Kind of stuck.....

[AndrewMcD]

I'm feeling kind of stuck lately......fundamentally dissatisfied with my work. Having said that I thought I should simply post something in the hope that the process of submitting something here will help me to better focus on what I'm doing. The tunnel like framing of the river by the dead leaves and branches appealed to me. Comments and criticism are always solicited.
Thanks,
Andrew

[AndrewMcD]

Aggghhh.....and having switched to pBase I'm not getting a properly sized image.
So lets see if this works from photo bucket:



OK.....that at least shows better in the lightbox. The theme in our area lately has been flat diffuse light (low uniform clouds!) over snow covered landscapes. Any suggestions regarding making images in those conditions would be appreciated.

[Colin Southern]

Hi Andrew,

To link from pBase you need to be aware of 3 things.

1. They only allow linking from paid accounts

2. You need to turn linking on

(you may already have done these two)

3. To get the URL you need to click on Edit Image - copy the Image URL in the top right-hand area - and when you paste it in here (by either of a couple of methods) you need to change the default "medium.jpg" to either "large.jpg" or (preferably) "original.jpg".

Hope this helps.

[AndrewMcD]

Colin,
Thanks for the information. I did all three but when I changed the "medium.jpg" to "original.jpg" the direct link was denied. I fussed with it a bit and then punted and returned to photobucket which has been my default method of uploading to CIC.
Thanks,
Andrew

[Colin Southern]

Colin,
Thanks for the information. I did all three but when I changed the "medium.jpg" to "original.jpg" the direct link was denied. I fussed with it a bit and then punted and returned to photobucket which has been my default method of uploading to CIC.
Thanks,
Andrew

Not sure what's not working - I use pBase all the time for linking here - no problems at all,

[ShaneS]

I like the image Andrew and find it to be a pretty scene. IMHO opining the diffuse lighting creates a serene feeling of pondering life alongside a lazy river. However, I find the branches in the right foreground a bit distracting (less so on on the right maybe because they are farther into the shot?) It looks as if there is a slight opening that may have allowed you to take the image from a slightly lower vantage point and avoid those branches?

[Clive Kirby]

Andrew
Just to let you know your not alone. I feel the same about my photography at the moment, and have done so for the last 6 months or so. I think your right to keep posting. Perhaps take a photography trip - I went to Bruge for a couple of days for the sole purpose of taking photographs and it was the first time for ages that I took some images that I was happy with.
regards
Clive

[FlyingSquirrel]

I like the photo you posted. I like the feeling of being there, it is a lovely scene.

One of the best ways to break out of a 'rut' is to shock yourself out of the patterns you follow...e.g. photograph some subject(s) that you normally don't photograph, use a lens you normally don't use, or even go on a trip without your camera, and just observe things. By breaking out of the patterns of what you've been doing, something inside you will eventually shift and you'll get the spark back that you are looking for.

[Shadowman]

Nice image.

[shreds]

As said above, if your photographic 'eye' starts to fade, take a chance to go on a photo holiday or a specific day trip to shoot, again possibly something different to your normal stuff. It won't come back on day one, but if you are 'focussed' (sic), then you will once again start to see opportunities.

By the way, I can see what you were trying to achieve, and agree a slightly lower viewpoint might have given you the tunnel effect, but you might have ended up in the river too!!

So the answer to your question might in that case be 'waders'

[AndrewMcD]

Shane - And there is the rub, there's ALWAYS a bit of something in the way! I can see that over the course of the last 6 months or so I've improved at recognizing those bits that are in the way of the image I see in my head. Further improvement will come when I begin to capture what I see without those distracting parts. Thanks so much for your comments; your work always knocks me out!

Clive and others - Thank you for the supportive comments. Perhaps it is time to shake off the winter frustrations with a road trip; or at least a trip to the basement and an effort to shoot some glass in the alien world of a "studio" setting.

Andrew

[Kaye Leggett]

I like the photo you posted. I like the feeling of being there, it is a lovely scene.

One of the best ways to break out of a 'rut' is to shock yourself out of the patterns you follow...e.g. photograph some subject(s) that you normally don't photograph, use a lens you normally don't use, or even go on a trip without your camera, and just observe things. By breaking out of the patterns of what you've been doing, something inside you will eventually shift and you'll get the spark back that you are looking for.

Seconded. Another idea is to buy a couple of mags or a photo book with the view to getting some inspiration.

[Downrigger]

Seconded. Another idea is to buy a couple of mags or a photo book with the view to getting some inspiration.

Thirded.
It is a time of year when the novelty and excitement of winter have dissipated, the pineal is begging for more light, and one becomes vulnerable to discouragement.
I'm making a lightbox to create some new adventures for myself and exercise new disciplines. Maybe I'll stick my head in from time to time, too.

[chauncey]

One thing that seems to have worked for me is that I've stopped with the reality thing and morphed the images into what I see in my mind's eye. Some recent sand dune images represent that. Monochrome Mini Competition #919
Photo Competition for February 2014

[Manfred M]

Andrew - what works for me is scouting out a site a day (or a few days) before I go out to shoot.

Somehow my subconcious mind processes what I have seen and when I head out with my camera (and other gear) for the shot, I already have a plan as to how I want to shoot the scene and how I want to post-process the image.

I don't go and do a single shot, but will spend some time on site "working the scene" and will come back with enough material to come up with a pretty compelling image.

With the shot you have posted, try different camera angles and focal lengths (it looks like the spot has a lot of potential). You could even do a seasonal them; you have a winter shot; return in the spring, summer and fall to see what you can get over time and you could have quite a nice series. I'm trying something like this right now; I discoverd a wonderful place that is about 2 miles from my daughter's college residence (it's about a 6 hour drive from where we live).

I was there in fall (around Canadian Thanksgiving) and did a fall shot; this was the first time I was there so the shots were really taken as I was scouting out the location. I was there again towards the end of January, a shooting plan in place and got some decent winter images.

I expect that I will be down again in late April (end of the current school term) and then again in August (the end of the summer term) and hopefully the weather (and biting insects) will cooperate so that I can get some more captures.

This link should show you how I am working this project / theme.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/5246943...7640185030133/

[IzzieK]

I know the feeling...been there and still trying to get that "stuck" feeling out. Took a lot of shots when I was in Melbourne recently, got some from my husband's camera too, started looking into some of them, even submitted a few here. The rest are still untouched...everytime I tried to open PS I start to feel tired so I go do other things in the house, play my piano or annoy my husband...it is a vicious circle...

[ShaneS]

Andrew;

You are right that there is ALWAYS something in the way and unfortunately most of the time my eye doesn't see it until I get home to the computer! I'm getting better at this but it is an ongoing challenge for me.

I didn't address the fact that you are feeling stuck in my comments and I must say that I feel for you and can absolutely relate. I think that some of the suggestions on the thread are really good and worth a shot. I have noticed that as I have progressed in this hobby my standards have upped the ante so to speak and I have visions of grandeur that seldom get realized . I think that you may be there too as I have seen a dramatic improvement in your work of late.

I haven't figured out a way to get through this effectively or efficiently so I simply go out and shoot. Right now when I go out I take my regular shots and have ICM/multiple exposure in my back pocket as something to experiment with and 'perfect' which is giving me some inspiration and a lot of shots for the rubbish bin!

[Wavelength]

Very impressive image with a nice color scheme.....

[flashback]

Andrew,

I think it's a reasonably good image, it certainly conveys what I'm sure you were seeing: snow covered banks, cold, slow moving water, the depths of winter. I have two suggestions: 1) have you tried converting it to B&W and 2) am I the only one that sees a circle (made by branches) center image, near the top?

[Brownbear]

Hi Andrew,

Just to say that I like this image. Beautiful scene, gorgeous exposure, I adore the soft leaves and the river leads me to somewhere... ie; makes me want to paddle a kayak and explore beyond.

I find that just walking about exploring the area that I live in with fresh eyes, and even riding the bus helps me to see new things. Walking is better than driving (Same for the bus as funny as that may sound) because their is time to look about and think for future sites. The other day I saw a mountain that I have photographed before that hasn't turned out well. This time around I saw it from a different locale and it was lit with gorgeous light, so I've noted the time of day and intend to return to try again as soon as the weather cooperates.