Questioning Giving Up Photography

[The Sarge]

I took a photography course in the 11th Grade in High School, I loved it, we had a darkroom and developed our own photos, yup it was over 45 years ago. No fancy camera just something cheap from a local dept store. We were given time to go out into the local area and take photos of different things, buildings, skylines etc, straight lines I remember was one assignment. We had to use our imagination. Towards the end of the course I talked to the teacher about a career as a photographer and she told me to forget it, there was no money in it but it is a good hobby.
Life went on and about three or four years later I started my career which was to last 38 years. Photography was always on my mind but life, raising a family, putting the kids through university and career all got in the way. Photography was limited to point and shoots most of which I still have.
Retirement came, much quicker than I could have imagined I might add, the interest was still there, I bought a Nikon D7100 and a couple of small lenses and started going out to local conservation areas to practice and learn. Then I pulled the trigger on a Nikon 200-500 and a couple of years later sold the 7100 and bought a D500. By then I had found Steve’s videos and eBooks which were a gamechanger for me. For me it’s all about getting out and looking for things, mostly birds for me, wallhangers are few and far between but they do happen. I love sharing my photos with friends and neighbours more than hanging them on the wall to be honest. Yes, sometimes it’s frustrating standing or walking around for hours with nothing to show and yes I do feel guilty about leaving the wife at home when she doesn’t come along.
I’ve had the same thoughts, ”what the @#$% am I doing out here” after hours of nothing.
Don’t give up, I know if I did sooner or later I would regret it.

 

[Rollamok]

As Steve and others have said much better than I can, my passion is no longer photography per se. As a technical person, I enjoy the physics, hardware and software aspects of learning about, acquiring and mastering the gear. But my real passion is observing, appreciating and sharing the beauty and diversity of the outdoors and the life that can be found there. I’m fortunate in that there is plenty of all that just outside my door, so I don’t get worn down with traveling or modifying my daily routine for photography; the camera is just there while I go about my day, and occasionally it allows me to capture an image that brings some joy to me and others close to me. So my one suggestion would be to ask if there is beauty and awe closer to home that maybe has been overlooked in the pursuit of images with a lower return on your investment of time, money and emotional energy .

 

[R.Philip]

Now, if you have a Nikon 500mm PF that you're thinking of giving to me, well, then I would say absolutely give up photography, it's evil. I'll send my mailing address right over to you. (haha, that was supposed to be a joke).

LMAO! Now that was funny.

Warren,
I understand. I watched a photography youtuber's video. In it, he said, "No one cares about your pictures." That bummed me out. My enjoyment is capturing images that I like, but feedback from others liking them does go a long way. Unfortunately, that youtubers statement is etched in my mind when I am out shooting and sometimes makes me think why am I doing this. However, that is overcome when I get an image that really excites me; my first moose, a sharp BIF image, a new bird species, a wall hanger, or any first for me etc. I think everyone on this forum understands your frustration of going out and not getting a good image. Bottom line, I think everyone experiences what your feeling for one reason or another.

You have gotten some very enlightening feedback through many wisdom packed responses. If you are going to give up photography to immerse yourself into another rewarding endeavor, that is great. If you are giving photography up without replacing it with something more rewarding, then there may be something else more serious going on. I hope that isn't the case. If it is, someone already gave you a suggestion. With the $h*t going on in the world, many people have varying degrees of depression due to fear of the virus, lack of socialization, limited available activities, political environment, etc. If it is merely creative block, I have to agree with so many and suggest shooting another photography genre/topic for a while. Some aren't as frustrating as wildlife photography.

I hope you figure it out and hope this thread provides you with the counsel that prods you along the path to a solution that is right for you.

 

[Pistnbroke]

Blame it on the birds not cooperating. My wedding business declined 18 months ago and I sold the D810s . With the pandemic all my gear sits in the floor safe apart from one D600 I use for ebay shots etc . I will try to go to the bird reserve every week like I use to
but often came away with zero shots . Gives me something to do on holiday. If I sell the gear the wife will only want the money so why sell it .....Bought a Jaguar to renovate now I have no weddings to think about .

 

[Andy Work]

As others have mentioned it may be time to take a break or switch gears. When wildlife is uncooperative sometimes I'll drive around in new areas looking for decent landscape shots. I find it relaxing; no pressure to get the perfect BIF (or whatever) shot.

 

[Warren D]

Thanks again to all for sharing your thoughts. There is a lot of wisdom here and the replies have given me much to contemplate. I miss the osprey when they are away for the winter and thoughts of their return often keep me going through the short days of winter. I do suffer from SAD and so far, haven't found anything that makes more than a small difference (I've tried just about everything). The last several years have seen changes in the local environment that has affected their lives and thus mine. Their spring prey source, herring, ran upstream before they arrived in 2020 and their summer prey source remained well off-shore later that year. COVID has certainly played a part by cancelling many of the activities that I would use as back-up last year. This year is again different from the norm WRT the osprey, their return has been delayed and their spring prey source has been erratic, to say the least. There is only a short window in the spring where the osprey dive on prey close enough to photograph. I've tried to find other locations that would support more even opportunities, but haven't found any short of going on a long road trip. (I've considered it but this pesky pandemic is still going). Nature areas that I would frequent for my much needed recharge have been over-run with people so I have not been able to take my time-outs and landscape photography has been all but impossible.
I also am my own worst critic. I'm always trying for that shot that no one else has. A few more months should see some of my normal activities resume so I guess I'll just get by til then. I have a project that I started last month that I should devote some more time to, restoration of an 8x10 Deardorff view camera.

 

[Woodpecker]

Every so often, I question whether or not I want to find something else to do with my free time. Lately, those feelings have become stronger. I think we all go through similar times and in the end, I know it's a decision that only I can make. With the money I've spent on gear alone, I could have paid off my mortgage and had a decent retirement account so that I could leave a job I don't like. Just in the last 5 weeks alone, I've invested some 50-60 hrs of weekends mostly standing around waiting for something to happen. Granted, there were about 45 minutes of decent opportunities (only a few of which I could take advantage of) but it seems like what I remember is the time spent. This doesn't include the drive time to and from which runs about 45 minutes each way nor the post processing time to cull and file the few decent shots I get. I'm not sure what else I'd do, but it seems like the juice isn't worth the squeeze.
I know I can't get the killer shots every time, maybe my expectations have risen or maybe the environment has changed but it seems like several years ago, there were more places with activity than there are today. Folks ask me what I do with my photos and I don't have an answer. For the most part, nothing. After I die, I suspect they will all just disappear other than a few that might linger in the clouds.
I suppose the purpose of this post is to find out if others have felt like this and if so, how did you resolve it? (I assume if you gave up on photography, you wouldn't be here, right?)

I can understand that this sort of thought comes up, but more from content and technological perspactive.

But please allow me to take the personal part first as this seems to be the main motivation for your question.

Currently my entire life seems to be turning upside down.

• The profession that formed most of my life life is getting in doubt more and more, because we are living in a time where for self-marketing you have to learn to make lots of digital noise on a very simplified level, competing with more and more people that are perfect in this discipline, but have very little to say - at least most of them - and the only choice is to be louder, rather than having the chance to prove that you are qualified for a job based on your experience and knowledge. Maybe I have become too old for this, but if I can only remain successful if I have to spend more time and energy on so-called social media and my digital identity therein than on education and improvement around the professional topic itself, this is not my worling world anymore.
  
  
• I am a bit hesitant to say that, because people like @Steve and others have been struck really hard by Covid and compared to them most of us have just "luxury problems".
  Howverer, the passed year brought me to putting virtually everything around me in question and I am constantly struggling between continuing to function for third party interest against payment, going for an "Into the Wild" type of approach and saying Goodbye to my former world and life - in cluding my partnerschip - or something in between.
  
  
• Up to now there are five birthdays in my diary. After each one I decided to change my life - and fell straight back into the lemming way of functioning as a gear wheel.
  Now, even without another birthday to add to my diary, Covid brought up a feeling that I shoud change something and I should do it NOW.

The way I try to find a strategy is asking questions:

• Past
  • What things have I done in the past ?
  • Which of these things do I miss doing and why ?
  • Which of these things would I like to and be able to do again ?
• Presence
  • What am I currently doing ?
  • Which of these these things do I ike and which ones not ?
  • Which of these things would I like to continue doing and why - and which ones should I get rid of and why ?
• Future
  • What did I always want to do and never did it ?
  • Which of these things would I like still to do and be able to do in the future and why ?

Talking photography it started and got lost in the past several times, became more important again with upcoming DSLR, because then the dependencies on third party with processing films, printing etc. were more or less gone. It then stayed alive to today, but ogt a real boost when I met my pro photofraher friend about 7 yerars ago. From personal perspective I decided that photography is something I will continue doing, because it is a kind of vehicle and/or catalyst for my interest of being out in mother nature, combining it with my affinity for technology (engineering genes , sorry folks) and having something that is most enjoyable when just done on myself. Being able to capture nice images that I can use for my personal memory and enjoyment, but also doing a little about awaremess of other people for mother nature and make them curious and more sensitive is great - even and especially if we are talking local surroundings of the home village or other peoples' garden rather than record breaking trips to NPs. It is done purely on personal basis, not via social media. I also enjoy the amplification of the impressions I got out there while doing post processing, because it kind of stabelizes and reinforces these impressions by looking at the picture and trying to process it in a way that it gets as close as possible to what I have actually seen out there.

I currently want to keep this hobby for future, because I expect it to be one of those hobbies of mine that I will most likely be able to do and enjoy for a while when I am getting older and less fit, while other things might become difficault to continue on a level that I can actually enjoy doing it. Photography is one of the things where I still can get better and improve, while some of the other things inevitably will produce more unwanted feelings or even frustration as tiem goes by, because most of us - I guess - compare what they are able to do today with what they have been able to do in the past.

Currently photography and the things and people around it - and this includes the people here in this forum - is one the most important things in my life if it comes to avoid becoming crazy about the overall situation. It gets me out of the door, it brings me unforgettable moments in mother nature, it pushes all the complicated and unwanted thoughts in the background while being out and allows me to live right in the moment. All this begins working right at the front door and gets the better the greener it gets around me. I can't go on a daily basis, but since last autumn I try to stay one week every couple of weeks with my friend living right in a NP and really enjoy it to forget the world, be out in the forest and moores with him and doing nothing by observing animals ,taking pictures and enjoy the time outside , eating, sleeping and talking about all kinds of things.

Currently photography is one of the very few things in my life that is done outside my home and is not affected by encoutering restrictions an thus constantly getting reminded of the Covid madness.

From the content and technological perspective we both discussed the future of photography and we came to the comclusion that the technology makes it easier and easier to get great images and thus the number of people trying it willl most likely increase. But there is more to it than just going out with a good used BMW equivalent set of gear, coming back with 50 GB or more of 5k video material in 6 hours and then just pick a dozen shots from that.

I really love @Steve 's 80-4 rule (80% of the overall picture quality is produced 4 inches behing the viewfinder) and this will remain true, because if someone doesn't understand nature he will never be able to make great images - apart from maybe by accident of course.

It all comes down to the question what you do have to invest in terms, of money, time and energy, what you (still) get back for that (today) and how you expect this ratio to be in future.

 

[agrumpybirdphotographer]

I can really relate to this question as about 10 years ago while on holiday in Spain I got all my kit stolen just after arrival.There was a lot even some of the the bloody manuals!

We had been having a bit of a crap time and really looking forward to a good break and didn’t do what we normally did, let our guard down and paid the price. An expensive lesson learned.

After this experience I really thought what’s the blooming point you work hard, build up some nice kit and it’s all gone in a flash. I replaced my binoculars within a few months but didn’t have the inclination at all for around two years to get back into bird photography. I just couldn’t get the enthusiasm at all.

It was really my wife that encouraged me to get back into it, she said it would make me less grumpy!

So having finally decided to buy some kit I ended up going the full hog and searching the secondhand market for better quality kit than I got stolen. Several years later, and many hundreds of pounds lighter I’ve managed to acquire some really good kit.

For me it’s purely a hobby and a bit of an escape from work plus I really enjoy the whole bird photography challenge and being outdoors. I know I’ll never be good enough to make a living out of it I just want to be the best I can and make the most of what I’ve got.

I only post my images on this site and a couple of others, Instagram and FaceTube just aren’t for me. Actually sites like Steve’s where you engage with great people who offer encouragement is just great for keeping the interest and enthusiasm up although it does sometimes still wain a little at times.

The next big question for me is what to do when I retire in 3 or 4 years time, do I really want to be lugging a 300mm f2.8 and D4 / D5 around at 60 odd probably not....so new lighter kit and much explaining to my very understanding and forgiving wife beckons.

All the best Warren I really hope things work out for you whatever you decide.

 

[Owney]

When my grandsons were younger they played youth hockey. I went to all the practices and games with my D5100 excited to take pictures. As the season got underway, I was asked to be the assistant coach. So off to the bench I went and no more pictures. Next thing I know the coach quits and the league asked me to take over the team. Again, no more pictures. When the rink shut down for the summer to do maintenance we went to another rink to keep in skating shape. That led to another coaching job. The most I got was a few cell phone pictures from the bench when we won the championship but never had the pleasure of taking action shots with my Nikon. Youth hockey just resumed after a year of Covid lockdown and my youngest grandson decided to drop out and move on to JV lacrosse. I immediately "retired" from being a volunteer coach and grabbed my D500/70-200 f2.8 and made a bee line to the lacrosse field. I posted photos from two practices and was asked to be the "team photographer" when the season starts in a few weeks. No more coaching for me - now I'm just doing what I enjoy - which is making the kids happy to see action shots of themselves playing. To the OP - take a break - and maybe you'll get back into it!

 

[Wink Jones]

What a wonderful thread, with so many convergent thoughts and many too that are divergent.

I have loved photography since I was young, never bought good equipment and never thought to make any money at it. When I was stationed in Rio de Janeiro, Brasil, I was given full run of the Embassy dark room, so long as I used expired film, chemicals and paper, of which there were mountains available. I got some great shots over the three years I was there and it was very exciting to me one evening at a party I was throwing here in Boise, when one of the guests said he had seen the same shot in Washington, DC. I took a guess at the person's house where he saw it and was correct, the third or fourth in command at the Embassy in Rio, who was a good friend of mine had a copy I had given him, framed and on his wall.

My old Miranda Camera broke and I bought a nice Canon to take pictures of my jewelry at work, and when a friend broke that I decided it was time to buy a Nikon and have been happily shooting various Nikons ever since. I finally worked my way up to the D500 for my personal camera and still have a nice one here at the office that is an older model.

In all of the time that I have been taking photos, I have accidentally sold three, two copies of one, and one copy of another. There are times when I leave my personal camera in its case for months, and then along comes Spring and out it comes through the early flower season, fishing, the short hikes I now make at 74 and duck hunting season, where I often take the camera and never open its waterproof case as I do not like the sky, or the wind or the (insert excuse here). On other days my companions want to shoot me for making the ducks flare when I lift the camera to my eye...

I have gone out, out of season, and sat in one place for hours, without ever taking a shot, yet loving every moment of the peace and quiet.

Please understand, I am not suggesting you do this, only sharing my experience. I love being out of doors, and at 74, I know my years of being there are no longer unlimited as I imagined them to be when I was 27 and freshly back home after having been in Vietnam, Brasil, Okinawa, Washington, DC and California while in the Marine Corp. The only changes I would make would have been to have carried my cameras around more and broken more of them by overuse. Even if I had done that, I suspect I would still have sold only 3 copies.

Every time I come to a forum, or watch one of Steve's marvelous videos, I see pictures much better than I am ever likely to take, but for me it is the experience and the learning that I love.

I wish you well in your quest and share with others the wish that you not hang up your camera permanently, even if you need to hang it up for awhile.

 

[Ken Miracle]

This may sound odd coming from me, but photography has never been my driving force . I love being outside and sharing what I see with others and photography is a means to that end.

I first picked up a camera and started doing nature photography at 10 years old. As I got older, I wanted to pursue photography as a career. Although I'd get the occasional article or photo published in my late teens, it wasn't enough to call it an income.

What's the difference between a pizza and a professional photographer? A pizza can feed a family of four.

At the time I worked at a camera store and there were lots of wedding / portrait photographers. Long story short, I figured if I liked photography I must like all kinds of photography. So, I started doing wedding, portraits, sports items, senior portraits, you name it. It didn't take long before I started to resent seeing appointments on the calendar but the money was good so I kept at it - for too long.

Eventually I burned out (surprise) and went on to something else completely different. I actually sold off all of my camera gear and never wanted to look through a lens again.

Then, about three years later my wife and I were in Las Vegas for a trade show and I stopped by Red Rock canyon with our point & shoot. I started taking photos and had one of the only epiphanies of my life. The reason I loved photography before had very little to do with the photography - it had everything to do with being out in nature, seeing wildlife, and just enjoying the outdoors. Photography was the vehicle I used to share that experience with others. Once I realized that, I immediately went out, got new gear (digital this time) and have been happy ever since.

Sure, it can get discouraging when you go out for hours and not see or get anything, but I tend to enjoy my time out as much as I do the photography. However, it's also easy to get too wrapped up in the "goal" and ignore / take for granted the experience itself.

Hope that helps or makes sense

It makes total sense ... I took up photography after I had retired and found out it was cool to capture, share and record the amazing critters and things I saw in the outdoors. I was a hunter from 12 years old until I was 70 ... but I kept finding myself heading outdoors to hunt with just the camera and not even taking the gun. So I sold of my shotguns and bought more camera gear. My motto on facebook is not just mine alone ... Shoot Share and Conserve

 

[Andy Work]

So I sold of my shotguns and bought more camera gear.

I've sold several guns to fund this addiction, I mean hobby. I don't hunt near as much as I used to.

 

[Ken Miracle]

I've sold several guns to fund this addiction, I mean hobby. I don't hunt near as much as I used to.

And no closed season or bag limits and no steel shot to break a tooth on

 

[MartyD]

Very interesting thread to follow, thanks for sharing.

What I have realized during the pandemic is that my interest in some of my leisure pursuits and activities has changed due to the impact of the pandemic. Activities that I used to enjoy simply because they gave me some alone time now just seem to add to my alone time and I don't enjoy it as much, and activities that I used to really enjoy because they provided time for social interaction and personal sharing no longer have that element and I don't enjoy them as much. What I have resigned myself to is that my hobbies and activities have changed over the last year but I am not going to make any decisions related to them until we return to a somewhat normal life or at least find a new normal.

 

[Letolen]

You haven't wasted your time or money we all need a hobby. You also don't have to get rid of your gear to take a break to see how you really feel
Photography can be a wonderful meditation when needed.

I have always had a camera ever since a Brownie was placed into my hand as a kid.
I have thought about giving up recently but decided I just couldn't & instead of buying a better car I bought camera gear as I know what is important
Not sure how long before I regret that spend
I just couldn't live without a camera & I am happy taking a pic of a rock & never lose interest.
Just do what makes you happy

 

[Ado Wolf]

I will try to keep my answer short, as I do risk rambling on over life experience. So here goes (my perspective on photography):

The current situation with COVID, travel restrictions and social distancing is tough. Life as we know it took an ugly turn. We no longer feel "free" do do what we want. Many are struggling with work, earning an income to feed their families, etc. In the past week 2 of my subordinates had a burn-out. No motivation and no will to fight. The current situation is affecting our feelings and making us question many aspects of our lives, including hobbies.

I, as with Steve and other members here, started very early with photography (age of 8 with a Kodak Retina) and have been photographing since. But there were times where I photographed only on occasion, e.g. when I became a father, and other times (now) where I photograph daily. Sometimes it the lack of time, lack of energy or simply other priorities come along (kids). So far I did not think of quitting, as Photography is my gate to being out in nature, feeling the freedom, the peace, and gratefulness of being alive, with a roof over my head and food on the table (things we usually take for granted).

However, I have another hobby, which I was addicted to back in the days: Motorbiking (including races on the track with my Honda CB1000). This hobby has diminished with time. I usually chose Photography in the woods over motorbiking in my free time. But every blue moon I do go for a motorbike tour and all those feelings of excitement come rushing back in.. I do believe that life is about the journey and is a summation of different events and moments. So Photography might have been your passion back then and not so much now.. but this doesn't have to be a bad thing. Something new might come along which can be as satisfying as photography was / is.

Which every way you decide to go, Godspeed!

"yesterday is gone, live today cause tomorrow may never come".

 

[Woodpecker]

However, I have another hobby, which I was addicted to back in the days: Motorbiking (including races on the track with my Honda CB1000). This hobby has diminished with time. I usually chose Photography in the woods over motorbiking in my free time. But every blue moon I do go for a motorbike tour and all those feelings of excitement come rushing back in.. I do believe that life is about the journey and is a summation of different events and moments. So Photography might have been your passion back then and not so much now.. but this doesn't have to be a bad thing. Something new might come along which can be as satisfying as photography was / is.

Which every way you decide to go, Godspeed!

"yesterday is gone, live today cause tomorrow may never come".

Yup, same here. Having driven a lot of different things with two wheels and an engine in between since I was 15 , including thousands of laps on the Nuerburg-Ring I am now in the risk of getting pulled to court because of not species-appropriate husbandry of a travel enduro. Partly due to job but also due to my other hobbies my Super Tenere is spending more time coneected to the battery survival system than on the road these days and it seems that sometimes the time for a hobby is just over. And after Covid more or less killed my business, I know think of getting back to the roots, sell my fancy car, my motorbike and all the gimmicks around them, get an old Navara instead, pimp it it with a light one person camper cabin, put all of it in camo and use it to travel to the place I would loce to visit for seeing creatures in mother nature I always dreamt to see in the wild, including getting back to Switzerland with the eagles, chamois and to the "Alpensteinbocks" in Chateau d'Oeux that impressed me so much during my time down there .

 

[Grizzbr]

In at least one way I'm like @Steve, I've pursued a variety of activities that had one thing in common, the location. I surfed on the Atlantic coast, terrible surfer , loved paddling out pre dawn with dolphins coming by and the sun rising over the ocean. Trout fishing, loved being in the middle of a stream with a fly rod, sure catching a nice trout or salmon etc was fine, being there in the mist with cool water moving past my legs ... great. Birding, I'm terrible with quick identification but where the birds are and single track forest service gravel roads getting me into the territory in the southern Appalachians ... great. Photography, location, location, location. I'm not interested in portraits but have done sports, landscape and birds because of where birds, landscapes and to a lesser extent sports are.

 

[NikonAIS]

We all go through dry periods where our interest level may wane, it is normal. But I have been doing photography for almost 50 years, longer than I have done anything else and it has become an integral part of my life. If I am feeling a little burned out, I just take the batteries out of the cameras and put them away for a couple of weeks and go do something else. I enjoy wood working and playing drums and bass so I have something else I can do. Having more than one interest keeps you grounded.

If you give it up you may truly regret it a year from now.

 

[flyguy]

My hobbies have always been my way to decompress; a way to step away from the rat race that was being a tech rep in the graphic arts for over 25 years. I bonded the best with my dad during our annual trips to Wyoming to chase mule deer and pronghorn; I was so into hunting then that I would build the rifles we used and hand load all our ammo. After my dad passed away I made three more trips but those were never like with him. Add to that how expensive it got; I just got priced right out of hunting WY.

I began to teach myself to fly fish back around 1965 and kept at it on and off until I got priced out of hunting, at which point I made fly fishing my passion and primary way to decompress. The graphic arts industry was slowly imploding for multiple reasons, then came 911 and it all came crashing down for me a year later. Had to pay the bills so ended up taking a job in the fly fishing department of an outdoor retailer. I got the position because I knew something about fly fishing and was qualified to give casting instructions as well. My passion for fly fishing slowly ebbed for one reason only...fly fishing was now a job, so no matter what I did, whenever I went fly fishing there was now the shadow of my job over me like a darkening cloud.

I had dabbled in photography for a few years while our daughters were small; then I got a Nikon digital point and shoot for Father's Day from my family, and from that point forward I hardly ever left the house without that Nikon, and always had it with whenever I went out of town on business. It had become my next way to decompress especially as the fly fishing got more and more too much of a job. More than a few people told me I should quit my day job in the fly fishing department and become a full time photographer. My response to most all of them was "NO!". I did not want photography to become just another job for me.

When I got my first DSLR, a Nikon D70s, by then I was hooked on photography big time. I made multiple trips to AZ and WA and OR, all to get photos. I adopted the mantra "HAVE NIKON; WILL TRAVEL!" Then I took our one and only grandchild on vacation; took her to OR and WA on one trip, then to Disneyland in CA two years later. Those two trips were a wake up call because I was focused more on taking pics than enjoying the experience I was there for. For me I need a better balance between taking pics and simply enjoying being somewhere with someone for a day or a week. When I go out for a day now by myself, it is more to try new techniques and to get more accomplished at shooting in full manual mode so I can be more creative. And to put those manual focus Nikkor primes from film days on a Nikon DSLR body and challenge myself that way.

 

[LUECKECOOKIE]

I am not familiar with your work as I am new here. I have recently gotten back into photography after being out for over 30 years and have struggled to learn the new digital cameras but still enjoy the struggle albeit a bit frustrating at times. It is a hobby and I put a lot of my time into it but I find it compliments my joy of being outdoors, I combine it with scouting for the upcoming hunting season that I’m preparing for. I felt the way about hunting as you feel about photography. I now have nieces and nephews I mentor and I find it more rewarding to see their success than my own.
You are correct that many of your pics may be forgotten in the future but many will stay hung on many walls for years after but your knowledge is what you don’t want to be forgotten. Please try to find someone to share your hobby your pictures and your knowledge with because once you’re gone that knowledge will never be able to be replaced. I think in life we let that slip past us and we never acknowledge that until it’s too late. So please find someone to mentor you will find more enjoyment out of that than you’ve ever found with shooting photography on your own. i’m speaking from experience you have to share your knowledge so it is not loss for future generations.

 

[mainebrien]

Warren,
I'm almost 75 and getting out to photograph (especially at night) gives me such great pleasure. One recent example.
I gave my wife a break and went up to Acadia National Park in Bar Harbor (about 3 hours away) in Feb for 4 nights and again in March for 5 nights to try to get a Milky Way shot I've had in my head for months. It is located from a sea cave only accessible at low tide. My normal photo partner Mike could not make it. Unfortunately, he's still young (relatively) and has one of those things that really screw up his photography plans--a day job. The Milky Way is only visible in Maine starting in mid-Feb and slowly rises until it is vertical in the sky in the late summer. So, for the cave shot, there are only about 10 nights in the year during a new moon phase that it is even possible.

It took four trips down into the cave, alone. The Milky Way core was visible from 2-4am this early in the year. At first, I had no luck. Snowing one night, cloud cover one night, equipment problems one night, and finally on one night, there was a clear sky and I had a chance. It was 5 degrees with 20 MPH winds as I climbed down the ice- and snow-covered rocks (with big ice cleats on my boots). Fortunately, it was calmer in the cave. Cold, but little wind. Only the sound of the incoming tide gently lapping the shore. I was there about four hours (1-5am) and when I came out, the wind had blown snow drifts covering the trail. Since I'd been there before, I knew the trail and waded through the now foot of snow in parts of the trail. I actually had to stop and get my breath. I don't like that. Means I'm really getting old. I convinced myself I was loving the experience.

You can only see EXIF info for this image if you are logged in.

Anyway, I was lucky enough to get a few shots that are about 90% of what I had envisioned. Of course, now that I see them, I see other possibilities for next time.
That time spent alone in the cave at 3am was extremely satisfying, even if I didn't get a shot.

So, I encourage you not to give up. It's not about the photos. It's about you. Take at look at this video I made of a solo car trip across America last Sep/Oct and tell me you would not like to visit some of these places: (you may have to copy and paste the link)

Good luck and hang in there,
Brien

 

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Every so often, I question whether or not I want to find something else to do with my free time. Lately, those feelings have become stronger. I think we all go through similar times and in the end, I know it's a decision that only I can make. With the money I've spent on gear alone, I could have paid off my mortgage and had a decent retirement account so that I could leave a job I don't like. Just in the last 5 weeks alone, I've invested some 50-60 hrs of weekends mostly standing around waiting for something to happen. Granted, there were about 45 minutes of decent opportunities (only a few of which I could take advantage of) but it seems like what I remember is the time spent. This doesn't include the drive time to and from which runs about 45 minutes each way nor the post processing time to cull and file the few decent shots I get. I'm not sure what else I'd do, but it seems like the juice isn't worth the squeeze.
I know I can't get the killer shots every time, maybe my expectations have risen or maybe the environment has changed but it seems like several years ago, there were more places with activity than there are today. Folks ask me what I do with my photos and I don't have an answer. For the most part, nothing. After I die, I suspect they will all just disappear other than a few that might linger in the clouds.
I suppose the purpose of this post is to find out if others have felt like this and if so, how did you resolve it? (I assume if you gave up on photography, you wouldn't be here, right?)

Your not alone and you are quite normal, this is a wide spread problem for many more people than we want to admit to, so many of our club members and some of my friends, yes an including myself are constantly going through very similar moments, its another reason I have culled right back to basics with the gear and not invested further, actually I have devested greatly and actually feeling more liberated, less is more I guess.
Now before the subject of Covid and lock downs is raised, sorry this is was all the case well before Covid.

I have boxes of prints that I love and have won awards for but the inheritance journey will see the stuff out on the sidewalk for collection bar a couple.
I threw out expensive printers and stock years ago, do I think my kids are going to go through my photos' ?

There is a reason why global sales of cameras with detachable lenses are down over 50% globally...........
What am I going to do with nearly 200,000 digital photos', who is going to go through them I certainly haven't got the time, So yes your not alone.......

I guess the thing is that in the past few years anything you shoot has been done to death over and over in so many cases.
Is it the journey , experience, enjoyment of the trip, wild life is great but it can be like going fishing, you will need a lot of patience.
Also as we get a little older things become a little harder LOL.
I don't have the answers, other than please yourself 1st, 2nd, 3rd.

I looked through my archives recently and saw images that are money shots and won awards yada yada, the irony is some of the best shots came from things like a D700 d300 D7100 on consumer zoom lenses, despite having a D850 with good glass, I have had the go fast gear and I have found its so spectacular but gee I can still get brilliant results on the older gear as well, its all about You/me.
There are always going to be new sensors cameras lenses the latest and greatest, Ignore it all. Enjoy what you/I have, forget the rest.

The thing is if your asking the questions you are asking then there has to be a reason for it, as to the question are others experiencing a similar issue,
don't kid your self its a major feeling for more people than I want to admit to...........and I am seeing it with my own eyes.
Many I know are embracing Drones and Video but that's the newer generation. Now don't take this the wrong way but quite a few people are into the pates high end phones and doing well.

Sorry I don't have the answers for you myself, I am forging on but at about at a pace of 30%..........and that was pre Covid.
Look the industry is going more to 60 to 100 mp and 30 plus FPS but gee whiz, that's for the people that have money galore or good credit.

The world is changing..........

If you find any answers let me know, now tomorrow I will probably be geeing myself and others up, but the truth is I like so many are to often going through what your experiencing.
Editing all day , I have little need or like for it, I like to get it right in camera as much as possible with minimal editing, I do shoot 90% of every thing in Jpeg fine.
For special things I use Tiff, I don't need use or want Adobe subscriptions........ I use old PS 6 for cropping and at worst a little NIK.
But yes I dust the gear I have left more then ever before.

Oz Down Under

 

[O]

Warren,
I'm almost 75 and getting out to photograph (especially at night) gives me such great pleasure. One recent example.
I gave my wife a break and went up to Acadia National Park in Bar Harbor (about 3 hours away) in Feb for 4 nights and again in March for 5 nights to try to get a Milky Way shot I've had in my head for months. It is located from a sea cave only accessible at low tide. My normal photo partner Mike could not make it. Unfortunately, he's still young (relatively) and has one of those things that really screw up his photography plans--a day job. The Milky Way is only visible in Maine starting in mid-Feb and slowly rises until it is vertical in the sky in the late summer. So, for the cave shot, there are only about 10 nights in the year during a new moon phase that it is even possible.

It took four trips down into the cave, alone. The Milky Way core was visible from 2-4am this early in the year. At first, I had no luck. Snowing one night, cloud cover one night, equipment problems one night, and finally on one night, there was a clear sky and I had a chance. It was 5 degrees with 20 MPH winds as I climbed down the ice- and snow-covered rocks (with big ice cleats on my boots). Fortunately, it was calmer in the cave. Cold, but little wind. Only the sound of the incoming tide gently lapping the shore. I was there about four hours (1-5am) and when I came out, the wind had blown snow drifts covering the trail. Since I'd been there before, I knew the trail and waded through the now foot of snow in parts of the trail. I actually had to stop and get my breath. I don't like that. Means I'm really getting old. I convinced myself I was loving the experience.View attachment 17444

Anyway, I was lucky enough to get a few shots that are about 90% of what I had envisioned. Of course, now that I see them, I see other possibilities for next time.
That time spent alone in the cave at 3am was extremely satisfying, even if I didn't get a shot.

So, I encourage you not to give up. It's not about the photos. It's about you. Take at look at this video I made of a solo car trip across America last Sep/Oct and tell me you would not like to visit some of these places: (you may have to copy and paste the link)

Good luck and hang in there,
Brien

Very Nice shot and Video thankyou

 

[jer]

...
I suppose the purpose of this post is to find out if others have felt like this and if so, how did you resolve it? (I assume if you gave up on photography, you wouldn't be here, right?)

Warren D, your last sentence says a lot. It took a great deal of strength to post a question like that in a forum like this, not to mention a lot of thought about the situation before you could nail it down succinctly in a couple of paragraphs. I can't believe how much wisdom has been responded by the wonderful people of this forum. A few years your senior, I can add that there are very few more (personally!) rewarding hobbies that are also legal, not harmful to any creatures, and get you off the couch. Yes, preaching to the choir.

I was a hobbyist outdoor film photographer in the 70's-90's and always had my 35mm with me on my worldwide business trips, convinced that I would retire at 65 and enjoy myself. The universe didn't like that plan and "downsizing" had me struggling to find employment/living wages. I gave up photography for practical issues. Last year I could only find part-time work and spent the rest of my time wondering what will I do with myself to keep going. Restarting photography became my answer, only I found myself in a new digital world. But with old age creeping in, I'm unable to go where I once could, unable to physically stay out there like I once could... so my photography changed. My physical abilities changed what/where I can shoot, and my mental scope had to relax. I no longer need to impress others with my pictures—I enjoy them for myself. I no longer offer my services to friends—don't need the stress that I might ruin a niece's wedding by screwing up her wedding photos. Low key, relaxation, appreciate my small successes in learning the latest post-edit software updates. And hang a few "keepers" on my own walls.

This is just my story—not saying it is a path for you or others. I marvel how many on this forum are aging and still agile and persistent enough to get those impossible outdoor shots. But I'm at peace with my photography, looking more at light now and allowing the subject to be less adventurous. It is slightly costly, but money well-spent.

Whatever is your answer, I hope you find it. I struggled for a year worrying how to fill my future days with something other than naps, and it turned out to be the pleasure of photography. Best wishes!