When you have no friends to take pictures with...

Hi,

I guess I just wanted to share a little, thinking it might make me feel a bit better. Call it half a rant, half whining, a little questioning, somewhat self-motivational...

I've been noticing for a while now that the drive is dwindling. Now, I know that happens to most everyone, for various hobbies, and some recover and some don't. I guess though I'm still at that point where I think I can intercept it from becoming a free-fall spiral of doom, cause I know exactly what's wrong: I got no one to do this stuff with.

I've had my fair share of adventures, thanks to this awesome hobby. Been out there at midnight, just me and my camera lit by moonlight, and a dozen coyotes howling as I stood shivering from cold and fear. Have also walked the shady streets of the bad parts of Oakland, one hand on my pepper spray, the other grasping my camera. Have met random people, interviewed and photographed transients, shared food and money. Countless times in the cold, shivering with endless streams snot pooling around my lips. And countless times sunburned and exhausted. Good times. But all alone.... and it just ain't the same no more.

... so after I take my pictures, I spend sometimes anywhere from an hour to several weeks working on one single image. And when it's absolutely perfect, I might post on Facebook or Instagram and get a few likes. Not exactly rewarding most of the time.

And so now here I am writing....... cause I think I seriously need to meet some folks as crazy as I am. Some artsy fartsy types would be awesome! I'm an engineer, and I work with a bunch of science and math types, and all my friends are science and math types. I don't have too many... say chef friends... , or extremely few designer friends (I think just 1 or 2), and absolutely ZERO artist type friends, and absolutely zero writers, etc.

Now, I realize there are some steps to take to fix this. And I've tried a little. Join photography meetups. Maybe attend some art shows at galleries. I did try do some meetups, but didn't really make any friends that were serious enough. Then I got too busy. I think I can do better, and try a lot harder. And it'll probably work. Can probably make a few friends for sure....

But I guess I'm just a bit tired right now and not all that motivated....

Anyone feel the same way? Make any new art/photography friends?

I should introduce you to my friend Bud Weiser.

Sorry, bad joke. I'm right there with you but my friends are all designers, graphic artists and writers.

I think we are in a bad time for truely artistic endeavors. People don't take the time, or if they do it is a social experience rather than a mind opening experience. It is definitely frustrating.

Wish I knew the answer. I've actually just about decided to start drawing again as another outlet. But as you say it can be pretty unfulfilling if there is no one that shows you appreciation for your work. Actually it's more than unfulfilling, it's f'ing depressing.

Left Handed Brisket wrote in post #17718051
I think we are in a bad time for truely artistic endeavors. People don't take the time, or if they do it is a social experience rather than a mind opening experience. It is definitely frustrating.

That's a good point. I have a friend of a friend who has ~90k followers on Instagram. And while he certainly does have a consistent aesthetic "look" to his images that is pleasing, they're for the most part completely based on formula. Almost all of them are pictures of some hills/cliffs and a completely washed out sky, in very pastel colors a la VSCO. Like I guess 95% of them. And people love the crap out of that stuff. He gets 5,000-10,000 likes each image he posts! It's absolutely unbelievable to me--a thousand pictures which are all basically of the same thing, taken the same way, processed the same way. Now, he does have a few that are absolutely stunning for sure, but for the most part, they're clones. ...........and this is today's artistic success. ........ and this makes me so sad.

... Now, you may say, but that's just one dude, with one type of audience... but it continues: so he gets so popular that companies are starting to sponsor him. One company just sent him to some other country to explore and take pictures, and to film him doing his thing: taking more pictures of washed out skies and mountains and lakes. This is what it has come down to.... instead of absolutely spectacular images like those in Nat. Geo, you get a bunch of VSCO processed lakes and trees and hills.

HELL.... even all the popular food pictures look the same on the net!!!!! All are from the top down, with whites washed out and heavy shadows, and some pastel colors if the "photographer" could work them in. I think my food pics are pretty good, given they're mostly taken under horrible dining light, but they'll never even approach the 100's or 1000's of likes those top-down pictures get. All by formula. Where's the creativity!?

yup.

Mr. Old Rasputin for me instead please. Or Mr Pliny would work too.

My friend I shot with for a number of years lost interest and quit around 5 years ago... at first I struggled to keep going but being a member of a Camera Club that gives some group shoot opportunities.

I then cheated, I bought my wife a Point and shoot with a decent zoom range, she went from vaguely aware of photography to very interested LOL. On our last trip she took more pictures than me, and frequently suggests going out to shoot if we don't have anything else planned for a weekend.

Dean, some artistic pursuits are inherently social, such as theater or singing in a chorus, and then there are others that are inherently solitary unless the pursuer takes deliberate steps to meet other practitioners. If people in the Bay Area thread in the Activities forum could take time off from posting their innumerable bridge shots to plan some get-togethers, you might meet a few of them.

Ah, yes, I'm more of a craft brew guy myself but thought I would go for the more common approach.

I wouldn't worry about having lots of photographer friends. I have a few, and have unfriended them / stopped following them due to the sheer amount of mediocre photos getting a load of likes and comments etc.
I just gave up on it all, and worked on what I like and what I enjoy and do it for me. I'm not worried about the 'likes' anymore.

OhLook wrote in post #17718097
If people in the Bay Area thread in the Activities forum could take time off from posting their innumerable bridge shots to plan some get-togethers, you might meet a few of them.

ha ha ha......... YUP!

urbanfreestyle wrote in post #17718112
I wouldn't worry about having lots of photographer friends. I have a few, and have unfriended them / stopped following them due to the sheer amount of mediocre photos getting a load of likes and comments etc.
I just gave up on it all, and worked on what I like and what I enjoy and do it for me. I'm not worried about the 'likes' anymore.

"Unfriended," "following," "likes and comments": Aren't you talking about virtual "friends" rather than real-life friends?

Over half of my virtual friends are real ones too.

I hear you. I think my passion has dwindled a bit for the same reasons. Its all swings and roundabouts though so Im sure it will come back.

OhLook wrote in post #17718097
Dean, some artistic pursuits are inherently social, such as theater or singing in a chorus, and then there are others that are inherently solitary unless the pursuer takes deliberate steps to meet other practitioners. If people in the Bay Area thread in the Activities forum could take time off from posting their innumerable bridge shots to plan some get-togethers, you might meet a few of them.

It's gotten me out meeting models, wedding couples and guests, and even just random people intrigued with my pursuit.

My job now, that's intently solitary (programming). I took up photography to get my people-jolly's out, so to speak.

This thread is bringing me down. There seems to be a mixture of different things going on here. There's validation from the audience on the one hand, a very different validation from peers on the other, and on the weird third hand there's validation from clients. Then there's an entirely different pursuit of communing: shooting with other people or talking shop. I shoot solo, I appreciate audience feedback, crave legit peer critique, and try to keep the clients happy. I get more than enough shop talk here, thank you all very kindly.

But I feel you. I get into slumps too. I have a thin audience. I keep at it.

must say praise from folks online has very little bearing on how I feel about the photography I do.
If I'm happy (and often I'm not) then all is right with the world. If I'm not as impressed, then I need to be trying harder.

joeseph wrote in post #17718443
must say praise from folks online has very little bearing on how I feel about the photography I do.
If I'm happy (and often I'm not) then all is right with the world. If I'm not as impressed, then I need to be trying harder.

this would of course be ideal. but we are human, and part of being human is being part of a society. and for better and worse, society now means much more than the town around you.