Author Topic: Existential Crisis Anyone?  (Read 6522 times)

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Existential Crisis Anyone?
« on: February 07, 2017, 11:44:53 AM »
I suspect there are times when we all ask ourselves "what is it all about and why am I here?".  However, whilst those questions could result from all manner of situations in our lives, I'm limiting this question solely to photography.

My attitude to photography (other than when shooting a wedding or other work to someone else's requirements) is that I do it strictly for my own entertainment - because I like the process and seeing if the end result matches my vision - assuming that I had one.

For a little while, I've been wondering why after almost 45 years, I still persist taking photographs.  I've never earned a living from it and I can't even claim to have ever been innovative or particularly original in terms of what or how I take photos.  Currently, I have a strong inclination to just stop and try something different.

Anyone else ever felt the same way?

"An ounce of perception. A pound of obscure".

02Pilot

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Re: Existential Crisis Anyone?
« Reply #1 on: February 07, 2017, 02:16:34 PM »
I spend a good 80% of my time in the midst of one existential crisis or another (damn you, overactive brain!). It happens. There's no harm in taking a break or simply moving on to something else; Cartier-Bresson gave up photography and returned to painting later in life.

For me, it's usually attributable to boredom. Traditionally, my cure for this has been travel, though it's never possible to travel as much as I would like. More recently, I've been trying to work on the "vision thing," focusing on producing a set of photos on a very specific theme to the end of creating a set that could theoretically be shown or made into a book (not that either of these things will happen). After feeling like I had exhausted many of the photographic opportunities in my area, I'm now seeing things in the context of these themes, which has made the process interesting again, for now anyway.

Another area that's opened up is printing (digitally for me, though traditional printing would be even more of a challenge). I'm still not terribly good at it, but learning a new skill set and applying it to photography has been useful in maintaining motivation. Envisioning the photo as a print is wildly different than on a screen, as of course is actually seeing it that way.

If it were me, and it probably will be (again) in the not-too-distant future, I'd put the cameras down for a bit, look back at your previous work, look at other people's work, look at the world around you without a camera, and see if something sparks your interest. If not, have a pint and think about it some more. It's a well-known fact that beer is the preferred treatment for existential crises.
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and a man who thinks his equipment is going to see for him is not going to get much of anything.


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Late Developer

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Re: Existential Crisis Anyone?
« Reply #2 on: February 07, 2017, 02:59:58 PM »
Thanks 02P.

You made me remember a saying I used to hear a lot a few years ago and that was "begin with an end in mind".  It doesn't sound too radical but it gets me back to the question about how do you know you've achieved something if you didn't know what it was you were trying to achieve in the first place?  Too often I take a camera with me without even considering "why?"  Today, for example, I have a camera in my bag - but it hasn't even got any film in it (and that's not because it's digital). Total bloody waste of space and effort.

We have a weekend in Bologna scheduled shortly and I know that I will definitely want to take a camera with me as I always do when going somewhere for the first time.  However, I will take a camera I can use with barely a thought to the technical side - so I can concentrate on composition and enjoying the place - and not treating it as a photo shoot first, and a holiday, second.

Your comment about learning inkjet printing also resonated with me.  I've taken a lot of photos in recent times but I don't have any way to print them (other than paying my friend who runs a camera shop / printers to do it for me).  I may just get a decent A4 / A3 printer and try to get reasonable at that end of the process.

I've also wanted to learn how to play guitar.  I can strum a few chords but little more.  I'll never be a pro but perhaps focusing on something that different might give me time to see if photography still holds an attraction after a bit of a break.

I think I need to decide what the "end" is that I'm looking to start towards. And go to the pub.....
"An ounce of perception. A pound of obscure".

hookstrapped

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Re: Existential Crisis Anyone?
« Reply #3 on: February 07, 2017, 03:05:29 PM »
A existential crisis of sorts nearly 10 years ago, my daughter leaving home for college, started me on my re-discovery of photography after having dropped it 20 years earlier. So photography can be an answer to, as well as an illustration of, an existential crisis.

I imagine there's something else going on in your existential crisis. And maybe photography can help sort it out (expecting many pics of your new Lamborghini in the coming months).

gothamtomato

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Re: Existential Crisis Anyone?
« Reply #4 on: February 07, 2017, 03:12:10 PM »
It sounds like you just need to recharge your batteries. Put the camera down, go to museums, look at paintings, read, go see plays, walk, work out, come back to it when you feel it.

As for not making a living at it, it's interesting to note that Ansel Adams never made a living at it either, until he was into his 60's. If I recall correctly, he had a wife with money. Vincent Van Gogh only sold one painting in his lifetime. He was supported by his family. Many of the great artists we know of, we only know of because they had other means of support that allowed them to keep working. Most photographers I know are having a tougher time making a living at it. I made a living as a photographer for 20 years but had to take a day job at B&H five years ago, because of the economy.

I'm reminded of something photographer Len Speier used to say. He was a legendary street photographer and inspirational photography teacher, and when a student would refer to themselves as an amateur, he would say, don't ever put yourself down for being an amateur. Some really great photographs have been made by amateurs, and some really bad photographs have been made by professionals. Those labels don't matter. What matters is the pictures you make.

John Robison

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Re: Existential Crisis Anyone?
« Reply #5 on: February 07, 2017, 03:26:51 PM »
I used to think it was about the image.....long ago I stopped fooling myself. I just like mechanical whatnots. Have not one artistic bone in my body. Could not take a good picture except by accident.
So.
I play with my wonderful mechanical toys. I love to invent and create combinations from bits and pieces of my many photographic junk boxes. Making them is more fun than using them. I don't delve too deeply into my inner motivations or look for a deeper meaning. It's all just my ADD and..........and......what was I saying? Ah, it does not matter.

Back to my toys.

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Re: Existential Crisis Anyone?
« Reply #6 on: February 07, 2017, 03:30:52 PM »
A existential crisis of sorts nearly 10 years ago, my daughter leaving home for college, started me on my re-discovery of photography after having dropped it 20 years earlier. So photography can be an answer to, as well as an illustration of, an existential crisis.

I imagine there's something else going on in your existential crisis. And maybe photography can help sort it out (expecting many pics of your new Lamborghini in the coming months).

I suspect it's just me starting to feel my age, as much as anything. Never having had kids, Photography has been a big filler of my spare time and, although I've never had any expectation of becoming really good at it or going pro, I look at what I've produced and feel no joy or pride for any of it.  It just seems that I need to try something else to see if I can do it.  Playing guitar (properly) is something I've wanted to do for a while.

Cars? I couldn't even get in a Lamborghini, let alone afford to buy one!  Actually, I'm not a fancy car sort of person, at all.  My motor is 10 years old, has 137,000+ miles on the clock and I'm expecting to have it for a couple of years yet.... :o
"An ounce of perception. A pound of obscure".

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Re: Existential Crisis Anyone?
« Reply #7 on: February 07, 2017, 03:37:36 PM »
I used to think it was about the image.....long ago I stopped fooling myself. I just like mechanical whatnots. Have not one artistic bone in my body. Could not take a good picture except by accident.
So.
I play with my wonderful mechanical toys. I love to invent and create combinations from bits and pieces of my many photographic junk boxes. Making them is more fun than using them. I don't delve too deeply into my inner motivations or look for a deeper meaning. It's all just my ADD and..........and......what was I saying? Ah, it does not matter.

Back to my toys.

John, I don't even have any enhanced level of dexterity or inventiveness.  For me, it has always been about the creative process / end result.  I look at the guys on here who can build a camera from a shoebox, the bottom of a coke bottle and a couple of elastic bands and wonder why the hell I'm not wired remotely the same way.
"An ounce of perception. A pound of obscure".

John Robison

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Re: Existential Crisis Anyone?
« Reply #8 on: February 07, 2017, 03:54:51 PM »

[/quote]

John, I don't even have any enhanced level of dexterity or inventiveness.  For me, it has always been about the creative process / end result.  I look at the guys on here who can build a camera from a shoebox, the bottom of a coke bottle and a couple of elastic bands and wonder why the hell I'm not wired remotely the same way.
[/quote]
That's what is so nice about this forum, all of us bring something into the discussion, all of us contribute what we have. The common thread is a love of film but beyond that what a great, eclectic bunch of folks and what a wealth of knowledge.

Late Developer

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Re: Existential Crisis Anyone?
« Reply #9 on: February 07, 2017, 03:58:50 PM »
It sounds like you just need to recharge your batteries. Put the camera down, go to museums, look at paintings, read, go see plays, walk, work out, come back to it when you feel it.

As for not making a living at it, it's interesting to note that Ansel Adams never made a living at it either, until he was into his 60's. If I recall correctly, he had a wife with money. Vincent Van Gogh only sold one painting in his lifetime. He was supported by his family. Many of the great artists we know of, we only know of because they had other means of support that allowed them to keep working. Most photographers I know are having a tougher time making a living at it. I made a living as a photographer for 20 years but had to take a day job at B&H five years ago, because of the economy.

I'm reminded of something photographer Len Speier used to say. He was a legendary street photographer and inspirational photography teacher, and when a student would refer to themselves as an amateur, he would say, don't ever put yourself down for being an amateur. Some really great photographs have been made by amateurs, and some really bad photographs have been made by professionals. Those labels don't matter. What matters is the pictures you make.

Hi Debbie,

I really wouldn't want to go pro.  I've had a go at weddings and portraits and it's not for me as a business, unless it was the only option.  Don't want to end up like Van Gogh, either - one ear, penniless and shooting myself!  :o  ;)

I think some time away, recharging batteries and doing other stuff, is the best option.
"An ounce of perception. A pound of obscure".

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Re: Existential Crisis Anyone?
« Reply #10 on: February 07, 2017, 03:59:43 PM »


John, I don't even have any enhanced level of dexterity or inventiveness.  For me, it has always been about the creative process / end result.  I look at the guys on here who can build a camera from a shoebox, the bottom of a coke bottle and a couple of elastic bands and wonder why the hell I'm not wired remotely the same way.
[/quote]
That's what is so nice about this forum, all of us bring something into the discussion, all of us contribute what we have. The common thread is a love of film but beyond that what a great, eclectic bunch of folks and what a wealth of knowledge.
[/quote]
Couldn't agree more.
"An ounce of perception. A pound of obscure".

Sandeha Lynch

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Re: Existential Crisis Anyone?
« Reply #11 on: February 07, 2017, 04:09:30 PM »
The development of eye (and ear) are rarely in perfect lockstep with the development of the craft skills.  They play leapfrog with each other.  If your eye improves, you're left feeling that your work is below par.  But then again, your work may improve but your eye might not appreciate the progress you've made.

At the end of the day photography is necessarily and inevitably an autobiographical art and does not really need any justification.

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Re: Existential Crisis Anyone?
« Reply #12 on: February 07, 2017, 04:30:52 PM »
The development of eye (and ear) are rarely in perfect lockstep with the development of the craft skills.  They play leapfrog with each other.  If your eye improves, you're left feeling that your work is below par.  But then again, your work may improve but your eye might not appreciate the progress you've made.

At the end of the day photography is necessarily and inevitably an autobiographical art and does not really need any justification.

Wonderfully said Sandeha. I see photography as a creative endeavor from looking for expired film cheap on the web to scanning and sharing on here or Flickr. The entire process is one enjoyable (entertaining) step after another. Some of my pictures I like, some I don't, but I try not to get too hung up on whether my work is praiseworthy and just enjoy doing it. I have two teenaged boys in the house and numerous other stressful things in life, so it is good to step away for an hour or so each week and develop some film or load up some canisters for friends or write a blog post that no one will read. It's just me doing stuff for me. It is therapeutic. The day it stops being enjoyable and stress-relieving, I will find something else to do that fills that need. I'll be turning 50 this year, so I probably have an existential crisis on the way. I've always wanted to play the banjo, so maybe I'll start posting audio clips in the weekend thread! Yee HAW!
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astrobeck

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Re: Existential Crisis Anyone?
« Reply #13 on: February 07, 2017, 04:49:51 PM »
Crisis or not, I'm all for you learning the guitar!    8)
If you lived closer I'd loan you my Martin.
In the mean time, go find a guitar, but have someone play it for you so you can hear its voice and decide if it's the one for you.

I find inspiration by watching old cinema, and vintage movies. Mostly to watch the lighting and blocking effects. I get in slumps with photography, so totally understand the need to find something else to keep the brain waves flowing.
Becky

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Re: Existential Crisis Anyone?
« Reply #14 on: February 07, 2017, 05:03:44 PM »
LD, Somehow I feel your pain. I don't know if it's just the zeitgeist or what but these days are definitely hard on everything and everyone.
Recently, I started reading books on creativity and doing collages. I'm also thinking of making a zine just for fun. I already have a few parts of it... I try to get some writing in with the collage and photos. Trying to do it all with just glue and scissors until I'm at the final step of assembly and imposition.

When I read the message where you talk about the childless part, it reminds me of the BBC show The Reassembler with James May. On this years's Christmas show where he reassembles a Hornby model train, he has a comment about how model trains are bought by disappointed old men, adding that he's got hundreds. I sometimes feel cameras are sometimes a bit the same for us. I know why I've got enough to sink a small boat. I know I've pretty much exhausted every photo spot in the region. But still, when I manage to get a roll done (like last night), I still get the trill of the development and the reveal. So I feel I'm on the right track in a way. But I admit that it's often hard to find beauty in stuff. Winter will turn into Spring, and maybe I'll begin enjoying it more than I do these days (yesterday was so cold that the skin on my hands hurt).

And if you want to try an instrument that is both inexpensive and easy to learn, try a Uke. When using cheat sheets like the ones found on Chordie, you can learn to play quite a few songs in about a week ;)

Anyways...
Francois

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gothamtomato

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Re: Existential Crisis Anyone?
« Reply #15 on: February 07, 2017, 05:19:53 PM »
I really wouldn't want to go pro.  I've had a go at weddings and portraits and it's not for me as a business, unless it was the only option.  Don't want to end up like Van Gogh, either - one ear, penniless and shooting myself!  :o  ;)

I think some time away, recharging batteries and doing other stuff, is the best option.


I don't blame you there. I think wedding photography is the toughest area of photography. I've done it a couple of times and would not do it again. Too much pressure dealing with crazed women with Cinderella complexes. I'd argue that forcing a photographer to shoot a wedding is a violation of the Geneva Convention. As for poor Vinnie. No, you don't want to end up like him either, though it would be nice to have someone underwriting your living expenses so you can just work at your art. For most of the people I know who take our Event Space classes, they don't want to go pro, but they'd like to at least sell enough of their photos to make their hobby a net zero enterprise!

Making any kind of a living in a freelance way has always been dicey, and most artists are notoriously bad with money when they get it. But it's worse now than ever. There is a very well known Nat Geo photographer I had speak at our Event Space a few years ago who said that his career now consists of him talking about the career he used to have.

But another photographer I know says it best, 'What's the difference between a photographer and a pizza? A pizza can feed a family of four.'

Sadly true.

calbisu

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Re: Existential Crisis Anyone?
« Reply #16 on: February 07, 2017, 06:32:50 PM »
I guess we all have different approaches to photography, but we all have something in common, we love photography. As any other hobby there are ups and downs, and also pauses and some quits. I have forced myself not to take myself too seriously when photographying, also just to photograph for the sake of it. I had fancy ideas of doing documentaries and others, but then I could not imagine me doing it, or willing to do it. I have had the opportunity to live and work in fancy places, just to ¨find out¨ that the photographs I love the most are the ones I shot at home or nearby. Now a days I photograph around me, specially my friends and their children and I love sharing the pics with them. I have been playing guitar for more than 20 years, and I just started to sing together with the guitar couple of weeks ago. I again enjoy playing the guitar  :)


charles binns

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Re: Existential Crisis Anyone?
« Reply #17 on: February 07, 2017, 06:51:47 PM »
Somebody needs to drink more beer!

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Re: Existential Crisis Anyone?
« Reply #18 on: February 07, 2017, 07:04:10 PM »
Crisis or not, I'm all for you learning the guitar!    8)
If you lived closer I'd loan you my Martin.
In the mean time, go find a guitar, but have someone play it for you so you can hear its voice and decide if it's the one for you.

I find inspiration by watching old cinema, and vintage movies. Mostly to watch the lighting and blocking effects. I get in slumps with photography, so totally understand the need to find something else to keep the brain waves flowing.
Becky

Hi Becky,

I had an acoustic guitar (a Martin, funnily enough) but it made a real racket when I was thrashing away and I felt very guilty using it - even upstairs in our back bedroom, with the door shut.  Ironically, an electric guitar with an amp that allows the use of headphones is much more wife (and neighbour) friendly, so I now have a Les Paul and a Marshall at my disposal.  When Lara and the neighbours are out, it gets turned up to 11, though  :o 8)  I now just want to learn how to play like Joe Walsh, Joe Bonamassa.....or Stevie Ray Vaughan  ;)

I love film noir and lots of the old B&W classics.  Lara and I have also recently joined Tate Modern and I'm doing my best to rid myself of my prejudices around the garbage thought-provoking works on show.  There's also an "Everyman" cinema (mix of latest releases and some independent / arty stuff) just opened up a few miles away, so I think I might be giving that a go as well.
"An ounce of perception. A pound of obscure".

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Re: Existential Crisis Anyone?
« Reply #19 on: February 07, 2017, 07:10:34 PM »
I think mini-projects are the lever to get us out of the motivational doldrums. We all enjoy a collaboration and an exchange as it forces us to think and step outside our comfort zone to achieve something. It also justifies itself and knowing that we are sharing it with like-minded folks gives us a sense of satisfaction and no fear of competitiveness. Personal projects take a lot of discipline, easier if there is an end in mind such as a book/zine/website as others have said. Perhaps we should make more of the community we have here.

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Re: Existential Crisis Anyone?
« Reply #20 on: February 07, 2017, 07:12:24 PM »
I've been in crisis since I was fourteen years old. Well, it's kind different beasts but they all share the same vicious core ... It doesn't matter if the theme in questions are my readings about human evolution; the findings about our brain and its diseases; economics or, lately, USA constitutional history ... Even the joy of writting poetry or some tales about these or that or the ever excitement of programming, hehehe.  Never is enough ... anxiety !!! The only thing that escapes from that force has been my family!!! Great, because photography is a perfect companion to share my feelings. But, to be honest, I need more. I need to open my galleries ;-)

Cheers!
Antonio

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Re: Existential Crisis Anyone?
« Reply #21 on: February 07, 2017, 07:31:11 PM »
I think everybody has these downs whether we're doing photography or something else, and they usually appear around this time of the year when it's dark and cold. When this happens I usually manage to convince myself to go on by thinking about all the positive things that photography can lead to. I get out in the (hopefully) fresh air, walking is good for my health, I stop thinking about all the things that worry me, I might meet somebody I know or someone else out shooting so that we can admire each others gear and so on. I think Sandeha put it very nicely forward here. When I'm out shooting I rarely think about composition, but when I see something that brings out a memory from the past (near or distant), I stop dead in my tracks. Trying to visualize a memory or feeling is something that I often see in my own pictures, but that is of course not apparent to others. But to recall memories and situations linked to a shot I find is the first step to accept and like your own pictures. I have more or less stopped worrying about what others might think, but if somebody has a point of view that I find useful I bring it with me and try to improve along the way. It's all an ongoing process that will never stop as long as you enjoy what you are doing.
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chris667

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Re: Existential Crisis Anyone?
« Reply #22 on: February 07, 2017, 09:55:39 PM »
Anyone else ever felt the same way?

Yes. In photography, my break lasted from 1999 to 2016.

I recommend the ukulele. It's not easier to play WELL than the guitar, but you can get the basics quickly and while you are learning it's a bit less antisocial.

I'll post you one if you like. Nothing special, but it is good enough to get you going.
« Last Edit: February 07, 2017, 09:57:54 PM by chris667 »

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Re: Existential Crisis Anyone?
« Reply #23 on: February 07, 2017, 11:51:13 PM »
Anyone else ever felt the same way?

Yes. In photography, my break lasted from 1999 to 2016.

I recommend the ukulele. It's not easier to play WELL than the guitar, but you can get the basics quickly and while you are learning it's a bit less antisocial.

I'll post you one if you like. Nothing special, but it is good enough to get you going.

Thanks, but please don't send it just yet.  I really like the Ukelele Orchestra of GB - their take on Smells Like Teen Spirit had me in fits, mainly because the Nirvana fans went apoplectic at the disrespect for Kurt Cobain.  I think he'd have laughed along with the rest of us.

In the meantime, I'm organising some guitar lessons and will, hopefully, be getting my mind off the photographic process for at least a short while.
"An ounce of perception. A pound of obscure".

Bryan

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Re: Existential Crisis Anyone?
« Reply #24 on: February 08, 2017, 12:22:35 AM »
In the meantime, I'm organising some guitar lessons and will, hopefully, be getting my mind off the photographic process for at least a short while.

Don't forget to document this new endeavor with some photos  :)

jharr

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Re: Existential Crisis Anyone?
« Reply #25 on: February 08, 2017, 04:13:50 PM »
Thanks, but please don't send it just yet.  I really like the Ukelele Orchestra of GB - their take on Smells Like Teen Spirit had me in fits, mainly because the Nirvana fans went apoplectic at the disrespect for Kurt Cobain.  I think he'd have laughed along with the rest of us.

Who is the person with the least amount of respect for Kurt Cobain? Why, the guy that shot him of course. Comparatively, arranging one of his songs for ukulele doesn't seem so bad.
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Re: Existential Crisis Anyone?
« Reply #26 on: February 08, 2017, 04:34:06 PM »
Thanks, but please don't send it just yet.  I really like the Ukelele Orchestra of GB - their take on Smells Like Teen Spirit had me in fits, mainly because the Nirvana fans went apoplectic at the disrespect for Kurt Cobain.  I think he'd have laughed along with the rest of us.

Who is the person with the least amount of respect for Kurt Cobain? Why, the guy that shot him of course. Comparatively, arranging one of his songs for ukulele doesn't seem so bad.

James, I agree completely. However, I must admit that I wouldn't have been too upset if some Zep fans had kicked lumps out of Rolf Harris for what he did to "Stairway to Heaven".  Double standards?  We all have 'em!
"An ounce of perception. A pound of obscure".

Bryan

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Re: Existential Crisis Anyone?
« Reply #27 on: February 08, 2017, 05:06:09 PM »
Thanks, but please don't send it just yet.  I really like the Ukelele Orchestra of GB - their take on Smells Like Teen Spirit had me in fits, mainly because the Nirvana fans went apoplectic at the disrespect for Kurt Cobain.  I think he'd have laughed along with the rest of us.

Who is the person with the least amount of respect for Kurt Cobain? Why, the guy that shot him of course. Comparatively, arranging one of his songs for ukulele doesn't seem so bad.

James, I agree completely. However, I must admit that I wouldn't have been too upset if some Zep fans had kicked lumps out of Rolf Harris for what he did to "Stairway to Heaven".  Double standards?  We all have 'em!
:)

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chris667

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Re: Existential Crisis Anyone?
« Reply #28 on: February 08, 2017, 05:10:57 PM »

Thanks, but please don't send it just yet.  I really like the Ukelele Orchestra of GB - their take on Smells Like Teen Spirit had me in fits, mainly because the Nirvana fans went apoplectic at the disrespect for Kurt Cobain.  I think he'd have laughed along with the rest of us.

In the meantime, I'm organising some guitar lessons and will, hopefully, be getting my mind off the photographic process for at least a short while.

They are good guys, but really a novelty act.

So much music was written for them, but you have to go back to before the fifties, when rock and roll knocked them from the top spot.

Have a listen to Cliff Edwards, and Papa Lemon Nash. Some of it is utterly timeless and lovely once you get into it.

Still, good luck with the guitar. And mention us in your first album!

KevinAllan

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Re: Existential Crisis Anyone?
« Reply #29 on: February 08, 2017, 06:11:42 PM »
Over the last 35 years the amount of time I've spent on photography has increased year-on-year so I've never spent long periods without taking photos. I did take up the guitar, alongside photography, during a time of change in my life, but after a few years and three guitars I sold them having come to the conclusion I wasn't ever going to be any good at it. I still have a mandolin that I might get back into one day.

I guess the reason I keep on with photography, compared to guitars, is that I just get more pleasure out of it, even if my photos are of little interest to others. Plus, and this is an advantage of using film, there's a little bit of guilt in allowing a film stash, or chemicals, or darkroom paper, to go to waste; maybe if I run out of film at the same time as there was a shortage (as we sometimes experience with Porta) then it might be time for an existential crisis.


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Re: Existential Crisis Anyone?
« Reply #30 on: February 08, 2017, 09:43:51 PM »
Thanks, but please don't send it just yet.  I really like the Ukelele Orchestra of GB - their take on Smells Like Teen Spirit had me in fits, mainly because the Nirvana fans went apoplectic at the disrespect for Kurt Cobain.  I think he'd have laughed along with the rest of us.
He did have a good sense of humor. He did grant Weird Al permission to make the song Smells like Nirvana... and the word has it that he thought it was very funny.
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Re: Existential Crisis Anyone?
« Reply #31 on: February 10, 2017, 03:58:48 PM »
Rolf harris did 'Stairway'?! One of the advantages of living in a cultural wilderness (17 miles for Oxford and about 40 from London) is that The Bearded One's version has quite passed me by. Must YouTube it...

I've been meaning to post - since Xmas - about I present I bought myself. I felt that my snaps were going nowhere much. Like you, I feel neither pride nor joy in my own work. I bought The Photographer's Playbook, eds Fulford & Halpern, published by Aperture. It's a 400-odd page book asking you to think about your work. Some of the assignments are ridiculously academic and art-skool pretentious in the extreme. I say "Bollox" and turn the page and there is an assignment which really resonates. I am planning on working on about 20 assignments and I'm only half-way through the book. It will take literally a few years to complete the assignments, but it's made my think, about my work, my subject matter, presentation, workflow and camera choice.

It's really worth a read. Some assignments are amusing, some serious - but most make me think, even if the conclusion is, 'That's not for me'.

I hope you get your mojo back soon.
David
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Re: Existential Crisis Anyone?
« Reply #32 on: February 10, 2017, 05:33:20 PM »
Rolf harris did 'Stairway'?! One of the advantages of living in a cultural wilderness (17 miles for Oxford and about 40 from London) is that The Bearded One's version has quite passed me by. Must YouTube it...

I've been meaning to post - since Xmas - about I present I bought myself. I felt that my snaps were going nowhere much. Like you, I feel neither pride nor joy in my own work. I bought The Photographer's Playbook, eds Fulford & Halpern, published by Aperture. It's a 400-odd page book asking you to think about your work. Some of the assignments are ridiculously academic and art-skool pretentious in the extreme. I say "Bollox" and turn the page and there is an assignment which really resonates. I am planning on working on about 20 assignments and I'm only half-way through the book. It will take literally a few years to complete the assignments, but it's made my think, about my work, my subject matter, presentation, workflow and camera choice.

It's really worth a read. Some assignments are amusing, some serious - but most make me think, even if the conclusion is, 'That's not for me'.

I hope you get your mojo back soon.
David

David - yes RH did a version on the "wobble board".  It is off-the-scale bad.  The first time I saw it, I didn't know whether to laugh or cry.  Subsequent viewings just made me rage.

Maybe a project would be a good idea.  As most of my day job has had a significant "project" element for quite a while, I might take to this - so long as I don't start pressurising myself to deliver by deadlines, etc as that would probably make matters worse.

Anything that might be a bit fun / interesting has got to be a step in the right direction.
"An ounce of perception. A pound of obscure".

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Re: Existential Crisis Anyone?
« Reply #33 on: February 11, 2017, 05:43:45 PM »
Anyone else ever felt the same way?

  • Hide all the razor blades
  • Read Susan Sontag's On Photography
  • Set fire to your cameras in the front yard

I feel the same way nearly every day. It gets worse as my job demands more and more of my devotion and I have less time to give to my family and hobby, and in the end my hobby gets the least attention.

This ultimately death-spirals, as I think the quality of my photography has degraded in the last three to five years, so when I do get to shoot the resulting images give me less pleasure, and I ask myself the why questions. Wash, rinse, repeat.

But, I was helping my wife schlep some gear for a Girl Scouts meeting last weekend and shot a bit at a Native Youth Olympics event nearby and I found myself energized by the shooting, and with genuine anticipation for the resulting negs. On a good day, I come back to this simple point: I enjoy it. Artistic merit, social purpose, deeper meaning, psychoanalysis, they can all go shit themselves. Give me a viewfinder and a sunny afternoon and I'll show you a happy Jack.

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Re: Existential Crisis Anyone?
« Reply #34 on: February 11, 2017, 07:57:35 PM »
I have been struggling the last 2 month's, weather is crap every weekend also really tired working too hard but listening to more LP'S spent about £300 on them this last month Metallica Hardwired to self destruct is getting a hammering it's brilliant and starting to motivate me

Sent from my SM-G903F using Tapatalk


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Re: Existential Crisis Anyone?
« Reply #35 on: February 11, 2017, 08:56:52 PM »
I think we all need a bit more Hygge into our lives...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hygge
Francois

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Re: Existential Crisis Anyone?
« Reply #36 on: February 11, 2017, 10:02:10 PM »

Artistic merit, social purpose, deeper meaning, psychoanalysis, they can all go shit themselves. Give me a viewfinder and a sunny afternoon and I'll show you a happy Jack.

Amen, brother.

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Re: Existential Crisis Anyone?
« Reply #37 on: February 11, 2017, 10:28:56 PM »
I'm just wondering about something: am I the only one here who stopped watching the news?
Francois

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Re: Existential Crisis Anyone?
« Reply #38 on: February 12, 2017, 04:15:32 PM »
I'm just wondering about something: am I the only one here who stopped watching the news?
I stopped about a week into the pres. campaign season. Whenever I see significant signs that the country/world is circling the drain, I stop watching the news and take more pictures.
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Re: Existential Crisis Anyone?
« Reply #39 on: February 12, 2017, 08:24:52 PM »
I'm just wondering about something: am I the only one here who stopped watching the news?

I still watch it but I find it increasingly hard to believe it..... ??? 
"An ounce of perception. A pound of obscure".

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Re: Existential Crisis Anyone?
« Reply #40 on: February 12, 2017, 10:01:01 PM »
Whenever I see significant signs that the country/world is circling the drain, I stop watching the news and take more pictures.

That is exactly the reason I started with my photography again. I wanted to try to make something beautiful.

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Re: Existential Crisis Anyone?
« Reply #41 on: February 12, 2017, 10:17:08 PM »
I saw the 9/11 desaster live in tv. Since then I stopped watching news. This kind of world has no future. Photography is like therapy for me. I can forget all the crap and do harmless enjoyable things. Every kind of culture is a remedy, be it music, literature, cinema, photography or whatever. Make culture blooming again.


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« Last Edit: February 12, 2017, 10:34:37 PM by imagesfrugales »

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Re: Existential Crisis Anyone?
« Reply #42 on: February 13, 2017, 05:32:05 AM »
Give me a viewfinder and a sunny afternoon and I'll show you a happy Jack.

this is the holy grail !