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Author Topic: Style/being in a rut  (Read 17507 times)

wmchauncey

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Style/being in a rut
« on: March 08, 2014, 12:13:49 pm »

I've recently gotten kudos with some droplets and my "snow mound/desert" images...the desire to continue those accolades is beginning to affect my choice of material.
I'm even playing with things like flour in a pan to form into appropriate looking mounds of sand dunes. Once you have learned the technique, a developing of "style"
seems to be approaching that of being in a rut. How many birds/dunes/droplets does one need?
Where does one draw the line?
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DF1

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Re: Style/being in a rut
« Reply #1 on: March 08, 2014, 01:05:56 pm »

There is no rule about where to draw the line. Don't worry about it. Just keep shooting and exploring and it'll all work out.
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Jeremy Roussak

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Re: Style/being in a rut
« Reply #2 on: March 08, 2014, 09:19:24 pm »

seems to be approaching that of being in a rut. How many birds/dunes/droplets does one need?

Need? None, of course. We don't need any photographs. But looking at your droplets gave me a lot of pleasure and lightened my mood; and that's a Good Thing. Keep doing droplets and fake dunes until you're bored with them. Then meander around until you run across something else that amuses you. If you've a restless spirit, you'll never be completely satisfied, but that's a Good Thing too.

Jeremy
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Eric Myrvaagnes

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Re: Style/being in a rut
« Reply #3 on: March 08, 2014, 11:45:54 pm »

Need? None, of course. We don't need any photographs. But looking at your droplets gave me a lot of pleasure and lightened my mood; and that's a Good Thing. Keep doing droplets and fake dunes until you're bored with them. Then meander around until you run across something else that amuses you. If you've a restless spirit, you'll never be completely satisfied, but that's a Good Thing too.

Jeremy
+10.
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Christoph C. Feldhaim

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Re: Style/being in a rut
« Reply #4 on: March 09, 2014, 03:42:02 am »

Its good to explore things to a certain depth,
especially in these modern fast paced times.

Trust your own feelings when its enough or if you need to dig deeper - really no one can tell you this.

Sometimes things need to lay at rest a while before you can continue with them,
sometimes you need to push harder, sometimes you need to give up something.

Never forget the fun part - its hardly possible to produce something good if the fun has completely gone.
But sometimes trying harder is fun too.
Sometimes a rest helps gathering new energy.

You decide!

Cheers
~Chris

RSL

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Re: Style/being in a rut
« Reply #5 on: March 09, 2014, 05:59:45 am »

Don't sweat it, Chauncy. I suspect we all feel we're falling into a rut from time to time. I know it happens to me every once in a while. But if you keep your eyes open and keep shooting you'll jump out of the rut. HCB said it best: "Photographing is nothing. Looking is everything."
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petermfiore

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Re: Style/being in a rut
« Reply #6 on: March 09, 2014, 08:29:31 am »

I've recently gotten kudos with some droplets and my "snow mound/desert" images...the desire to continue those accolades is beginning to affect my choice of material.
I'm even playing with things like flour in a pan to form into appropriate looking mounds of sand dunes. Once you have learned the technique, a developing of "style"
seems to be approaching that of being in a rut. How many birds/dunes/droplets does one need?
Where does one draw the line?

The best advice an artist can take.......it will feed you soul.

Peter

Rob C

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Re: Style/being in a rut
« Reply #7 on: March 09, 2014, 10:39:15 am »

The best advice an artist can take.......it will feed you soul.

Peter


I wonder about Rule #4.

I am of the mind that if you know it, then that's probably because you wanted to do it in the first place.

Getting personal, had I been able to continue with both fashion and calendars at the level at which I peaked, I'd have been far from unhappy. The problem is usually to be found when the trajectory starts to dip southwards, for whatever political or commercial reason.

Can't say I ever felt the desire to abandon it all in favour of, for example, bottles... ;-) Having said which, I did, on and off, consider the idea of starting a separate photographic venture to be called Bottles through which to get into the local whisky business. I never did; I suppose that had I gone along with it, I'd never have left the UK, and thus missed a helluva lot of Mediterranean delights. But, I might have made some more pennies. But then, as a friend remarked, God can't think much of money: look at the people he makes rich. In many cases where personal knowledge reaches, Amen.

Rob C

Jagatai

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Re: Style/being in a rut
« Reply #8 on: March 09, 2014, 11:13:07 am »

It sounds like what you are saying is that you've taken the snow mound shots about as far as you know how to take them at the moment and now, every time you approach them, you feel like you are doing the same thing.  That doesn't mean that you've all you can ever do on them.  It may just mean you need to get away from that project for a little while.

I'm currently in a similar situation.  I've been shooting a particular location quite a bit and lately I'm feeling like I'm either repeating myself or else the shots I'm getting are just boring and conventional.  I need to shoot something else for a while (although I'm having trouble thinking of what that might be)

As you suggest, it is really tempting to keep doing the thing that people are praising you for and it's kinda scary doing something else because maybe people won't like that.

Would it help to just go out and shoot something radically different from what you normally do?  For example, if you shoot natural landscapes, what would happen if you shot in the heart of a city?  It may not be your favorite subject, but it might help you get perspective on what is really important to you in the sort of stuff you normally shoot.
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Rob C

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Re: Style/being in a rut
« Reply #9 on: March 09, 2014, 12:25:31 pm »

It sounds like what you are saying is that you've taken the snow mound shots about as far as you know how to take them at the moment and now, every time you approach them, you feel like you are doing the same thing.  That doesn't mean that you've all you can ever do on them.  It may just mean you need to get away from that project for a little while.

I'm currently in a similar situation.  I've been shooting a particular location quite a bit and lately I'm feeling like I'm either repeating myself or else the shots I'm getting are just boring and conventional.  I need to shoot something else for a while (although I'm having trouble thinking of what that might be)

As you suggest, it is really tempting to keep doing the thing that people are praising you for and it's kinda scary doing something else because maybe people won't like that.

Would it help to just go out and shoot something radically different from what you normally do?  For example, if you shoot natural landscapes, what would happen if you shot in the heart of a city?  It may not be your favorite subject, but it might help you get perspective on what is really important to you in the sort of stuff you normally shoot.


That is the single, greatest mistake you can ever make.

The only time it matters squat is if it's a successful commercial niche you have developed for yourself; as an amateur, you have the freedom to show two fingers - or one, depending on your culture - to the world. If you don't have the courage (courage? what's brave about it?) to please yourself as an amateur, then you really should take up knitting.

Rob C

wmchauncey

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Re: Style/being in a rut
« Reply #10 on: March 09, 2014, 12:26:13 pm »

What I continue to find astounding is the number of superior artists out there, based upon their routinely visited websites, that find my stuff appealing and continue to stroke my, oftentimes faltering, 70 y/o ego....thank you all.
As an FYI thingy...my goals are trying to insure that my six adopted, cognitively impaired teenagers will be able to get by down the road.  Obviously, photography ranks a little lower on my priority list.
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Alan Klein

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Re: Style/being in a rut
« Reply #11 on: March 13, 2014, 09:49:19 am »

How do I find these pictures?

Rob C

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Re: Style/being in a rut
« Reply #12 on: March 13, 2014, 11:34:10 am »

How do I find these pictures?

With difficulty!

;-)

Rob C

wmchauncey

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Re: Style/being in a rut
« Reply #13 on: March 13, 2014, 11:49:32 am »

Those are merely pictures of blowing snow drifts with a lotta work done in PSCC.      ;)
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MoreOrLess

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Re: Style/being in a rut
« Reply #14 on: March 17, 2014, 01:41:34 pm »

I've recently gotten kudos with some droplets and my "snow mound/desert" images...the desire to continue those accolades is beginning to affect my choice of material.
I'm even playing with things like flour in a pan to form into appropriate looking mounds of sand dunes. Once you have learned the technique, a developing of "style"
seems to be approaching that of being in a rut. How many birds/dunes/droplets does one need?
Where does one draw the line?

Honestly I think a lot of people draw the line too soon resulting in a rather "jack of all trades" output.

Really focusing on a narrow field give you the chance to devolp a more individual style and come up with something beyond the typical shots. I look at your Heron's in flight for example that you've clearly put a lot of time/effort into and the variations are much more interesting to me than a selection of more standard wildlife shots of different animals/locations would be.
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