What keeps you going?

Hi, this is my first post. I've lurked for quite a while but never contributed. I'm wondering what keeps you interested in photography? What motivates you to keep at it?
I'm relatively new to photography as I've only been shooting with a DSLR for about four years and only in the last two or three have I been shooting with any seriousness. I'm beginning to think that photography may just not be for me. I rarely take photos anymore, I might break out my gear two or three times a month because I just can't be bothered to shoot anything. I most often take photos of our neighborhood ducks, buts that's really only to document their growth. I'm considering leaving my gear on a shelf semi-permanently or possibly selling it all.
My lack of motivation isn't coming from a lack of ability, my photos satisfy me. I know I'm not great but I'm 'good enough' that I'm rarely dissatisfied with photos that I take. I originally started with photography for artistic reasons (I also paint and was looking to adopt another art) but I find I'm most often documenting mundane things and not making art. When we (my wife and I) travel I'm the designated photographer and I work diligently to take the best photos I can to help document our memories but I'm just not in love with the hobby anymore.
Has anyone else felt this way? If anyone has any advice, I'd love to hear it.

Sounds like a pocket camera might be for you. After 4 years either you like it or you don't.

I've noticed that if I leave photography alone, as in more think about it I start missing it after a month. So, I started a 365 project, so I'm never without it.

However, the caveat is that you can get tired of taking pictures every day too, so....

I say, look at projects. Take up something that would get your juices flowing. Macro? Landscapes?

See first if that triggers your passions again. If you do have to go to point and shoot, some of the cameras out now are still excellent.

whuband, I don't think a pocket camera would do much to motivate me. I have no trouble with toting my camera and gear around and wouldn't want to give up all the benefits of my DSLR simply for a bit of increased portability. The only benefit I can see with a point and shoot sort of camera is the increased portability which I'm not really looking for, but that comes with a host of negatives (at least for me.) While I can see the argument that I might be more inclined to take a photo with something that's a tad bit more convenient than a DSLR, I don't think it would work that way for me. I've tried using various point and shoots (S95 and a few others) and I hated using all of them. They're too small to hold comfortably (at least for me) and I find DSLRs easier to use effectively.

So, I guess you could say that my problem lies not with my relationship with my gear but with my relationship with photography in general.

Paolo, I like your suggestion to investigate a project. I've often thought about starting one, but can never get past deciding which project to start. I don't really have any particular interests in any particular subject. Animals, cars, landscape, still life, black and white, macro, etc. Every subject is just as interesting as the next, which is to say its not very interesting at all. While I can enjoy any number of photos from any number of genres I can't seem to want to photograph anything myself. I've never really been blown over by a photo (or painting, or sculpture, or whatever) either. I mean, I've seen masterpieces and while I can appreciate the skill and artistry it takes to create such work, I can't say that any of it has impacted me much at all and that worries me deeply. This is what has led me to the idea that photography (or anything creative, really) isn't my thing.

I'd like to apologize if I've inadvertently insulted anyone by calling their pet genre uninteresting. I'm only speaking from my own perspective and don't mean to insinuate that I find these things uninteresting in an objective sense, just that they aren't particularly interesting (or at least no more so than anything else) to me.

Well, what you need to find out is what would motivate you to grab the camera and go out and take pictures? I recently started riding my bike again at the beginning of the summer and took a few pictures. I gave up on the bike when I got chased by a big mean dog. I ended up ditching the bike so I could grab a stick to defend myself. Whacked that dog pretty hard. Hard enough to make it run away with it's tail between it's legs. It's darn lucky I didn't have my .38 on me that morning otherwise I'd be dragging his dead butt off the road.

Anyway, before that, I found myself taking photos of old dilapidated homes and buildings in my town. That actually took up most of my summer even though I didn't do it every day it was still enough to motivate me and shoot stuff other than weddings.

You just need to find something that will interest you that you'll want to document.

I know exactly how you feel. I've only recently returned to the fold after a 3 year break from it. Personally i got into macro and the flame is burning hotter than ever. Could i suggest finding new locations and or subjects. Maybe do an Airshow or Botannical gardens, nude models (god bless 'em) or lightning storms.Plenty of inspiration on this site. I don't think downgrading to a point and shoot is your answer, but i see the logic in it. Maybe having a break to re-invigorate yourself isn't a bad idea. I have no doubt sooner or later you'll come across a photo somewhere and say " now there's an idea" and off we go.
Don't sell off your gear, you WILL regret it trust me on that.

Try a few different types of subjects, mix it up.

When you go out, focus on shooting one type of subject. Try different camera settings, shutter speed, aperture, etc...
shoot from different angles, don't be afraid to lie down, look behind you, look up.

One day go and shoot:
windows
doors
benches
wood
streams
churches
bicycles
animals
birds
flowers -close up, colorful, dying, etc..
roads
sunrise
sunset
photos with flares
dark images
High contrast
images you will try to make b&w - you will find out what kind of images do and don't work when converting from color to b&w
shoot at one aperture the whole time you are out
set a time limit to shoot, knowing your subject and see what you actually wind up shooting.

Rainy day - shoot your shoes, under your bed, the closet, open you cabinets, shoot the silverware draw, how about pictures on your walls, window sills, carpet, flooring, vases, etc... always adjusting your aperture, shutterspeed, exposure, etc...don't forget to turn you camera at all angles, get close...............ha​ve fun and become creative.

Go on now - go!

Once you come in from shooting, practice your processing, seeing what works well with the different images you are making. Again, do anything different than you have in the past. It is like taking a sandwich and adding stuff you never tried.

DON'T THINK ABOUT IT, JUST DO IT.

Have fun and click away...

Every season there's something new. While the same events come up each year, there's always a new angle and a fresh approach.

One of the most interesting experiences of the last year came on a December day, which started with four holiday tournament basketball games in one of the state's largest high school gyms, a cavernous place In Richmond, Ind. that can hold around 7,000 people. After photographing four games, I headed40 miles west to look at a specially preserved shrine to the way that Indiana high school basketball used to be played. The old high school gym in Knightstown Ind. holds only one tenth of the crowd of the Richmond gym, but it's a special throwback place. You've probably seen that gym as the home court of the fictional Hickory Huskers in the basketball movie "Hoosiers." The gym was not a movie set and looks just as it did in the film. Its floor is just barely large enough for a sanctioned high school game using old rules that were written to allow the use of undersized floors.

So, on the same day, I had a chance to photograph games that were held in gyms that represented two parts of the past of basketball. Adventures such as those, and the chance of seeing things never before seen keep me going. I'm probably older than most of this forum's members (my first camera was a Kodak Brownie Hawkeye), but there's always an adventure and something fresh around the corner. Photography represents part of the joy of life, and a I'm a long way from being isolated or burned out over just existing.

conjunctive wrote in post #14931814
Hi, this is my first post. I've lurked for quite a while but never contributed. I'm wondering what keeps you interested in photography? What motivates you to keep at it?
I'm relatively new to photography as I've only been shooting with a DSLR for about four years and only in the last two or three have I been shooting with any seriousness. I'm beginning to think that photography may just not be for me. I rarely take photos anymore, I might break out my gear two or three times a month because I just can't be bothered to shoot anything. I most often take photos of our neighborhood ducks, buts that's really only to document their growth. I'm considering leaving my gear on a shelf semi-permanently or possibly selling it all.
My lack of motivation isn't coming from a lack of ability, my photos satisfy me. I know I'm not great but I'm 'good enough' that I'm rarely dissatisfied with photos that I take. I originally started with photography for artistic reasons (I also paint and was looking to adopt another art) but I find I'm most often documenting mundane things and not making art. When we (my wife and I) travel I'm the designated photographer and I work diligently to take the best photos I can to help document our memories but I'm just not in love with the hobby anymore.
Has anyone else felt this way? If anyone has any advice, I'd love to hear it.

I think a 365 day project would help your situation.

DavidR wrote in post #14932355
I think a 365 day project would help your situation.

Unless you get bored easily.

I would suggest an alternative. Maybe a 30 day project every once in a while to get yourself going. There are many great lists online if you want to follow a list of things to capture each day. I've done this and it's actually quite fun.

How about film? Go deep into developing and what not.

Had great deals of fun doing old processing styles. Still want to do stuff like this, to this day.

Paolo.Leviste wrote in post #14933082
How about film? Go deep into developing and what not.

Had great deals of fun doing old processing styles. Still want to do stuff like this, to this day.

I still love to grab a roll of film every once in a while and shoot it and develop it. It really opens your eyes as to the whole process of photography and how it started out. That's one thing that keeps me going.

Try going from digital (hundreds of photos on reusable media) to a $5 roll of 24 exposure film. Lots of discipline being learned there believe me.

I've considered trying film out, but the expense holds me back. I don't have the means, knowledge, or skill to develop at home so I'd have to have it developed elsewhere. Also, I'm young enough to have never handled film before so I'd have a huge investment to make in an education sense before I'd feel comfortable spending money on what would probably only be a short-term experimentation for me.
I wouldn't need to find a camera though, I do have an old Yashica SLR and an array of lenses for it so that's a plus. I have no idea if there are light leaks or if the shutter fires accurately, though. It seems to be in fairly decent shape, but from what I understand the battery isn't being made anymore so obviously the meter wouldn't be functional.

If anyone wonders why or how I have a film camera with lenses and have never handled film, its because I'm too cheap to buy EF or EF-S mount lenses. I find its much more cost effective to adapt older manual focus lenses. It hampers my ability to shoot fast moving objects, but I'll take a 50/1.4 for $5 if that's the only drawback. Its actually kind of embarrassing to admit I only own one auto-focus lens.

Maybe I'll be more keen on taking photos when the weather cools down. Florida is terrible in the summer, its almost a chore to walk to my mailbox (slightly exaggerating.) Its nice for the four or five days a year that winter lasts, though.

4 years of taking duck photos would turn anybody off!!

You've gotta find another subject that interests you basically. My passion was started when my son was a baby but I struggle now he's older because he won't stay still for me. So I lost my inspiring subject and with that I lost a lot of drive too. But then I started reading up on macro, then shooting the night sky, and have done some purposeful street photography outings. And I found my passion again.

conjunctive wrote in post #14932239
So, I guess you could say that my problem lies not with my relationship with my gear but with my relationship with photography in general.

This is what has led me to the idea that photography (or anything creative, really) isn't my thing.

I'm gonna take a bit of a different approach in answering by saying maybe photography isn't for you and so what if it isn't. I guess one question for you is why do you feel it has to be? Break out the camera for your vacations and family moments. Enjoy your painting and use it for your creative outlet.