irritating.

Mercury is in retrograde until August 11th. Stuff goes wonky.