View Full Version : I'm not motivated to do street photography
Yes, it pains me to say it but I'm bored of street photography. I have pretty much done everything that I could on the street and now I just don't feel motivated at all to do street photography... I don't find it creatively stimulating. First of all its impossible to be original in street photography, pretty much everything has already been done, secondly people in my city are reserved and polite, great people but not visually interesting.
I could be burned out or lack inspiration but whatever it is I need new ideas, something to peak my interest and challenge me, I need to move on beyond street and perhaps get into documentary work but i don't know where to start.
I feel these days a little burned-out.
what about you?
street and documentary presupposes an interest in something, so i'd look at why you aren't interested in things.
Are you saying you don't want to get cussed at, chased, beaten up, and arrested?? :D
Yes, it pains me to say it but I'm bored of street photography. I have pretty much done everything that I could on the street and now I just don't feel motivated at all to do street photography... I don't find it creatively stimulating. First of all its impossible to be original in street photography, pretty much everything has already been done, secondly people in my city are reserved and polite, great people but not visually interesting.
I could be burned out or lack inspiration but whatever it is I need new ideas, something to peak my interest and challenge me, I need to move on beyond street and perhaps get into documentary work but i don't know where to start.
I feel these days a little burned-out.
what about you?
I don't wanna sound pretentious but I cannot seem to come up with anymore creative ideas and incorporate that into my street shooting... Also the novelty and thrill of it has also waned a bit. When i started i used to get a rush and feel thrilled by candid work but I have done it so many times now that...
Anyway, I will be interested to hear if anyone else here have felt the same way.
nikonhswebmaster
03-24-2008, 21:45
When I was teaching during the dark ages of photography (we ONLY had film) I often told my students to return home, shoot your family, or your friends. Everyone starts out on the "street" bringing home zillions of photos of total strangers, but after a time it can lose meaning.
There is often a lot more going on around you, that many people don't seem to see.
Well, I'm in my late 20s and I live in Toronto, Canada.
I envy you. No chance I can ever get to that point unless I move - there is almost no life on the streets around me at all.
photogdave
03-24-2008, 22:07
You lucky young fellow!
It seems you just need a little motivation, a new "eye", a new project.
Leave your camera at home for a week or two. You'll soon be seeing things that'll make you wish you had your camera with you.
This is probably the best advice on offer!
tedwhite
03-24-2008, 22:19
Pixtu has a wonderful point. Leave the damn camera home and just wander about "for a week or two." You won't be rushing about trying to get that great street shot. Relax, try the I Ching: "Not seeking, not caring, not wanting," something along those lines.
You'll be surprised.
Also, you might try doing something totally different in the interim - like portraits. Any camera will do, really. You don't need a Hasselblad or a Rolleiflex. You don't need the street. What's needed is the ability to talk someone into it and develop a (I hate to use this term, but I can't think of a better one) rapport of some degree. My best subject was a young woman who said why do you want to photograph me? I'm nobody, plus I'm ugly.
Anupam Basu
03-24-2008, 23:21
Take a break. Maybe do a different kind of photography. I have been doing only street photography for the last year because I have had to be away from home and away from my Nikon system, and now I have this intense macro craving. It helps if, like me, you do more than one kind of photography very seriously.
One thing that has worked for me is to review past work, tidy up the files, make a few prints, and observe what previous work seems most interesting now. That may point you in a new direction.
I've never been a street guy at all, just happen to use rangefinder cameras because medium format ones fit well in backpacks and wide angle lenses work especially well on them.
In fact, I'm sitting in a bar waiting for the moon to hurry up and rise so I can shoot some moonlit architecture shots of the junior college I'm attending as a parody of Bauhaus photography and architecture since the building in question happens to house the art, natural sciences and engineering departments.... In the car are a tripod, one roll of Acros, a meter, and a Fuji 645.
So not exactly street!
As has been said above, sometimes you need a break. Sometimes you need a new angle. Sometimes a new art all together. There's no shame any way you look at it, why fret?
Pherdinand
03-25-2008, 01:17
My best subject was a young woman who said why do you want to photograph me? I'm nobody, plus I'm ugly.
Ted, can we see the image(s)?:)
Art doesn't die. You're probably seeking too hard and lost both instinct and interest. If you look for something you won't find it, it always find you if you're opened to every concept.
My suggestion young fellow :) : Sit on a bench, observe (without your camera), do what you LOVE to do outdoor (not necessarily alone). Photography is tightly linked to what you live so forget about the pictures, just wander, do your things and if needed, it will catch you again, probably with a new vision. It's a cycle. Enjoy !
edit : If you're looking for a subject, just take a look at your feet, everything close to you. In my case it was obvious : women, school system (im becoming a teacher), my neighboorhood, parisian parks where i wander all spring long, etc etc..
I haven't been in the mood for it for a long time. After "turning pro" and getting a job at a magazine. I don't go out and just snap around anymore. Maybe when it's warmer I'll bother. But lately, not so much.
Does it happen to you with other interests/hobbies ? In my case, I went through my piano, paintings, salsa dancing periods, ...., and they all faded at some point. I am not a one passion guy so eventually my interest in (street) photography may fade one day. I am ok with that, that probably means our brain cannot get stuck on one topic all life. Passion can become obsession. (getting philosophical here ... should start a new thread that would be like : "Je photographie donc je suis") :D
Yes, it pains me to say it but I'm bored of street photography. I have pretty much done everything that I could on the street and now I just don't feel motivated at all to do street photography... I don't find it creatively stimulating. First of all its impossible to be original in street photography, pretty much everything has already been done, secondly people in my city are reserved and polite, great people but not visually interesting.
I could be burned out or lack inspiration but whatever it is I need new ideas, something to peak my interest and challenge me, I need to move on beyond street and perhaps get into documentary work but i don't know where to start.
I feel these days a little burned-out.
what about you?
Try looking for geometry, without ppl first, then try inserting ppl again but only if it matches the geometry you have in mind..
This is the plan that I have.
Rob.
Yes, it pains me to say it but I'm bored of street photography. ...
...what about you?
why does it pain you?
but that advice about leaving the camera behind is a good one.
otoh, i'm burned out too.... .-(
See, actually doing it is harder than bashing the masters.
Street photography is about frustration, persistence, wading through thousands of frames to pick a few really worthy, getting strange looks sometimes from normal people, and all that while remaining obscure for the rest of your photographic life. Think for a moment if you really like it. If you do, you'll continue it anyway, if not, move on to something more rewarding for you.
This may be bad advice, but perhaps you could try to design a street shot that is set up but doesn't appear to be set up? Some have speculated here and elsewhere that the pioneers of street photography have possibly done this to a degree.
Do some "controlled" portraits, family, friends, pretty girls :) - that will reset you. People never get boring.
Much of "street" today is stereotype, anyways.
Roland.
At one point in the past, after years of doing nature close ups on colour slide film, I got tired of that genre and moved on to something else. There's no harm or shame in that. Move on. Find something that does inspire you, even if that thing is outside of photography! You can go back to street shooting if ever you want. No need to burn bridges.
Spyderman
03-25-2008, 05:11
HCB in one documentary once said "if you want it, it won't happen".
Don't push yourself into it.
Just walk with your eyes open, and your camera not too far (maybe in a bag or backpack).
When you see something interesting - snap.
I don't push it. I sometimes have one film in the camera for a few months. But the images from that roll are worth it. More keepers than if I force myself to finish the film in a week.
williams473
03-25-2008, 05:28
Someone said it earlier - photography to some extent reflects life - there is something within you that is not being expressed and served anymore, and so you are bored with what you are seeing, because you are bored with what you think about what you are seeing. I too tired of street shooting for a while, but now that I have four kids a whole new world of understanding about life has opened to me, and I actually see things much differently. It's all about what you bring into the images. Any chimp can snap pictures on the street - it's sorting through the mess and building meaning and finding the gems that makes it Art.
I think most beginning street shooters think street work is just about framing strangers in the middle of walking, or the tired old homeless guy shuffling down the street kind of stuff. Nothing wrong with that, but there is so much more to the world, and it's all out there in the street, and further, inside the buildings on the street. Don't forget working out in the "real world" (not pre-planning your images) doesn't only have to occur on the street - maybe try working inside for a while?
I would also do some serious introspection and ask yourself "what am I trying to say?" with street photography. If you don't have an answer, it may be that you will find that you have just been doing it because you think that's what you're suppsoed to do with a rangefinder - so it's just been emulation for you. Again, nothing wrong with that, but maybe your passion lies elsewhere in photography, or more likely, maybe you are just burned out and need a break. This is what it's about though. The process - it's a struggle - and it is largely thankless, but a better way to spend your life than just doing your part for the National Economy and paying taxes. I recommend picking up a copy of "The Artist's Way," by Julia Cameron. I know many artists who have found it a lifesaver in removing creative blocks for them. Approach it with an open mind (it can seem a bit silly at first glance) and see if it helps.
http://www.amazon.com/Artists-Way-Spiritual-Creativity-Anniversary/dp/1585421464/ref=pd_bbs_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1206447856&sr=8-2
It is the artless art after all!
I know this "what's the point" feeling! But I think it takes quite a bit of patience and over the years you can build a nice little collection of personal photographs about your city.
I always think they might look a bit boring now but in 10 years time they might be quite unique documents.
E.g. the old busses in London have now all but disapeared and the same might happen soon to the old cabs.
See for yourself whether its worth it:
www.volkerb.co.uk
I haven't got much motivation for it either. I'm just sort of waiting for the festival season in Milwaukee to start. I'm looking forward to taking street type photos then when people congregate, and it's a lot easier.
Some wonderful advice all around, I really appreciate it.
This is probably the first time I have felt a sort of connection to fellow photographers, so I'm glad that I joined this forum... I say that because to me photography is a creative process. the technical part of it is just the initial barrier which one easily surpasses, its afterwords when one starts to play with ideas and themes and form that it gets incredibly frustrating... and unfortunately the old masters are of no help. for example if you study HCB suddenly you get to dislike your own pictures because the composition is not perfect, if you study Robert frank you start to look for sadness in your images and if you start shooting like Winogrand you bascially waste a lot of film.
I will follow the advice in this thread, I will try them all and hope for the best.
williams473
03-25-2008, 07:38
Some wonderful advice all around, I really appreciate it.
This is probably the first time I have felt a sort of connection to fellow photographers, so I'm glad that I joined this forum... I say that because to me photography is a creative process. the technical part of it is just the initial barrier which one easily surpasses, its afterwords when one starts to play with ideas and themes and form that it gets incredibly frustrating... and unfortunately the old masters are of no help. for example if you study HCB suddenly you get to dislike your own pictures because the composition is not perfect, if you study Robert frank you start to look for sadness in your images and if you start shooting like Winogrand you bascially waste a lot of film.
I will follow the advice in this thread, I will try them all and hope for the best.
You're so right about that - but a large part of artistic development is assimilating other styles - all artists do it. After all, it was people like Frank who made it okay to hold the camera with one hand and make grainy images that aren't level etc. -- I definately assimilated that into my work. My mentor showed me new ways to think about arranging my photos - these are all things we learn through association with other people - nothing wrong with it. But one thing is for sure, it isn't an intellectual pursuit - in the end if you're not shooting you won't progress, no matter how much other work you assimilate, because the knowledge must be processed through your own sense of self, your personal vision and hard work.
Take a look at more street photographers work. Winogrand/HCB etc are great but there are alternatives to that kind of approach. Winogrand said that one of the problems he found most difficult was "to make a photograph more theatrical than the subjects own theatricality". I think that means, not just photographing a crazy clown, but finding the clown in some kind of interesting context. That's interesting, but there are alternatives. Look at Alex Webb for example. The subjects in many of his photos are used simply as part of a kind of collage. The subject is often not really as important as the overall "chaotic order" of his photos. One way I think he does it is to often divide the frame in some way. With a wall, or a sign post etc. He's always inspirational to me and has found a really unique approach to street/documentary photos. His book on Istanbul is really interesting. Alex Webb:
http://www.magnumphotos.com/Archive/C.aspx?VP=XSpecific_MAG.PhotographerDetail_VPage&pid=2K7O3R1V0OB0&nm=Alex%20Webb
Good luck!
williams473
03-25-2008, 07:45
I haven't got much motivation for it either. I'm just sort of waiting for the festival season in Milwaukee to start. I'm looking forward to taking street type photos then when people congregate, and it's a lot easier.
I agree this is a great way to work - at public events people are used to seeing photographers - I just had a very productive day last weekend at the St. Patty's Day parade here in Pittsburgh - I made a number of images that had nothing to do with the parade, but people were just much less apprehensive about my photographing them because A., they were hammered drunk, and B. I was one of many many photographers roaming about.
nikonhswebmaster
03-25-2008, 08:00
Making anything creative is actually hard work. It can be fun, but it is also exhausting if done with commitment. Sometimes when I used to take photos on the street, I actually felt exhausted by the concentration it takes to think, frame, hold steady, and yes just look.
And yes by all means take a break. Buy some photo books, or go to the library and just look.
Honestly, and not trying to sound flippant, I think many "top" street photographers are able to do it so long because they are more interested in the process than the results.
I think this is an important point to remember when considering what you want to do. Without the desire for the process, the results will be worthless.
grainhound
03-25-2008, 08:06
Street was a photography genre I never considered until I joined RFF. I should mention I’m an amateur; I photograph because I enjoy it. I don’t like street at all, not the process, nor my results, except possibly one or two photos. It doesn’t suit my personality in any way. I also live in Toronto, and it seemed to me that when I tried it, to push myself, I got shots of people going to work, going home, or buying ice cream on warm weekends. What a thrill. The best I get is when I’m trying to do non-street and someone coincidentally walks into the frame and makes it more interesting. That’s luck, not street, & I’m now trying to figure out what to shoot in the city. I broke my left leg almost two weeks ago slipping on ice on Queen St., so I have lots of time to think, read, write, and look at what other photographers put on flickr. With a non weight-bearing cast, I can’t even drive my standard transmission car, so I’m housebound.
There is a GTA get together planned, more or less, for the 1st or 2nd weekend in May, though I’d now prefer the 2nd weekend, as it’s more certain I’ll be in a walking cast by then. Click on Forums, scroll down to Canadian RFF club, then go to “Spring GTA gathering”. The latest post is 3 weeks ago. You’ll get more helpful advice from the other guys than you will from me, and we tend to have a good time. I have the impression that the GTA club is more active than most.
Making anything creative is actually hard work. It can be fun, but it is also exhausting if done with commitment. Sometimes when I used to take photos on the street, I actually felt exhausted by the concentration it takes to think, frame, hold steady, and yes just look.
And yes by all means take a break. Buy some photo books, or go to the library and just look.
I can't agree more. If you want to grow and get beyond your present plateau, it will take some work. It will be frustrating. Of course, if the passion has been lost, as might be the case with the OP, then it might be best just to move on to something else.
Whatever the case, this is a great thread, hearing the different ways we all approach this common problem.
I agree this is a great way to work - at public events people are used to seeing photographers - I just had a very productive day last weekend at the St. Patty's Day parade here in Pittsburgh - I made a number of images that had nothing to do with the parade, but people were just much less apprehensive about my photographing them because A., they were hammered drunk, and B. I was one of many many photographers roaming about.
I missed our parade, but got to spend some time hanging out in front of a local Irish pub in Milwaukee. There were two buddies hanging out in front. One was trying to direct his friend on how to behave, but when an attractive woman walked by, both of them lost completely lost their interest in the conversation at hand, and all four eyes zoomed in on something MUCH more interesting!
http://www.pbase.com/marke/image/94348507/original.jpg
williams473
03-25-2008, 08:20
I can't agree more. If you want to grow and get beyond your present plateau, it will take some work. It will be frustrating. Of course, if the passion has been lost, as might be the case with the OP, then it might be best just to move on to something else.
Whatever the case, this is a great thread, hearing the different ways we all approach this common problem.
Yes, this is fun to bat ideas around.
Grainhound,
Sorry you broke your leg, but that sounds like a challenge to me! How about really pushing your vision and doing a small portfolio of images about being laid up in your house? It would be good practice if nothing else. It's a trap to think there is nothing apparently going on - EDITORS like stories about far-off exotic locales because they sell, but people are out living very real lives in Toronto, and you can make very good images there if you want. And since you don't like street work, this could be done at your leisure - it could be a series of "housescapes" or a study of your wallpaper - anything!
I love Toronto by the way - only been there once but it was great. Maybe instead of "street" shooting you might enjoy some documentary work, which is more focused on a story. When your leg mends, how about a piece on the hockey culture up there - like maybe the adult professionals who play at the local rinks - or the women who play? Or something none of us foreigners would know about Toronto? Or if you're dead set on exotic international subject matter, how about looking at the large immigrant communities in Toronto - there must be a story there somewhere... just some ideas to maybe help you out...
Todd.Hanz
03-25-2008, 08:29
the best advice has been given many times over already, shoot something else, flowers, portraits, buildings, etc.
buy photobooks, look in magazines, live your life, the drive will return eventually.
good luck,
Todd
manfromh
03-25-2008, 08:45
Is street realy the type of photography you want to do? I've grown tired of shooting on the street aswell. I still like to look at the work of other street photographers, but honestly, most of the stuff I've seen on internet is quite boring to me. Now I have this great urge to shoot portraits and still life's.
Try other types of photography. You may find the passion for something else.
There have been some very good suggestions made so far. I tend to agree with those who are suggesting that you think about what you want to convey through your street photography. In case you are interested, HERE (http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=50201) is a thread that I started while going through a similar process of reflection on my street photography.
vdonovan
03-25-2008, 09:00
I've felt that it's very hard for me to do anything that feels original on the street. Picturesque garbage cans? Been done. Woman walking ten dogs? Done. Late afternoon shadows across a crumbling old building? Done.
I'm not saying that other people can't do original work. I was just not happy with what I was shooting.
I've been shooting portraits lately, both in a studio and in situ, including on the street. I'm finding it challenging and rewarding. The human face has inifinite variety and capturing the many aspects of someone's personality in a single black and white frame taxes both my technical and personal skills.
grainhound
03-25-2008, 09:02
Thanks for the suggestions, Matt. I now live a block from little India. When I first moved here, I took quite a few shots there, and eventually that played a role in the realisation I wasn’t going anywhere with street. Obviously, I have lots of time to reflect on what’s next. Maybe a still life or two, though I’d probably bring out the Mamiya TLR gear for that.
nikonhswebmaster
03-25-2008, 19:27
One of my favorite photographers is Nan Golden. She shoots photos of her friends.
Now admittedly at first glance her friends may seem more interesting to photograph than yours or mine, but if we look closely around us, we often will find our buddies are as weird as any out there! Take photos of your own life, they will make more sense to you in the future.
tedwhite
03-25-2008, 20:12
Pherdinand: Sorry for the belated reply. You said you wanted to see a photograph of the young woman who thought she was too ugly to be worthy of a photograph.
"Thick Hair," in My Photos, Page 4.
timmyd18
03-25-2008, 21:15
thank you for asking this question. it's caused a lot of soul searching in a lot of people
i started to compose a lengthy reply about what i find beautiful and how i find meaning in the pictures i take, and then the whole point of this forum hit me: i take the pictures that excite me... and they might not really excite you. or anyone else.
but i think what everyone is saying is do what you find meaningful. otherwise there's no point. and there's no reason for you to feel guilty about doing things differently than the prevailing winds.
Many have suggested that you check out other photographers. I'd second that.
I'd also suggest that you think hard about what it is that you want from your photography.
I can't help but notice that you live in Toronto where the streets are probably still pretty chilly right now.
But Toronto is also one of the planet's most diverse cities. Refugees and immigrants from around the world make it their home. I can only imagine the photo essays waiting in those communities or in your own.
W. Eugene Smith died before he saw his Philadelphia project fully realized. You should check out his work in a little book called "Dream Street." It's his paean to his hometown, its industry and its people. Has anyone made a document of Toronto's life and people?
He approached the project as a journalist or as a documentary photographer. With the exception of someone like Winogrand, who truly did burn film in search of an interesting image, most good photographers or storytellers, of any stripe, develop a through line to their images.
I'm fairly certain that Robert Frank set out across the US with the idea of "sucking a sad poem onto film" as Jack Kerouac put it in the intro to "The Americans." He shot on the street but some of the most compelling images in that book come from funerals, barbershops, men's rooms, restaurants and bars.
Contrast his images (which I am an ardent admirer of) with those of photographers who get inside their subject's lives. Frank was an outsider and kept his distance. It worked for him and HCB and Winogrand (who is enormously over rated in my book save his "departures" series from shortly before he died.)
See Mary Ellen Mark or Larry Towell, who followed a group of Mennonite farmers (from Canada!) for years for "street style" aesthetics and shooting style but an entirely different method of connecting with subjects.
Good luck.
williams473
03-26-2008, 11:50
Just a quick correction - Eugene Smith's work that is collected in "Dream Street" was made in Pittsburgh, not Philly, and he wasn't a native Pittsburger. In fact he was very self conscious about trying to make the work look like it wasn't done by an outsider.
He considered the project a colossal failure, but from another photographer's perspective, it is a fascinating book because the guy who put the book together includes lots of letters and history from the period of Smith's life - and the book shows how frustrating it can be even being a famous photographer! The book is cheap - 20 bucks new on Amazon - I'd recommend picking it up if you're into Smith and/or photo history.
Thank you! it was quite uplifting to read all the encouraging advice and tips, I really appreciate it and I already feel refreshed.
Thanks SPF and william. I'm a great admirer of Gene Smith and I consider him as one of the greatest photo artists. I have also considered following his approach but the problem is that I don't have any credentials. Do you think i could get access by simply saying I'm a photographer and not a professional? I do have a lot of ideas but I'm hesitant.
Its human nature to search for meaning in what we do and especially what we love to do. So its time for me to do something more meaningful. I have some ideas but its a question of breaking the ice.
Thanks for the corrections on Smith, Matt. I'm sorry to say my copy of Dream Street is in storage. Still, I should have googled to check some of those basic facts.
N3h: Access is always tough. Even top journalists struggle with it. People are often guarded and wary of someone with a camera. But I think if you ask a lot documentarians who have gained the trust of a group or a person they'll often tell you that they first approached without a camera and got to know their subjects, then started shooting.
Public events are often a good place to start. There's a certain expectation that photographers (pro and otherwise) will be there. Hand out cards and promise to send images to people. Hang out and chat. Explain your project. You'll probably leave with a half-dozen new ideas.
Thanks for your original posting. I struggled with the meaning and purpose of street shooting myself a few years ago. I ended up gravitating towards documentary work which has felt much more substantial and meaningful.
williams473
03-27-2008, 05:15
Nh3, I have to second SPF - getting to know people first is a great way to do meaningful work. Having a rapport with your subject frees you up to stop worrying about decisive moments and getting hasseled by police and the public, and enables one to focus completely on making images. It is a much more comfortable way to work.
Among other projects, I did a series of images with a family I lived with on a farm in WV for 3 months. It was one of the most enjoyable projects I've ever worked on - I had free reign of the farm, and spent as much time doing farm work as shooting, and when I did work it just flowed out. Of course the farmer and his family had no problem with me being there, so it was great to be able to move where I wanted, get right on top of them when I needed for close up work - whatever. Maybe you could even start with family or\ friends - find a story there somewhere.
Also - keep a journal (it doesn't have to be daily) and try writing about the process - recroding frustrations and successes will help in the process of sorting yourself and your photography out. Don't worry about spelling and don't edit it or put it out for anyone to read, or you will start writing to an audience - just record your thoughts and feelings, with your goal being to come toan understanding of how photography is fitting into your life.
Matt
tedwhite
03-27-2008, 19:55
What Matt said about the journal.
Postscript: A journal is emphatically NOT a diary. A journal is where you record your thoughts, impressions, ruminations, etc., and it's something you can come back to and read when you want to, and it certainly doesn't have to be done daily. As a photographer you might want to try translating a visual image into language - the way something looked, and the way you felt about the way it looked, and why you were attracted to it.
I completely get not being in the mood. For me though, i need to be inspired, something must trigger me to go out and shoot. Most of the time though i gather my camera and some film; just about to leave the house and i loose it...I realize at that point that there is nothing out there for me to take pictures of. I've done (At least in my area) everything to death. There are no people walking around in my suburb, if there are, they will try to interrogate me if they see me photographing them. I don't really want to deal with that. All thats left are parks and the woods. NYC is only 30 minutes from my house, but i rarely feel like taking the drive. Mostly because, i was under the impression the last time i went that people in general seemed angrier/more unpleasant then usual. So shooting in the city puts me off now.
I don't have much to add to the thoughtful advice and commentary already posted in this thread. I'm an amateur who likes doing street photography precisely b/c it forces me outside my comfort zone, and also forces me to look more critically at my surroundings. I see street photography as a process of developing and improving powers of photographic observation (such as they are). And sometimes the results turn out OK (Varjag's post above resonated w/ me).
benedictjames
03-27-2008, 20:59
Join the cloud appreciation society (seriously!) ...
http://www.cloudappreciationsociety.org/
It'll take you as far away from street photography as you can get - not one street, building or person anywhere, but a mighty good creative challenge in trying to get beautiful and meaningful shots of just pure or mostly sky and all its glorious lightings and cloud formations!
I'm a street photog too, and then I found these cloud people a couple years ago and have been re-invigorated with photography generally, which gets me a fresh motivation for ALL of it, street stuff included. Do the sky stuff for 6 months, and the street stuff will also regain its attraction once again as something different. It's so great - you'll love it (especially if you just get a simple fuss-free shooter also to do it with, like I did with a little Olympus Trip 35 (and try it with Velvia!) - which is not as drastic as one person's suggestion of leaving your gear at home!
Only downside is you easily get a stiff neck from looking up all the time ... but a good massage once in a while soon sorts that (and gets you more relaxed generally, which is a good way to be when looking for photographic inspiration : )
Today I did some documentary style photography and then went for a walk with my camera and got some shots... I felt a lot better and I feel as if the worst of the "burn-out" is over... I got some wonderful advice in this thread and also the sense of empathy and understanding was simply wonderful.
Thank you all and here is one of the pictures from today - and coincidentally its about clouds. :)
http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d69/nh3nh4/DSC_0003copy.jpg
benedictjames
03-29-2008, 16:18
There ya go!!
Yes, it pains me to say it but I'm bored of street photography.
--snip--
I feel these days a little burned-out.
what about you?
There are so many people doing street and since I like it I tend to gravitate towards that in any community I'm a part of. That has been my problem. I'm sick of seeing utter tripe. Boring image after boring image of people in the street walking up and down the street. Maybe talking on the phone, maybe lighting up a smoke or scratching their head. So what? Why should I care anymore after seeing so much of the same crap? The final straw is seeing fools with 200mm lenses calling themselves street photographers. It bugs me and it's putting me off doing it myself.
There are so many other things to explore in photography that to lose interest in street is sometimes a blessing in disguise.
BillBlackwell
04-05-2008, 16:58
... I'm bored of street photography. I have pretty much done everything that I could on the street and now I just don't feel motivated at all to do street photography... I don't find it creatively stimulating... I need to move on beyond street and perhaps get into documentary work but i don't know where to start.
I feel these days a little burned-out...
I really don't get it... Is someone making you do it?
There are other types of photography to try/consider (and other hobbies/jobs altogether for that matter). So stop doing it for awhile and move on to something else.
You may just find your passion will return after you've been off of it for awhile (or not).
Photography (and music too for that matter) has always been a hobby for me. For many years I did wedding photography as a “side job”. About 15 years ago I decided I didn't like it any more and just quit - my hobby was becoming work and I wasn't enjoying it any longer. I had even stopped taking my camera with me on vacation.
Over time my heart returned to photography, but I haven't shot a wedding since!
Florian1234
04-06-2008, 09:56
As being pretty new to "real" photography in general - and street photography being one of the most interesting things one could do - I just returned from a short walk in my local city (Bremen, Germany that is), where I finished one 36er roll of XP2.
For the first time ever doing something like "Street" it was a pretty cool and very pleasing thing.
Well, I had some concerns at first and was kind of shy, but today I got something like that I kicked myself and just went out in the city and shot some stuff what looked interesting to me. Hope to get the (maybe crappy) results around thursday or so.
Bigeejit
04-06-2008, 10:49
Don't Be Shy
Close One Eye
& Shoot with the other.....Pitxu gave good advice,go without a camera for a few day's and you'll miss shot's you'd wished you'd got.How about taking your Cam. up the riverbank,which is kinda less agressive than on the street.Not sure about the River in Toronto,but here in London I often go for a "dander" up the Thames when I wanna test a camera and somthing always pops up.And shooting with an old banger 35mm I 'aint worth mugging.Keep shootin' and the street is half the World...Liam
I'm glad to report that i have recovered and the 'burn-out' is behind me... But I'm still taking my time and these days I'm mostly shooting landscape and spend time alone with the camera and mediate. :)
I am going to disagree with most of the writers here, but I will be happy not to enrage them.
If you feel you are fed up with street photography, you should follow your feeling without fearing insulting street photography or missing something. Nor you are sick.
There is no ready-to-follow path for those fed up with street photography or with any other genre. So most of the chances are you will face hard times in settling within a new genre or back with street photography in some other way.
Don't be afraid from this tortuous path, be curious about it. Let your emotions dictate your path, but exclude fear. The path may be long, but it will be truthfull.
You are an individual mind and heart. Let this individuality reveal upon you without any kind of desperation. One day the clouds will vanish and a bright horizon will appear. Trust yourself.
Cheers,
Ruben
Ruben, I liked your advice. I came from the opposite direction last year. I had been shooting wildlife for the past 6 or 7 years, when I slowly began to feel a pull away from it. What happened shortly after that was a complete surprise.
I have always avoided the city like a plague. But I started dating a professional opera singer. I often had to meet her downtown before a rehearsal. Well, I ened up LOVING the city and have spent the past 2 years shooting nothing but street!
Long story short, I bought my first house this past January and that opera singer and I were married in February! Never in my life could I ever imagine where I have been over the past couple years, and where I am going. :D
I am going to disagree with most of the writers here, but I will be happy not to enrage them.
If you feel you are fed up with street photography, you should follow your feeling without fearing insulting street photography or missing something. Nor you are sick.
There is no ready-to-follow path for those fed up with street photography or with any other genre. So most of the chances are you will face hard times in settling within a new genre or back with street photography in some other way.
Don't be afraid from this tortuous path, be curious about it. Let your emotions dictate your path, but exclude fear. The path may be long, but it will be truthfull.
You are an individual mind and heart. Let this individuality reveal upon you without any kind of desperation. One day the clouds will vanish and a bright horizon will appear. Trust yourself.
Cheers,
Ruben
Don't be afraid from this tortuous path, be curious about it. Let your emotions dictate your path, but exclude fear. The path may be long, but it will be truthful.
You are an individual mind and heart. Let this individuality reveal upon you without any kind of desperation. One day the clouds will vanish and a bright horizon will appear. Trust yourself.
Cheers,
Ruben
Thank you for your kind words. truly heartfelt words of encouragement and exactly what I need to hear at this point in my life.
I'm deeply touched.
Thanks.
Nh3, I start to discover that street photography has connection with inner insufficiency. While those who are in harmony, enjoy nature/wildlife/etc, I guess some lack of social contacts or character of them brings some fullfillment, taking pictures of random people in random juxtapositions. First, it takes some patience to see moments worth capturing, and thus mind is feed with traces of emotions photographer sees. In some kind it's like watching sea or wood (kind of meditation) - though instinctively photographer is looking for "nerve of situation". It's emotional starving, I guess.
Second, looking at photographs, there comes second wave, having both memories from moment when picture were captured and new emotions arising in moment of looking at picture.
So I guess if anyone has less interest in street, he has got back some amount of mental integrity....maybe, stability.
marke: great story. I think you became interested in surrounding where you met or have to spend some time. You just had to accept that environment. And...people in love feel "right now" moment more than those who are married for a long years and have stopped down, kind of. So for me this explains your interest and it's another state of mind, opposite to that I described before.
pesphoto
04-08-2008, 07:25
So I guess if anyone has less interest in street, he has got back some amount of mental integrity....maybe, stability.
I always knew I was unstable.......now I know why I like to do sreet photography.
Nh3, I start to discover that street photography has connection with inner insufficiency. While those who are in harmony, enjoy nature/wildlife/etc, I guess some lack of social contacts or character of them brings some fullfillment, taking pictures of random people in random juxtapositions. First, it takes some patience to see moments worth capturing, and thus mind is feed with traces of emotions photographer sees. In some kind it's like watching sea or wood (kind of meditation) - though instinctively photographer is looking for "nerve of situation". It's emotional starving, I guess.
Second, looking at photographs, there comes second wave, having both memories from moment when picture were captured and new emotions arising in moment of looking at picture.
So I guess if anyone has less interest in street, he has got back some amount of mental integrity....maybe, stability.
marke: great story. I think you became interested in surrounding where you met or have to spend some time. You just had to accept that environment. And...people in love feel "right now" moment more than those who are married for a long years and have stopped down, kind of. So for me this explains your interest and it's another state of mind, opposite to that I described before.
Interesting. So, basically Its a sign of my recovery from my 'mental deficiencies' that I'm not interested in shooting the street anymore?
I cannot argue with that because I have always been secretly proud of my insanity but I can assure you that I'm not 'cured'. I'm just recharging and I will be back on the streets with a vengeance!
But I always thought landscape and wildlife photographers were the crazy ones because they seek solitude and wait for ages photographing a silly bird or some fluffy clouds over the mountains, but I'm wrong as usual.
:)
tedwhite
04-08-2008, 07:43
I always knew that about you, Paul - the lack of mental stability and integrity. Fortunately these traits do not show in your photography.
Did you get the GSN yet?
btgc:
That's a great line about the "nerve of the situation." Also, your analogy between lovers before and after the long marriage and a camera lens. Wide open during first love, stopped down years later. Very nice.
Some good advice here!
My 2 cents are to give yourself boundries and/or a theme. I find that my brain is more creative whenever I have to overcome obstacles, even if they are self-imposed. Leave me with a blank canvas and I would not know where to start filling it, but tell me that I have to represent flowers using only straight lines and the color yellow, and I'm likely to surprise myself at the results.
How about setting a theme for your photography: smokers, street workers (not that kind of street worker:angel:), dog owners, etc.? Or something more abstract, like pictures with stop signs in them, trash bins, or payphones?
You can also limit yourself in terms of camera type, focal lenght, focusing technique.
Instead of being constricting, these self-inposed rules and guidelines can be quite liberating for the creative juices!
Good luck.
tedwhite
04-08-2008, 18:15
froyd:
I'm just the opposite. I start with a blank slate and one camera, one lens. Nothing in mind, just wander about.
Right, those nature/wildlife shooters seem to be crazy, waking up at 3a.m. to be on spot at 5a.m. or hiding under leaves for hours to meet bird. From those rare cases when I have woken up before dawn to go out with camera, I remember being rather calm and harmonized - this occured during vacation. Watching nature I don't want to see emotions, there is no beforementioned "nerve", rather "adorance of majesty" or at least "calmness". True, if anyone will say that each case is individual, I will agree. Here also plays role character of photographer - to say, one stressful photog can go out and take pics of angry bugs eating each other and no mist, no sunsets, no nice clouds. That's his manifestation of inner state. Or opposite - photographer in comfortable mood can go out on street and take pics of funny cars or architecture, or shadows falling from fence.
Rather, I will speculate, degree of inner emotional state could be judged from what subject one chooses, how close gets to subject(s) (zooms count as mean intention to get closer, some are just more shy), what moments they try to capture, what angles are used to compose.
marke: great story. I think you became interested in surrounding where you met or have to spend some time. You just had to accept that environment. And...people in love feel "right now" moment more than those who are married for a long years and have stopped down, kind of. So for me this explains your interest and it's another state of mind, opposite to that I described before.
You're right about that I just had to accept the environment. But there had also been something stirring within me even before I met my wife. I had been able to borrow a friend's Canon 500/f4L IS lens a few times. It didn't take me long to realize that I had to get one of those lenses myself if I wanted to stick with wildlife. Now about this time, the stirring was getting stronger, And I realized I had a decision to make, invest in a $5,000 lens and stick with wildlife, or invest in a new RF kit, and discover the street. Strangely, I had begun to study the work of some long-gone street photographers and wasn't sure what to do. That was about the time I started to hang out in the city. It was if meeting my future wife (and the actual NEED to spend time in the city) was the final piece in the puzzle I was trying to solve.
By the way, I don't understand what you mean by people who have been married for many years have "stopped down".
Rather, I will speculate, degree of inner emotional state could be judged from what subject one chooses, how close gets to subject(s) (zooms count as mean intention to get closer, some are just more shy), what moments they try to capture, what angles are used to compose.
Now you mentioned something of significance in my recent evolution as a photographer! I had been using long lenses, mostly because I needed them to get good pictures of my subjects, that being wildlife. But I was getting tired of all that, including lugging around a big kit with heavy glass. But I wanted a new challenge, something that would REALLY challenge me, even SCARE me. I wanted to start using normal focal lengths (50mm) and even wide angle, so that I HAD to get physically close to my subjects, that now being people.
tedwhite
04-09-2008, 20:01
Marke:
If I sense his meaning correctly about "stopped down" the bright flame of first love - after thirty years of marriage - has simmered down to glowing embers.
As for 50mm lenses and wider being a bit scary, think of it this way. If you are in a city, on the street, and you shoot someone with a 200mm lens you've got yourself a nice head shot. What you don't have is the physical environment in which that person existed/was moving through at the moment you took the picture.
With a 50mm lens you get more of that, and with a 35mm lens (my favorite for street photography) you of course get even more. With practice you can get closer and closer to your subject and still remain relatively unobtrusive.
The best street photographers have that uncanny ability to remain virtually un-noticed while working. I think HCB was one of those. I had a friend in SF who, when street-shooting, always wore a suit and tie and was immediately ignored as just another businessman walking down the street. He used a Leica, not with a neck strap but with a wrist strap, so it was much less noticeable.
There's lots of tricks. I'm an older guy, so people automatically don't see me, at least for the most part. Makes it a bit easier.
Take a stab at it. But always do what you feel comfortable doing.
Please don't blame your city or street photography in general. The problem is clearly you.
There is a thin line between genious street photography and totally mediocre street photography. An true great street photographer will create, will use the people on the streets as pawns, as symbols. He will play with them. The street's a stage and the photographer is the maestro.
You say you've shot a lot of street and you are now bored. I can't go against your feelings about your work. But if I go by the principle that once one photographer starts to understand and to create with what's around instead of just snapping around like a fly without a head, there is no going back. Good street shooting is extremely hard and it's an addiction.
Look at those two photograpers. One is a master and the other is merely good, IMO. Basically, they could be shooting together. The scenes are similar. One has a vision and the other doesn't really have one. Look:
http://www.in-public.com/TrentParke/image/1497
http://www.in-public.com/GusPowell/image/1615
Chris101
04-09-2008, 21:30
At first I thought, "well, one's black and white and the other is color" so it should be easy, right? But then I saw that the vision went further than that - much further. Take a look at Parke's Gallery1 - it's in color. But look at the angle of the light in nearly every photograph. I've got to keep drilling it in to my head: it's the light stupid!
Chris, you're right as usual!
Thanks for that link, Ned! Several good photographers there!
Thanks for that link, Ned! Several good photographers there!
Hi Ray!
I picked it up on dpreview... But the internet is full of great links showcasing great photographers. I stopped saving them when I realized there we're too many great unknown photographers. There are some really worthy artists out there.
The most scary part is, I am sure, there are artists out there who shoot the most outstanding photos that humanity has ever seen and probably never will be seen by nobody.
Excellent site! Thank you.
Ernst
Marke:
If I sense his meaning correctly about "stopped down" the bright flame of first love - after thirty years of marriage - has simmered down to glowing embers.
Yes, I'm just not clear on why he was bringing this up. When I began to shoot street, I decided to accept the new environment I was now shooting in, but my "bright flame" of new love didn't allow me fearless shooting. I was still afraid! But I think what's important is not to be afraid of fear itself.
As for 50mm lenses and wider being a bit scary, think of it this way. If you are in a city, on the street, and you shoot someone with a 200mm lens you've got yourself a nice head shot. What you don't have is the physical environment in which that person existed/was moving through at the moment you took the picture.
Yes, I understand. That's one reason why I enjoy the genre. Kind of like this:
http://www.pbase.com/marke/image/83640159/original.jpg
With a 50mm lens you get more of that, and with a 35mm lens (my favorite for street photography) you of course get even more. With practice you can get closer and closer to your subject and still remain relatively unobtrusive.
Yes, like this? :)
http://www.pbase.com/marke/image/83640158/original.jpg
The best street photographers have that uncanny ability to remain virtually un-noticed while working. I think HCB was one of those. I had a friend in SF who, when street-shooting, always wore a suit and tie and was immediately ignored as just another businessman walking down the street. He used a Leica, not with a neck strap but with a wrist strap, so it was much less noticeable.
I usually just wrap my neckstrap around my wrist. That way I stil have the other option of wearing it like a tourist (around the neck). I've never gone as far as wearing a suit, but I will often wear a sportcoat. I like to experiment, and sometimes I just go with how I feel at the moment.
There's lots of tricks. I'm an older guy, so people automatically don't see me, at least for the most part. Makes it a bit easier.
Yes, your external appearance has a lot to do with the comfort level of others around you. If I walk around with a 3-day growth of beard, dressed in a black leather coat, and ripped up jeans, I'll see different reactions than when I'm in a sportcoat. Neither is wrong if used in the right environment. I see this as just another tool to use.
I might have given you the wrong impression. I'm still new at street, but I have been practicing it for about a year now. Even so, I don't see anything wrong with having a certain level of "fear" (maybe that's just too strong of a word) when you go out shooting. I see it as the same healthy nervousness as when a performer goes on stage.
tedwhite
04-10-2008, 08:37
I like your responses, Marke, and "healthy nervousness" is a fine way of expressing what I might have merely described as a heightened state of consciousness.
I was blown away by Trent Parke's black and white photographs.
I like your responses, Marke, and "healthy nervousness" is a fine way of expressing what I might have merely described as a heightened state of consciousness.
Yes, I think that heightened state of consciousness/alertness/awareness is a by product of the healthy nervousness.
I was blown away by Trent Parke's black and white photographs.
I cannot agree more.
There is a thin line between genious street photography and totally mediocre street photography. An true great street photographer will create, will use the people on the streets as pawns, as symbols. He will play with them. The street's a stage and the photographer is the maestro.
That is so well said, Ned. When one looks at it that way, it truly becomes an exciting endevor.
But if I go by the principle that once one photographer starts to understand and to create with what's around instead of just snapping around like a fly without a head, there is no going back. Good street shooting is extremely hard and it's an addiction.
I can understand what you mean by not going back. I have (too infrequently) been in those moments of understanding and creating, but once you've experienced it, you can't let go of it. It's like an athlete who experiences the sweet spot, he is always trying to recapture that experience every time he's performing. It won't happen often, but now that he knows what the feeling is like, it is enough to keep him going back to find it again.
As you said "good" street photography is hard and addicting. I think one reason why it is so addicting, is there are almost endless possibilities out there to find. Time, a good eye, and an open heart is what we need to find them.
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