Venting/Stagnant/Ugh

[dennybeall]

Walk over to your bookcase - select any book thicker than 1.2 inches - sit down - close eyes - open book to a random page - touch page - open eyes and write down word at your fingertip - repeat 10 times - take a picture to illustrate the cover of the book you would write based on those 10 words.
denny

 

[robbins.photo]

Go to the gas station and get the biggest map you can get. Hang the map. Throw a dart and see where it lands. Then take the map, wad it up into a big ball, and set it on fire.

Discover that burning stuff is good.

Lol

 

[MRPhotography]

I know this might seem simplistic, but just keep shooting. Shoot anything, random gizmos and widgets and anything that might look different. I find the key for me is to just keep shooting until some crazy idea pops into my head that I have the means to shoot.

 

[AceCo55]

Here are two sites that get a lot of inspiration from.
Both involve challenges and submissions within a limited time frame.
I don't submit but I do get plenty of ideas to practice on.

DPChallenge - A Digital Photography Contest
FujiMugs: Photo Challenges and Member Mugshots

 

[photoguy99]

Of course it all looks the same. Hang around the same group of people for long enough, listening to their advice, and everything you shoot will start to look the same.

All that crap you've heard:

- too contrasty, not contrasty enough
- don't use selective color
- that vignette is too heavy handed
- don't do this
- don't do that

and a million other things. Set that all aside.

I hate these exercises that purport to produce ideas. Generally we do not lack for ideas, we lack focus.

Look at some of your photos that didn't work out like you wanted. What DID you want? Distill that idea. Focus. Boil it down to a single word, phrase, or feeling. Think. What were you after, and why didn't you get it? How can you get what you wanted? What's the most obvious, direct, heavy-handed, dunder-headed way to get what you wanted?

Remember, you've set aside all the advice you've gotten. Everything technical you know about making a "good" photo. It's possible that the right approach to your idea is TPF-compliant, but probably not.

 

[Village Idiot]

Learn to light. Shoot people. You'll never have this problem again, you'll just have the new problem of not having enough people available to create your ideas.

 

[mishele]

I think it's time for some more selfies!!

 

[keyseddie]

I think it's time for some more selfies!!

Yes, Ms Moderator, more selfies.
Little bunny, you fancy yourself an artist, right?
Go to an art museum, look at paintings. My faves were the Impressionists. See how they used light and color. Harmony and balance are as important in your finished images as they are in a melody.
And this is how you should feel when you leave.

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[Fred Berg]

The fallow field principle comes to mind. Pack away all your equipment for a while and do other things. Regeneration can't occur if you continue to plough an exhausted area.

 

[dennybeall]

Tried the "selfie" thing. Not sure I got it right??

 

[Ilovemycam]

Thanks all, I'm spending some time wallowing in my self pity and frustration but reading all your great replies as I do.
Venting to you all has worked before so fingers crossed that the spin cycle will end soon, even my go to happy places aren't providing any satisfaction and that is new.
Hopefully I soon will come out the other end with .........

I'm grateful I am not a conceptional / studio / staged photo person. All I need is to open my door and go outside and start shooing.

HCB once aid all that is needed is 2 feet, a finger and an eye for photojournalism. May I suggest you take up street and doc work...you will never be in the place you are in again as long as you have 2 feet, a finger and an eye.

 

[Ilovemycam]

Walk over to your bookcase - select any book thicker than 1.2 inches - sit down - close eyes - open book to a random page - touch page - open eyes and write down word at your fingertip - repeat 10 times - take a picture to illustrate the cover of the book you would write based on those 10 words.
denny

Photo books are great for the slow times. Not playing the word game, but studying from the masters. It is also a good time to do testing and refining of techniques.

 

[Ilovemycam]

Of course it all looks the same. Hang around the same group of people for long enough, listening to their advice, and everything you shoot will start to look the same.

All that crap you've heard:

- too contrasty, not contrasty enough
- don't use selective color
- that vignette is too heavy handed
- don't do this
- don't do that

and a million other things. Set that all aside.

I hate these exercises that purport to produce ideas. Generally we do not lack for ideas, we lack focus.

Look at some of your photos that didn't work out like you wanted. What DID you want? Distill that idea. Focus. Boil it down to a single word, phrase, or feeling. Think. What were you after, and why didn't you get it? How can you get what you wanted? What's the most obvious, direct, heavy-handed, dunder-headed way to get what you wanted?

Remember, you've set aside all the advice you've gotten. Everything technical you know about making a "good" photo. It's possible that the right approach to your idea is TPF-compliant, but probably not.

Yes, well spoken post.

 

[Ilovemycam]

Learn to light. Shoot people. You'll never have this problem again, you'll just have the new problem of not having enough people available to create your ideas.

I have few people that cooperate. That is why I do street work..no cooperation needed.


One can also turn to flowers, landscapes, still life, etc.

 

[Ilovemycam]

Thank you all for your posts, each and every one of them contained something that is helping (I wish I didn't wait weeks to vent but then I wouldn't have been at the level of frustration I'm currently at and it would have been half hearted). I think Paul hit it on the head with the brain patterns and going through the same pathways over and over and over again so reading all the replies (over and over) is sending me in different directions. It kinda came together while I was laying in front of the window re-reading the thread and contemplating, I actually have a picture to post (something I would normally not posted because of a couple small imperfections like a corner clipped) I'm thinking that's a start in the right direction, at least it's something that doesn't get lost in my stream as "more of the same".

I love you guys

Get into street photos, you can cut off big chunks and still be a success!