I'm not getting any better, and I'm not very original anymore..

January 8th, 2009
  • Have any of you ever felt like this?
    I'm somewhat new to photography still, (Almost 3 years) but I was recently looking at some older pictures I've taken before I got my SLR. They look really nice, and I wonder what happened to all that talent. My pictures just don't seem that great anymore. Maybe I'm just still getting used to my DSLR, but every good picture I've taken with it looks like someone elses. I don't have my own style that made people think "ohhh, that's something only Brandon would think of!" I almost feel like I should stop learning new photography tricks! :confused:


  • Have any of you ever felt like this?


    Absolutely. It's kind of hard to give advice as to what to do about it, as each person's "photographic wall" (kinda like writer's block) has to be overcome individually, but I can tell you that it happens to just about everyone. I have been into photography for 22 years now, and it has happened a few times where I feel I am out of sync with what I am doing. Sometimes I just put the camera away for a little while, or flip through some books or magazines just to get some new ideas for what I want to try.


  • Have any of you ever felt like this?


    Sure I've felt that way. I've been in and out of photography for almost 30 years. There's been times I didn't touch my SLR for several years at a time. I actually sold off a bunch of equipment back in the mid '80s to underwrite building my first PC (HUGE mistake!). One lesson I've learned is this: no matter what kind of "block" you face don't ever, ever, ever get rid of your camera equipment. The "bug" part of being a shutterbug will come back and you'll be glad you can pick up your equipment where you left off. You've made the investment - don't backtrack on that.

    FYI, though I haven't touched it in over 15 years my complete darkroom remains neatly and carefully packed away at the house. Inside, where it's safe! One of these days I'll get overcome by the urge to smell chemistry in the air and be glad I've lugged that stuff around all this time!


  • Haha cool, I'm not the only one. I'll definitely try those things you guys mentioned!


  • There are a couple of things you could try to get you over this slump:

    *Find a photography contest that asks for a specific theme, like the monthly one here at TPF.

    *Walk or drive around town and find things in nature and on buildings that form letters. This is great for developing your eye.

    *Take an object, any object and photograph it around town. Again great for developing your eye.

    Also, remember that not every photograph has to be creative and original.


  • I've felt like this a couple times but I figured that you won't get any better worrying about it. there's no point doing a hobby if you aren't having fun with it.


  • Tonight I accepted an invite from someone who has made a cave here their home for the last 8 years.

    On the long walk up the hill to his cave I stopped occasionally to admire the view. Fantastic. Breathtaking even. But, it wasn't until I shared a couple of drinks and stuff inside the cave I really got a new perspective on life.

    I'd show the photographs, but I didn't take any.

    Photography should never be about imitating the shots you've seen before in several magazines. It should be about showing the life only you have experienced.

    Or, summat?

    I'll take my camera next time!


  • Slow down and get back to what's important. The very first thing you should do is grab a 256mb Memory card and shoot in RAW.

    The curse of the DSLR is that taking photos is free. If it's not free (limited card space for a given day) then you will stop, think, slow down a bit, and not just take photos for photos sake.

    Other things you can try and do is take all photos with a tripod. All of them. Again it'll slow you down. You will put more effort into framing and composing.


  • I did once. Then I realized that I have no eye for taking pictures of things, stuff, city/landscapes. Apparently things that I an easily amused by are quite boring to the majority of other people. But I do however take pictures of people, I find people, by far, more interesting than the other crap I was trying to shoot and some of the turn out pretty good too! So thats what I stick to, is people. Not that I won't shoot other things when I find an interest in something, but I just enjoy shooting people the most.


  • This reminds me of something that happen when I was first learning to shoot. I was looking at one of Ansel Adams images, B&W of course. It was a bunch of dark, dead trees with snow on all the branches on a gray day. AWESOME!
    I wanted to shoot something like that, so first chance I got I did. Sent them out ( I was shooting slides then) Got them back hurried home, turned on my light box looked at them an thought......... Looks like just a bunch of dark, dead trees with snow on the branches on a gray day BLAH! :confused:

    Ansel Adams = Masterpeice
    John Olexa = BLAH!


  • As Garbz mentioned, do something to slow you down.

    I am SO much more creative with my 50 1.8 than ANY other lens. Sometime when you go out, ONLY take your 50 1.8. It'll force you to be more creative than "zoom, click".







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