Stuck in a rut.

[Fade2]

I haven't picked up my cameras in 2 weeks now!
I mean not even touched them.
Not sure what my problem is, but after spending all that $$$$ I better do something.
Anyone else ever go thru this? For this long? :(

[BeccaNH]

Yep, I have. It'll come back! Take yourself for a walk down Michigan Avenue. You should be able to find something to shoot there!

[Jon]

Frequently. The rest of Life tends to get in the way. Right now we're recovering from a pipe fitting that blew off, flooding the kitchen and all my SF collection in the basement under it (I don't think I've lost anything important, but they're certainly not worth anything to collectors now), putting together 2 calendars and a trip web page, and the routine of Peke rescue and work. Actually, I haven't had a long lay-off ATM - we had some new dogs come in, and then our überboss needed a portrait for CFC (and decided she didn't want to use it since she now looks too much like her mother!) while I'm still trying to catch up on editing 100 shots a day from Greece.

[Jon, The Elder]

Not knowing your background or preferences for subjects its hard to offer specific ways to move out of the funk.
You are a MidWesterner so the days are getting short (as here in Detroit). I force myself to go to the Zoo or just walk in the parks to shoot nature as it is. I find that it is not so much what I shoot as it is the moving around and puttting myself into locales that I do not usually occupy.

This mood generally hits me right after the Christmas holiday stress release/dirty gray sky/too damned cold to go out and play/I can't stand this house anymore period in late December.

Good Grief, Now I've gone and worked myself into a grim frame of mind.

[Fade2]

This mood generally hits me right after the Christmas holiday stress release/dirty gray sky/too damned cold to go out and play/I can't stand this house anymore period in late December.

Good Grief, Now I've gone and worked myself into a grim frame of mind.


lol sorry man didn't mean to get you al worked up....But I know what ya mean!:lol:

[wu_wei0]

my new 30D, tammy 28-75, and all my older gear sat in my closet for nearly 3 months untouched. Forced myself to use it a few times the last couple weeks. It is now back in the closet and being considered for a more permanent banishment. What was once a source of sanity is now considered a waste of funds and an annoyance.
Suggestion so far are good ones, definitely give them a go. Other things that worked for me before were making myself go out and shoot with only one lens or one focal length, going on a drive or walk and stopping to shoot at predetermined time/distance intervals, joining in on the WWPD themes each weekend, any outing that would make me shoot outside my general subject matter or comfort zone, meeting up with a shooting buddy, looking up the work of photographers I admire here on POTN. . . .any of these generally would send me back to overall shooting bliss.

[Fade2]

.
Suggestion so far are good ones, definitely give them a go. Other things that worked for me before were making myself go out and shoot with only one lens or one focal length, going on a drive or walk and stopping to shoot at predetermined time/distance intervals, joining in on the WWPD themes each weekend, any outing that would make me shoot outside my general subject matter or comfort zone, meeting up with a shooting buddy, looking up the work of photographers I admire here on POTN. . . .any of these generally would send me back to overall shooting bliss.

Thanks for the advice, the buddy system would work but none of my REAL buddies are into photography.
Guess i'll find new friends!:D

Looking in on this site does motivate me a little bit too i've noticed just got to get off my a$$ and shoot!

[wu_wei0]

Thanks for the advice, the buddy system would work but none of my REAL buddies are into photography.
Guess i'll find new friends!:D

I had to find shooting buddies outside my normal acquaintance circle. Visit the member activity area and look to see if there are any groups near you who meet or post a thread there looking for close POTNers. They (we) are generally a pretty nice bunch of folks.
Good luck. Get out there and shoot and let's see some of your work. :)

[work_at_bored]

2 weeks isn't really that long if you think about it. i can see how it happens though...i just started in july and i'm already begining to feel a lag of inspiration. i've been planning to shoot some football games at my old high school but i never got around to it. it also would've been great to shoot the marathon, but my buddies convinced me to sit around and drink beer with them for the football games that weekend. it's always difficult to integrate a new hobby that's as time consuming as photography to a normal routine.

photography is a solitary activity for the most part. sometimes it's hard to keep up because it isolates me from my friends. it's hard to concetrate on taking pictures with them around because they don't share the same hobby. they just don't have patience for that stuff.

i'm relatively close by...pm me if you know any events or prime locals. i wouldn't mind meeting a fellow POTN'er