Drifting away from.....

[dan nguyen]

Drifting away from traditional photography. ..

Recently I had a conversation with a friend and we both feel that we are drifting away from traditional photography. We both use LF and MF and love traditional darkroom work. We spend less and less time in the darkroon and mentally we feel a kind of loss ground every day....

I'm curious to know how many of you are in similar situation. It doesn't matter what are the reasons or issues (job, family, budget, health, technology... etc etc). I'm curious to know how you get it back, back to the motivation, back to the enthusiasm of shooting film and doing darkroom work..because we want it back, we want to rediscover, we to keep it. Also it doesn't matter if you stop for a while or for along time, what matter is on how or under what circumtances you get it back....

thank you for any input.

[Michael Graves]

I'm doing exactly the opposite. After doing nothing but digital for the past three years (primarily illustrating my books), I'm now finding myself "rediscovering" LF B&W traditional photography. I LOVE the smell of stop bath in the morning!!

[Capocheny]

Dan,

I use to do darkroom work professionally so it was definitely the last thing I wanted to do when I got home. However, I soon gave up the job and went back into it as a hobby.

There were definitely days where the darkroom was the last refuge in the world to go to!

To get back on track I'd go out and shoot, shoot, shoot. I'd let these negatives accumulate until I was dead curious to see what images I'd captured and this, of course, lead to a curiosity of what they would look like in print form! [Now, I'm speaking of B&W negatives... not transparencies.]

The incentive to do something ALWAYS has to out-weigh the motivation NOT to do that "something." In other words... your desire to achieve "something" in the darkroom has to out-weigh the motivation to go out and "have a pint (or the incentive NOT to go into the darkroom!)"

Lastly, that incentive should also have an intrinsic value to you... for example, "you WANT to see what the print of x-shot looks like ON paper." In other words, you're not printing something you've ALREADY printed... there's no mystery to that image. You'd be doing something "just to do it" and, as a result, you'll get bored and less excited about doing it.

[Hopefully, the above makes sense... I'm just on my first cup of joe! :)]

Cheers

[Matthew Cordery]

My problem is I have too many mistresses.
I like climbing which occupies my weekends in the summer. I like mountaineering, which I'm now able to get back into after a too long hiatus caused by achilles tendinitis. And then there's my wife, to whom I've only been married less than 5 years so she still likes to have me around. ;-)
So, I feel kind of guilty that I have all this darkroom stuff now, and a garage for it, and I'm not motivated to spend much time in it because the mountains are calling and they don't play well with 4x5 gear.

[Ben Calwell]

I have a day job and a 9-year-old son that keep me busy, so I don't get to shoot as much as I would like or spend much time in the darkroom. I'll bet I do LF photography maybe once every 3 to 6 months, if that. I might do a darkroom session on a Saturday or a Sunday every once in a blue moon. But LF phtograpahy is always in the back of my mind. I'm refurbishing my old Linhof, and that's kind of keeping the juices flowing. Looking at other photog's work also gives me a shot of motivation and keeps my interest high. I also subscribe to View Camera, and that keeps me "in the loop" so to speak.

[Daniel Schmidt]

Perhaps you need some new aspect of traditional photography to pull you back in.

here are some options

-get an exhibition (gallery, coffee shop, whatever) that will be on your traditional work, that might kick you into gear and get you making new prints.

- get a bigger format, if you do 4x5, get an 8x10 and start contact printing (that is what worked for me)

- make, get a pinhole camera, each negative is a little surprise.

- get into alternative photography: cyanotype, platinum, pd etc... find a historical method you like the look of

-change from your traditional subjects, if you don't do portraits, start only doing portraits, or switch from rural to urban landscapes....

[David Karp]

Yeah, I hear you. I have a wife, two kids, 5 and 3, a job, and a lot of demands on my time. Even so, I try to make photographs. Although taking photos suffers some from my overall time demands, its printing that really suffers. I have a huge backlog of negatives to print. Some of them look so promising that I can't wait to get into the darkroom with them. I started to try the digital printing thing, but I don't enjoy it very much. In contrast, I loved the darkroom work from the very first session, and still do. It is nice to have a print, but it is far nicer to have a print as the result of a particularly satisfying and (usually) enjoyable journey.

[Alan Davenport]

I sort of drifted away from 35mm photography over several years. When I got tired of the wet darkroom, it reached a point where I hardly used my cameras. Eventually, the availability of inexpensive and reasonably good scanners for 4x5 film (Epson 2450) was the key to trying 4x5. I find the world under the darkcloth to be a magic place, and since I scan and print digitally, there's no smelly darkroom time. I shoot transparencies almost exclusively, and have them processed at a nearby lab. The quality of prints, even with my budget scanner, completely blows away miniature formats. I've always considered grainy color prints to be somehow defective, but that's no longer a problem.

Best of all, since the enforced slow pace of 4x5 limits the amount of film I can burn, I spend a lot less on developing and get a much higher percentage of keepers.

[Wayne]

Alan, he WANTS to get back in "the smelly darkroom"!

I say dont sweat it, I've been in the darkroom almost every night this year after 4 years away from it. It was a nice hiatus. The more I do it the more enthusiasm I have for it, so just get in there and start. If you really want to be doing it you will.

[Christopher Perez]

For me the trick to getting into the darkroom is to have several photo projects going at once. Making a vow to keep up with the printing. Then seeing the resultant prints to confirm/enhance/further the way I see the world.

It becomes a vehicle to self expression.

For instance, right now I have a print project for Southern India, Florence Italy, and portraits of friends that I am working on. I'm about to complete this round of India prints and will post a request for models to Craigslist shortly. Keeping the film running throught the cameras and prints coming out of the fixer becomes real easy and very enjoyable once I get focused on a project or two. Or three. :-)

[adrian tyler]

i was about 2 years behind on my darkroom printing, and at the same time i had a mac, scanner and printer in the house but never correlated the computer, which i use as a design professional, with photographic production.

well one fine day i thought i'd give it a try, starting at 8am and finishing at 10am the following day i succesfully liquidated a 2 year backlog. never looked back, i'm not talking final prints but working proofs, you know the 95% you end up trashing.

[C.A]

I lost interest in photography a few years ago and didn't touch a camera for over a year. At the time it was nice to pursue other interests, but later I saw some photographic work which inspiration me greatly and soon got back into it. When you say 'traditional photography' do you mean you're considering digital ?, also what are your goals ?. I started sending work to magazines, galleries and created a web site which generated interest in the UK, the States and Europe, after this I felt my photography had much more of a point and was actually going somewhere. Have a local exhibition and try and get some feed back about you work.

[Eric Rose]

It has to come from within. I shot commercially for a number of years and then got totally burned out. Didn't touch a "real" camera for about 4 years. Even though at that time I was living in the Canadian Maritimes with all it's beauty, I just could not get excited about photographing it. Quite by accident I was I saw a photo book by Bruce Barnbaum that got my inner juices going again. I actually got excited about photography all over again. The continued madness has been firmly intrenched for a number of years now. Darn that Bruce! He has cost me a lot of money! LOL.

[C.A]

Eric I know what you mean, burn out can make photography lifeless, then something can spark it off and the obsession starts all over again.

[Bruce Barlow]

Two thoughts:

Define a project or two, and be specific...how many prints, what size, subject matter, limits on equipment choices, etc. -- anything to give you a clear picture of what you're trying to accomplish

Be disciplined enough to do the One A Day exercise: make one picture a day, every day. You only get one exposure, and it has to be the best you can do. Make them at different times in different places, but you're limited to only one exposure a day for this exercise. Set a goal to hang a show of your 15 best pictures (even if the show's in your living room) a year from now. Write the date on each daily picture.

Good luck. Sometimes we need to ruminate, catch our breath, and then move on to the next level.

[CXC]

We all change as we mature and age. The old me used to go out to hear live music, but there's no point in the current me attempting it, he wouldn't appreciate it. I always try to look forward in anticipation, and leave the past and regrets behind. There's other worthwhile stuff than just darkrooms, you know.

Just my $0.02,

[Brian Ellis]

I like Bruce Barlow's and the other suggestions that involve actually getting out and photographing. However, if you want to do some reading that contains a lot of thoughts and suggestions for the problem you're having (which as I understand it isn't a loss of interest in darkroom work, it's a loss of interest in photography period) pick up a copy of "Art and Fear" by Ted Orland and David Bayles. It's a short, inexpensive paperback book that's readily available from Amazon and I'm sure other places.

[Matthew Cordery]

I think part of my problem is that I've never had my own darkroom before and I've always wanted to be able to generate really fine prints. Now, I finally have one and I find it all a bit daunting. Oh well. Nothing good is ever easy...

[Mark Woods]

If finally getting what you wished for is the problem, "let you live in interesting times."

Get in there and splach the chemicals and make beauty! Quit making excuses and do what the good fellows here suggested. START!

Kind Regards,
MW

[Gary J. McCutcheon]

Dan,

I second Brian's advice about reading "Art and Fear". Two other books if you can find them are great for "writers block" and similar conditions of creative malfunctions including motivation: " A Whack on the Side of the Head" and "A Kick in the Seat of the Pants", both by Roger von Oech. I don't know where they are available, but a library may have them or do a google. Both are great and entertaining.

Now that a good portion of my professional work is digital, I look forward to my darkroom as a refuge and a boost to my creative motivation. When I was much younger, the darkroom seemed to be drudgery at times. It was that kick start, just getting in there. Once I got going I had to watch the time because I didn't want to leave.

Everyone experiences creative blocks and lack of motivation and sometimes it just takes gritting your teeth and starting. I read somewhere, and my experience seems to confirm this, that the unmotivated, uncreative moments have to be "worked through". As an artist you have to keep working, pushing, even if you're churning out what you feel is unproductive. You actually work through the problem. One solution is to be creative in a different medium for a while. Sean Kernan has some inspirational writing in this regard as well as inspirational imagery. See his web site at www.seankernan.com.

Good Luck and Photo On.

Gary

[neil poulsen]

Drifting is a good description; I've been sensing this myself. But is it drifting away from traditional or drifting towards something different? I thoroughly enjoy the technology and idea of digital, so it has a strong attraction.

None the less, I updated my enlarger and darkroom when I had the opportunity. Manufacturers are rapidly discontinuing products, and the time will come when that opportunity won't exist.

[Conrad Hoffman]

I don't lose any sleep over it. I have a huge number of interests, and my hobbies tend to rotate on a several year cycle. That way I stay excited about whatever I happen to be focused on at the moment. It's actually best when interests combine. I recently took up hunting for NGS benchmarks (those bronze elevation disks you find on high peaks and other places), and photographing both them and their surroundings. That gets me exercise, but also got me looking at landscapes again. Ordinarily I wouldn't go out hiking for the purpose of hiking, nor would I go out hiking for the purpose of looking for landscapes, but the combination of activities is more than the sum of its parts. OTOH, if I don't take a "serious" photograph for a couple years, so what? One thing I do, even if not actively photographing for a while is read. A lot. Both on the web and those old fashioned paper things. That way the brain stays at least somewhat sharp, should the urge to photograph strike.

[jonathan smith]

I find it's easy to put off, but once you start it's easy. Sort of like laundry. I try to print when I have just a couple of shots. That lets me see them quickly, and keeps the printing sessions short.

Last year I let it build up, and had to spend too much time printing what I had. Then things got sloppy.

Now, mounting is another story; still have a nice backlog of that.

[Ken Lee]

Let's say I offer to get you a set of your 3 favorite photographs of all time. You can hang them in your home, enjoy them for a lifetime, and later pass them along to your family as an heirloom - or even bequeath them to a museum so that future generations can enjoy a "Gift of Dan N".

All things being equal, which would you prefer, which would your descendants prefer, and which would the museum prefer: Epson inkjet prints, or hand-made darkroom prints on Silver or Platinum ?

[Steve J Murray]

For me photography is photography. I used a black and white darkroom and shot 35mm-4x5 since the 1960’s. Gave it up for lack of time when the kids were born, job demands, grad school, home maintenance, etc. Took it up again a few years ago now that I have a wee bit more time. I have always had a strong need to do something creative every day, and photography allows me to do that freely, providing I have some time. Well, years ago when I did it the “traditional way” I had lots of free time compared to now. The upshot is that the recent improvement in digital cameras and printing technologies has allowed me to shoot very satisfying photos in my precious little spare time. I can upload the files and get archival prints back a day or two later. I dry mount and matte them right away and enjoy my work a great deal. I never used to do color and now I shoot and print color for most of my images. I’m all set up to make prints 11x14 or smaller, so the current crop of DSLRs suite me just fine in terms of image quality. I still have my 4x5 which I intend to use for special shots that I would want to enlarge more than 9x13. I shoot everything from nature to portraits. So, to answer your question, I have “drifted away” from traditional photography, but certainly not from photography. In fact, I have produced more satisfying prints this last year than the previous 20.

To address Ken’s question: my current prints are all Fuji Archive or Kodak Endura. Both have excellent longevity for color images.

[Jay DeFehr]

dan,

I think it's difficult to lose touch with something that we've enjoyed over long periods of time. My Dad was a biker, and so I grew up on motorcycles. I rode in the dirt until I was old enough to ride on the street. My Dad bought me a mint BSA Lightning when I was 15, and it was the first of many bikes I'd own and ride over the years. Bikes were an integral part of my life, so when I sold them all to move to Idaho, I knew I'd miss them, but I also knew I'd replace them. Well, 15 years later, my oldest son is a licensed driver, and wants a bike. It dawns on me that he doesn't remember my bikes, except through photos and stories, and that he has no memory of me riding, except for a few test rides of his various dirt bikes. I'm rambling now, but to make a long story short, sometimes our interests, and even passions go dormant for long periods of time, and we might not anticipate the circumstances under which they're reignited. In my 15 year lapse in riding I took up photography, built some houses, and raised three kids. My son recently acquired a 1981 Suziki GS450S, and is in the process of customizing it, which has inspired me to finish my long dormant Yamaha XS650 cafe project. It's a lot of fun to share ideas and swap parts with my son, and I can't imagine a more enjoyable way to get back in the saddle. One way in which this project will be different from previous ones, is that the photos will be much better. If something is pulling your attention away from photography, maybe it's for the best, and you should give this new interest your full attention, at least for the time being, but more probably, you should ignore my advice and do what you think best. Good luck to you in whatever direction you take.

Jay

[paulr]

i don't think you should ignore whatever it is you're drifting toward. it might be something that's fulfilling you in a way that photography hasn't been.

or you might just be burned out. i got totally burned several years ago, and decided to take a break. i studied music, bough a bass, and played all over new york's dive bars in a mediocre rock band. i had a blast! hardly thought about photography for three or four years. then something cought my interest and i got back into it little by little. the break helped give me some perspective, and it allowed me to do something else i always wanted to do.

now i'm taking a break from real life so i can concentrate just on photography. i don't have a big enough bank account to keep it up much longer, but it's been a great experience too.

my one regret is that during my rockstar sabatical, i made no effort to keep in touch with any professional contacts in the photo world. curators and editors that i'd worked with, or that were somewhat interested and wanted to see more work of mine over time. when i finally got back in touch with the institutions years later, i discovered that half these people had retired or moved on to some other place. seems obvious in hindsight, but it never occured to me at the time how temporary situations are, and how temporary relationships can be if you don't maintain them.

[shan]

Well, for Valentine's Day my incredible wife bought me a nice Deardorff V8 with a 250mm wide field Ektar. Somehow I am motiviated, enthused and inspired to the point that I can't hardly maintain my demeanor in public. Wooo-Hooo-! (Sorry for the outburst)