Down in the dumps? Don't know what to photograph? Read on…
Post updated July 2021: This has happened to me on a number of occasions. I grab my camera on a rare day off and set out with the excitement of shooting something new. Only to feel totally flat at the end of it. How to motivate yourself?
What a waste of my time! Why did I bother? Should I carry on? What's it all about?
Don't worry, it happens to the best of us. After 40 years of being a photographer in one form or another (amateur, professional, child) it happens to me too.
There have even been times when I felt like giving it all up, professionally and as an amateur. However, it wasn't long before I was right back in the thick of it. I think photography is in my blood forever.
I usually read something, see someone's amazing portfolio or have a brainwave that gets me going. The thought of having sold all my cameras at this point fills me with dread so that will never happen.
How to motivate yourself
If you ever feel like this, look for outside influences and stop relying on yourself to get motivated. Think outside the box and clear your mind of what you think you should be doing. Get creative, get outside and look for something you haven't shot before.
Wheat
Recently, and after buying a new Panasonic S1H camera, I was stuck for a topic to shoot. The weather was awful and I felt like doing something else. All it took was a smartphone shot from my wife of raindrops on some wheat in our garden and I was off.
On went the macro lens and I spent half an hour kneeling in the wet grass getting up close and personal with a fly and spider.
Get in your car and just drive...
Hopefully this article from Jim Taylor (entrepreneur, writer, hockey fan, NY local) will inspire you: