Reached a plateau, came up against an impasse, got stuck in a rut.

OldGoat

I hit a point where I am learning nothing new, I've no feedback on my images and I'm tired of only shooting the same images over and over. I need the proverbial kick up the arse. And so...I joined a camera club last night.

I watched the clubs the Winter League judging during the meeting and realised the terrifying gulf in standards and quality that still lies before me. Then someone asked me if I shoot film and I nearly shat myself at the prospects of doing grown up photography with chemicals.

I will benefit from this but my inner introvert is screaming and pulling out my remaining hair. "Do something that scares you everyday" is a saying bandied about by people. Idiots. Doing scary things is...scary.

I know some members of here are also members of there so I'll see ye some Tuesday night.

eoinzy2000

Ah, don't take it so seriously. You are learning new stuff, and actively seeking forums and mediums for further learning (being self aware and joining clubs). Sounds like you are too hard on yourself. Enjoy the process of heading towards a level you aspire to, otherwise you'll stress yourself out and not enjoy it. I am at a wildly low standard also, but I really enjoy taking the odd tip from here, whether it be technical hardware or lighting/framing skills and trying, when I get a minute, to incorporate them into a 'style'! Its fun. Might join a club myself, if I can find that extra day in the week! The random photography page where people upload their pics is excellent for tips, I find. New ideas. I have uploaded a couple to that and it really has given me a motivation to up the stakes and produce better pics.

OldGoat

I'm not being (entirely) frank. My posts on here tend to be self deprecating and irreverent.
Despite what I say I am looking forward to the challenge of raising my game.

magicbastarder

i need a kick up the hole, photographically. have not taken many photos bar family shots and holiday snaps over the last few years.

need to get a couple of lenses serviced (i.e. checked to see if fungus can be removed) too, which is not helping with impetus.

OldGoat

Strangely enough one of the best methods I've come across for having "viewfinder fatigue", of not being able to see any shots, is to head out on a photowalk without your camera. My reasoning behind this is that being surrounded by other photographers puts you in the right mindset. Inevitably you'll see a shot they are missing and the itch to shoot almost overwhelms.

magicbastarder

is there an etiquette on photowalks to not try to replicate shots you see other photographers getting to first? otherwise you might find everyone coming back with a bag of identical shots.
if so, maybe you could 'claim' the shot by photographing it with an imaginary camera.

OldGoat

Imaginary cameras are brilliant. Lightweight, plentiful, never have battery issues and always have the right lens attached.

Jan_de_Bakker

Its amazing, this exact type of thread pops up in here every year or so .

I'm the poster formerly known as cowboyBuilder formerly known as the_monkey btw ...

Happens to us all, I used to look forward to get the camera out - in normal everyday life, now I really need something new to excite me - like that observatory trip I took a few months back.

But on a daily "normal" note apart from just taking pics of my kids, I don't get that into it anymore.

I will tho, I need to join in those photo challenges here - these are perfect as the photos has to be from the actual time frame specified.

Adrian.Sadlier

Think I saw you there on Tuesday night - distinctive white beard? I was the short, fat bald guy with a much smaller beard😂

Welcome to DCC! Try out the novice workshops, held every second Monday night (details on the calendar on the club website). They are fun, informative and include a target theme to help get you out shooting with a purpose.

Adrian.

uck51js9zml2yt

I joined when starting the photo course.
I've still to get to the Monday or Tuesday nights.
The course is interesting but there are only so many of other people's photos I can watch!

OldGoat

...and as a matter of pure coincidence I happened to be in areas around Clifden and Roundstone for the weekend - seemingly surrounded by members of DCC on a photo-weekend.

m5ex9oqjawdg2i

I haven't processed a photo in over a year. I don't feel like taking my camera(s) out anymore and I have taken shag all pics on my lovely 100m L series macro lens. I have lost my mojo.

Computer got reformatted and I lost my old lightroom app. Now I have to subscribe and I just ain't committed to paying a yearly fee (which I see as being incredibly overpriced).

fret_wimp2

It happens, a year ago i headed out every lunchtime for an hour with the camera. I used to head off for the full day on the weekend wtih teh camera, in search for the perfect street shot. Then i started to get disillusioned by it all, seeing any picture of a stranger in the street labeled as Street photgraphy and i just stopped bothering.

Im getting back into it again, but with a view of using only my phone for taking and processing the images. My S7 takes excellent shots, automatically allows me to constrain them to 4:3, is very sharp and with a few apps like snapseed processing has taken on a new dimension, with less of me sitting in lightroom fiddling with a slider for hours, and more of me enjoying the images.

Just find some new dimension to keep you interested and try not get bogged down in it all.

superflyninja

What camera club did you join?

I've not picked up my camera in anger in a long time now. I became frustrated with my kit. Its just too basic a model (Olympus E-PM1) and the lens I have are not varied enough for some things that I want to do. The low light performance is awful on it and so a lot of avenues are cut off to me.
I have a lovely sigma 30mm 2.8 and a manual OM 50mm and they are lovely for flower shots etc. But Im sick to the back teeth of doing those. I'm at a point where I want more kit but my camera is not worth buying the kit for and that puts me into a place where I need a new camera body. I've never had anything other than an entry level camera and so I want a decent cam. Full frame ideally. But I cant justify spending so much on a camera and so mine has sat idle......I miss taking photos!!

OldGoat

I joined up with Dublin Camera Club. I'm gonna head in on Mondays for a while to the Novice workshops to get back to basics and start afresh.

I thought about getting a full frame but to be honest with myself it is a luxury I can ill afford. Rather spend money on glass. So an entry level dSLR with nice lenses is the path for me.
When I want full frame I'll get my hands on an old film slr for a little to no money and learn to process shots from that in the club. That way I get the shots AND the pleasure of learning to do something new.