Andrewteee
All-Pro
I'm in a photographic rut and would appreciate some advice. Basically, I'm searching for a way to keep the photographic momentum moving forward under serious time constraints.
It seems my passion for photography is shrinking. Between work and family and the general business of life I find that my available free time (and energy) is, as the saying goes, few and far between. In the past it seemed that I had enough momentum to keep things going and to keep learning and make progress. But now it seems to be really nothing more than the random family snapshot every now and then. I don't have time to go out and "take pictures", which for me anyway requires some time to get to know an area and allow the photographic opportunities to open up. The result of this seems to be that I can't take very good pictures - I'm out of practice. And thus my interest and passion are waning, but I simply don't want that to happen. I love photography too much to let it go.
I believe that family and work should be my priorities (I'll often go out with the family without a single camera nowadays, so I am more present), but I need and want something that is my own, something that fosters a creative outlet to feed my mind. Our kids are young (5 and 3) and it will be many years before I have more reflective time; for now, it seems to be survival, just getting through each day.
Do you have any advice or techniques that can foster photographic practice that are opportunistic in nature or that otherwise keep the passion and momentum engaged? I read about photography and I view photobooks daily, but I want to take pictures myself and not just view the work of others.
Very much appreciated!
PS I know there was a similar thread to this theme in the past, but I was unable to find it. Apologies for the overlap.
It seems my passion for photography is shrinking. Between work and family and the general business of life I find that my available free time (and energy) is, as the saying goes, few and far between. In the past it seemed that I had enough momentum to keep things going and to keep learning and make progress. But now it seems to be really nothing more than the random family snapshot every now and then. I don't have time to go out and "take pictures", which for me anyway requires some time to get to know an area and allow the photographic opportunities to open up. The result of this seems to be that I can't take very good pictures - I'm out of practice. And thus my interest and passion are waning, but I simply don't want that to happen. I love photography too much to let it go.
I believe that family and work should be my priorities (I'll often go out with the family without a single camera nowadays, so I am more present), but I need and want something that is my own, something that fosters a creative outlet to feed my mind. Our kids are young (5 and 3) and it will be many years before I have more reflective time; for now, it seems to be survival, just getting through each day.
Do you have any advice or techniques that can foster photographic practice that are opportunistic in nature or that otherwise keep the passion and momentum engaged? I read about photography and I view photobooks daily, but I want to take pictures myself and not just view the work of others.
Very much appreciated!
PS I know there was a similar thread to this theme in the past, but I was unable to find it. Apologies for the overlap.