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Full Version: Can't See the Light..
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I am so close to selling (or throwing away) all my equipment. I have 2 exhibitions in the next 60 days - but I haven't taken a picture in months. I have these malaises once in a while, but I am really hitting bottom at the moment. Wish I could get inspired.
It will come... don't give up Toad... always the darkest just before the dawn!
Hang in there Rob! Maybe you need something to get you inspired again - for me, it was little Olivia... Big Grin
Sorry to hear this Toad.

Eventhough you have experience about shows because you have done already some, you might feel a bit under presure about these two comming shows. I think a bit of peace and tranquility will help.

I suggest you take a short trip, and break a bit with your daily routine. Going alone with your camera to a place you know you will find your pictures will provide the mood to gain your inspiration back. France is indeed too far to take a short trip but you might find a nice place in the south where is already warm, where you can take night cafes, and beautiful alleys pictures... Smile

Your inspiration will be back, you will see.
Thanks for your support. Sorry for the down post.
I agree, a trip to a different environment often helps to spur inspiration.
Also I sometimes draw inspiration from going back to older work and getting new ideas of how to continue a project that has been hibernating.
for your exhibitions you don't have to shoot new things, do you?
so just relax and trust in yourself!

uli
Yeah, go somewhere different! A change of scenery is always good. And force yourself to take pictures of things, even if you think they won't be any good. I find most of my most popular photos are ones that I thought were mediocre and a half.


also if you do throw it all in, can i have all your gear? (jk)
Get to the end of the queue. Big Grin

Stick with it Toad. A change is as good as a rest. A bottle or two of red wine is quite a change, with a meal of course.Smile
Hope things are looking up Toad. I really appreciate your time here and all your comments - look forward to seeing some ripper shots and some good news about your exhibitions.
I think we all know the feeling; I've certainly gone through it several times, and right now is one of them. I'm so tired of cameras and all things related to them that I can't even bring myself to use mine. I've actually started looking for other hobbies to give me something to do to get away from it all. Instead of being a daily thing, taking photos is now reserved for the occasional special shoots.
We all do seem to go through these cycles. For me, it was "gear overload." Too much stuff, too many decisions to make before the shooting. I couldn't focus (pun) on a subject because the gear was in the way. (This is related to my recent posts on greatly simplifying my equipment, which I have done, and am really glad I did.) So now I have a little point-and-shoot for good-light, outdoor stuff and it's very liberating. I kept the 10D with a single prime lens (50mm f/1.4) for indoor/low-light shooting only. That's also liberating for me.

The exhibitions - are they themed? If so, can you present something on the theme in a unique way, such as all natural-light, or all abstracts, or all macro, or all the same color, etc? I've been thinking about just shooting "blue" ... no reason, just a color, but when the images are grouped they seem to take on a new life.
slejhamer Wrote:The exhibitions - are they themed? If so, can you present something on the theme in a unique way, such as all natural-light, or all abstracts, or all macro, or all the same color, etc? I've been thinking about just shooting "blue" ... no reason, just a color, but when the images are grouped they seem to take on a new life.
The second one is themed. It is "By Night" and is a collection of a lot of the night photos (cafes, docks, streets, etc.) that I have done over the last few years. The first one is an open-studio exhibition. There is an artists group in Vancouver that opens up their studios to the public for a weekend every year. I am in it this year - so I will have a larger - more general set of work available for that (quantity instead of theme).

Thanks everyone for the encouragement.