Getting bored of photography

Just because one doesn't make money from photography, it doesn't mean one is not serious about photography.

chauncey wrote in post #18225556
Question for the hobbyists out there...How serious are you about capturing "The Image"?
What are your goals, do you plan the shoot ahead of time, do you work the shot, (time of day/perspectives/whatn​ot)?
Have you mastered your PP skills...how long do you spend working on "That Image"?

Again, how serious are you about photography?

I'm pretty darn serious about getting the shot I want. That means planning times when weather is optimal, dragging along 4 kids if needed, shooting at 5am by myself.....

even if I'm shooting street photos of people, the direction of light is an important consideration, going high noon wont make sense.

I'll visit a place many times to get what I consider a nice shot. Often, I'll get many unexpected shots even with the planning, that's the beauty of photography, there's a bit of unpredictability in the air.

airfrogusmc wrote in post #18225665
Never said someone couldn't be as serious that doesn't make money from it.

What is this?

Try being handicapped and lift 1dmk2, 500mm f4 and then sit in the mud for 3 hrs to get a shot and tell me serious or not.

Thought that you were responding to my post that was posted before yours #103?

Deleted....

OhLook wrote in post #18225603
If "The Image" is supposed to be a goal of mine, this is the first I've heard about it.

I wonder if it is like "The Decision". But then, LeBron James is back in Cleveland now so......

bobbyz wrote in post #18225606
Just because one doesn't make money from photography, it doesn't mean one is not serious about photography.

Quite right. And conversely, just because one does make money from photography doesn't mean that photography can't also still be a hobby. Which is why I would like to answer Chauncey's question:

chauncey wrote in post #18225556
Question for the hobbyists out there...How serious are you about capturing "The Image"?
.....how long do you spend working on "That Image"?

I don't really have 'That Image' in mind when I consider my collective photographic endeavors. There are actually many, many different images that I work toward capturing. It is not my goal to capture one awesome photo, a.k.a. 'That Image'. Rather, it is my goal to capture a great many excellent photos, so as to build a body of work that shows a wide variety of wildlife species in many different contexts.

For instance, when it comes to Whitetail Deer, I want my body of work to show many different bucks, so as to illustrate just how many differences there are between different individuals - the way that their facial coloration can vary so much from one buck to another, the way that their attitudes and personalities can vary so much, differences in antler size and configuration, etc.

I also want to illustrate all of the different behaviors that the deer engage in; feeding, shedding velvet, posturing, pursuing other deer, running, leaping, wading across creeks, swimming across creeks, making rubs on trees, sparring, fighting, mating, tending, nursing, gamboling, intimidating other deer, making scrapes, utilizing licking branches, utilizing scent posts, bedding, sleeping, fleeing from predators, holding their ground in the presence of predators, nursing injuries, etc., etc., etc.

Additionally, I want to show all of the different conditions in which deer live; specifically, the different habitat types that they dwell in. Agricultural environments. Deep hardwood forest environments. Sub-alpine habitats. Deep coniferous forest habitats. Palouse prairie habitats. Grasslands. Marshes. Swamps. Mixed forests. The Great Plains. The Rocky Mountains. The Appalachian Mountains. The Badlands. The desert southwest. The dead of winter in deep snow. Summertime at high elevation. Amidst beautiful autumn foliage. In severely flooded areas. In areas ravaged by wildfire. On ridge tops. In creek bottoms. Under clear blue skies. In torrential downpours. In dense, ethereal fog. In thick hoar frost. Under a full moon. Etc., etc., etc.

chauncey wrote in post #18225556
What are your goals.......?

My specific goal, with respect to Whitetail Deer, is to have my Whitetail Deer portfolio include as many different, unique images as possible, so as to show the viewer just how diverse this species is. And I would like all of the photos to be top-notch, both from a compositional standpoint and from a technical standpoint; I want each and every photo to be worthy as a piece of fine art, but to also be solid enough technically that it could be printed at 9 feet by 6 feet and stand up to scrutiny at very close viewing distances.

My bigger, goal, my overall Life Goal, is that I would also like to do the same thing with about 300 to 400 other species. What I really want to do, photographically, couldn't be done in 100 lifetimes, despite today's technology and sundry modes of transportation.

chauncey wrote in post #18225556
............do you plan the shoot ahead of time, do you work the shot, (time of day/perspectives/whatn​ot)?

Yes, I absolutely plan my shoots ahead of time. In order to most effectively photograph wildlife, one needs to know their lifecycle. If I were to go out to photograph Hoary Marmots in October, I would fail, because even though it is often still warm and sunny in October, the Marmots have already entered into hibernation. If I were to venture forth to photograph Whitetail bucks in February, I would find that all of the deer are acting bored and tired, and do nothing but feed and rest. I would also find that the bucks have all shed their antlers at this time. And I would find that the deer are very skittish, and do not allow me to approach them the way that I need to in order to create compelling images.

With wildlife, it is prudent to plan one's shoots at the time when the target species is exhibiting the type of behavior that one wants to capture. It is also prudent to arrange to photograph at the area where the target species is most abundant, and also where they are most likely to tolerate human proximity. Often times, finding such areas requires many hundreds of hours of research - not only afield, but also online, on the phone, etc. And sometimes you even have to travel a thousand miles or more just to check a place out for yourself, to see if it will be worth returning to at the correct time of year.

In the late spring, I log hundreds of hours and thousands of miles driving around the backroads looking for cavity nests (bird nests that utilize holes in tree trunks). This is done so that I know where to return to at the beginning of nesting season, at which time I can see which tree holes are being used and which are not. Once I find all of the holes that are hosting active nests, I then return to each nest about once every 5 days or so and make records of my findings, trying as accurately as possible to guess at which time the eggs were laid.

I then do online research for each found nest species, to see how long the incubation period is. I then make record of the projected date at which each nest will hatch, and return to the nests at that time to determine if the eggs have hatched or not. When I find a nest where the eggs have hatched, I then do more online research for each hatched species to see how long it takes for the hatchlings to fledge.

I then return to each nest about a week before the projected fledging time to monitor the hatchling's progress. A few days before fledging, the young birds will begin to poke their heads out of the nest hole as they feed on what their parents bring them. This is the behavior that I want to capture - so all of those weeks of travel and research and record-keeping have led me to this moment that lasts for just three or four days. And at that time I will set up ladders and blinds and, if need be, reflectors. I usually have to get myself and my camera way up high in the air - which task takes significant planning in and of itself! And I will sit in the blind in front of the nest for those three or four days, trying as best as I can to capture photos of the young birds and their parents at the nest hole.

If I didn't spend all of that time planning these shoots, there is no way I would ever get the photos that I want, for there are only a few days during the course of a year in which such photos are possible, and I would never know when and where this is going to happen without the weeks and weeks of planning and monitoring.

chauncey wrote in post #18225556
Have you mastered your PP skills?

No, not really. The vast majority of my photos I want to be as natural as possible - as close to real life as possible. And to achieve this result usually takes very little post processing - a slight tweak to the exposure or the removal of a blade of grass, that sort of thing. I can do that stuff just fine.

But, admittedly, there are some images that I would like to "fudge", and make it into something other than what I really saw when I was afield. This happens very rarely, but a few times a year I discover an image that I've taken that I think would be fun to edit aggressively........an​d this is where I fail, because I have not the editing skills that are needed to do extensive reality-changing. But that's ok with me, because I really don't care all that much about those fantastical images - my heart really lies with the 'realistic' types of images, which are not affected very much by post processing.

.

Of course, planning and extensive post work are not measures of ‘seriousness’ since not all photographic styles require extensive preparation or meticulous post processing.

Like airfrogusmc, I don’t go out with any specific subject in mind other than what I spontaneously find in the area through which I’m walking.

I do consider timing more than I used to, preferring the late afternoon (nothing original there). I also prefer an urban environment. I feel gratifyingly productive if I take at least five or more photos in an outing, even if all the photos end up sucking.

Post processing is actually a bit laborious since scanning film negatives is not an expeditious exercise. Otherwise, I primarily use nothing more than Photoshop curves and dodge/burn brushes for tonal and contrast adjustments. The real pain is cleaning up the dust marks and scratches…

When I get settled, I intend to create wet prints, which will also be more time consuming irrespective of how retentive I may or may not be, but I’m looking forward to the results.

As for the broader goal, photography is a serious hobby for me, whereby I typically enjoy all aspects of the process (except cleaning up the dust marks and scratches). I love using a film rangefinder for its own sake; I enjoy walking around cities despite my misanthropy and introversion; and post processing can sometimes be the most creative aspect of the whole venture.

So no, it’s not just about getting the ‘image,’ although taking a photo that entertains the eyeballs is certainly rewarding in its own right.

OhLook wrote in post #18225603
If "The Image" is supposed to be a goal of mine, this is the first I've heard about it.

You're kidding?

mcluckie wrote in post #18226464
You're kidding?

I guess I will join OhLook at those special seats right in front of the teacher's desk reserved for those who haven't been paying attention in class.

mcluckie wrote in post #18226464
You're kidding?

No. I don't expect that everyone who pursues photography will have the same goal.

I realize the conversation was about some pre-conceived outcome from a shoot, but isn't the point of photo to create some super-special image? I do street these days because its more of challenge for me to find spontaneous images. I almost never (anymore) shoot something with any preconceived notion of anything, but that doesn't stop me from trying to find the special "Image."

bobbyz wrote in post #18223274
I just keep trying new hobbies. Cooking, photography, woodworking, and now gardening. You never get bored.

I have been through a lot of hobbies in my life (sports, woodworking, silverwork et al) but photography and birding are the two that I have always stayed with and continue to provide an outlet to a stressed city existence for a country-living wannabe.

Different people obviously have different motivations and for some it might be to be the best etc. Mine is to get out into the countryside, enjoy the nature, take pleasure in the outing and hopefully come back with one or two pleasing shots and ideas on where to return to get others.

mcluckie wrote in post #18226498
I realize the conversation was about some pre-conceived outcome from a shoot, but isn't the point of photo to create some super-special image? I do street these days because its more of challenge for me to find spontaneous images. I almost never (anymore) shoot something with any preconceived notion of anything, but that doesn't stop me from trying to find the special "Image."

I don't think anyone is saying not to try to achieve great images. Bresson said it well when he said that you need to have "a developed instinct" and I think is what Weston, Bullock and Minor White are also saying. You go out into the world without any preconceived ideas and let your instincts drive you. That way you are no OPEN to everything and not boxed in by anything.

A wonderful quote by the great sic fi writer Ray Bradbury:
"Don't think. Thinking is the enemy of creativity. It's self-conscious, and anything self-conscious is lousy. You can't try to do things. You simply must do things."-Ray Bradbury

Also I have posted this here before but worth another post. This is a trailer from a good movie but the words really fit here.
Just push the play arrow in the center
http://www.traileraddi​ct.com/everybody-street/trailer

mcluckie wrote in post #18226498
I realize the conversation was about some pre-conceived outcome from a shoot, but isn't the point of photo to create some super-special image? I do street these days because its more of challenge for me to find spontaneous images. I almost never (anymore) shoot something with any preconceived notion of anything, but that doesn't stop me from trying to find the special "Image."

Wherever I go, I try to find images I'll like later, in the form of photos. That doesn't make them super-special. If "The Image" is an established concept in photography, I hadn't heard of it. Chasing after The Image sounds like the cliché of hoping to write The Great American Novel.

OhLook wrote in post #18226524
Wherever I go, I try to find images I'll like later, in the form of photos. That doesn't make them super-special. If "The Image" is an established concept in photography, I hadn't heard of it. Chasing after The Image sounds like the cliché of hoping to write The Great American Novel.

Instead of chasing the one image which is very prevalent in forum land and dominates the Nat Geo aesthetic which is very much in odds with what the real world of creative photography is. That is a world of bodies of work that fit into a theme. It is so difficult to create bodies of work and if you are exhibiting to use images that have a flow in the space and all work together visually. That might mean rejecting a really strong image that doesn't fit. Ralph Gibson refers to a strong image that does't fit into a current project as the start of a new project or as he says a point of departure. And then the flow for a book is much different than the flow for a gallery. One image no more makes a great photographer than one great at bat makes a hall of fame baseball player but yet the one image idea dominates forum land.