Think i've lost my way a bit

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keljbj

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Kelly
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I've been looking back on some of my old photos on Flickr. Some of them are crap, actually alot of them are :LOL: But what struck me about them is that most of them were creative. Then i look at my more recent photos which are, for the most part, technically better, and i wonder where my creativity went :thinking:

I know most people find their niche, i seem to have fallen into wildlife/zoo photography with a few portraits of my children thrown in, and i enjoy taking those. But i think i've let the pursuit of better technique get in the way of really *seeing*, or creating, photo opportunities :shake:

How do i get my mojo back??? :shrug:
 
I'm no expert but you could challenge yourself to only using one focal length for a while or limit yourself to 24 or 36 shots and cover over the lcd screen.
No animals or photos of kids as this appears to be your comfort zone.
Also look into photography meetups near you.
 
I see a lot of techinacally perfect shots that leave me cold
And a lot of "wrong" shots, OOF or ignoring the rule of thirds, or chopping a toe/hand/whatever that I love
Shoot what you love, love what you shoot
 
For a start post link to your Flickr so we can look.

A personal challenge may help. Have a look at what you have teken that sparks desire to get out there and go back to some those things. Trying a different style of subject all together may help.

Or find some time to go and shoot as normal but after an hour stop go and have a cuppa or sonething and think about how you have been working. Are concentraiting on the technical aspects too much.
I often forget the details of the technical side of shooting when I really get into a subject and end up thinking I wish I had done that.

Your the one who can change the way you work.
 
Maybe try some street photography? its always changing, it keeps you moving and you have to think on your feet quickly or you miss the shot. When I start getting bored doing the same thing and getting pretty much the same results street stuff helps wake me up and gets the juices flowing again.
 
We all loose our mojo now and again.

Trying different stuff to challenge yourself is all well and good but if there's a particular genre you enjoy then it's worth staying with it and progressing.

If you're improving technically then that's a good thing. Perhaps your expectation levels have risen ?

I used to be so pleased with some of the stuff I did but now I'm dissapointed with stuff that is probably better.

If it's frustration born out of the higher standards you now set yourself then that's a good thing (and normal) as that will drive you on.

If you're genuinely feeling flat about the creative side of things (mojo) then why not mix it up. Take trips out to improve upon what you do well (boring technical results) but then take different trips out just to throw caution to the wind (away from the techinical) and go mad on the creative front. Something may just click and the freedom to just go a bit mad can often lead to new ideas.

Have you any friends that are into photography that you can go out with ?
 
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I've often found that setting myself photo challenges helps. Like the one lens/one focal length challenge mention previously, or "shoot the same object 50 different ways".
 
When I was young, I used to play the guitar, in Rock groups. I practiced a lot and got really fast and precise, but my solos were flat indeed, just fast, but no feeling. Until one evening in practice room, we were all in a good mood, with two new people in the group, my colleagues encouraged me to just let go. Feel the music, sing with the guitar.

Well, I did. I just sang the melodies with the guitar, not caring about whether it was fast, or technically good. I just tried to sing a nice song to the background my colleagues provided, and it worked.

I learnt that you have to have the technique to be good, but once you have it, you have to put it into its place, into the right perspective and relation to the mojo part.

A lot of people have the mojo without the technique - in music, that's usually also not that good ;)

My advice would be, just listen with your heart to what the things around you make you feel, and then try to show that in the image. Technique has to become automated, not intentional.
 
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