The Photographic Doldrums

I think that most serious nature photographers run into times when they find it difficult to motivate themselves to get out and shoot. I know I have. In fact, I’m smack dab in the middle of one right now. For a variety of reasons I haven’t been out with my camera since late October.  (The image below is from my most recent photo shoot.) Self-motivation isn’t the only issue, but it’s been an increasingly important one during this stretch of time.

Bridle Path, Turkey Run State Park, Indiana

What causes these periods of personal photographic doldrums and what can be done to escape them?

There are probably as many different causes of motivational shortfall as there are people who experience the phenomenon. I’ve found that, often times, such experiences are heavily influenced by issues outside the photographic realm–personal matters of concern that leak into all sorts of endeavors. I’ve also found that photography is among the most–if not the most–affected activities for me when this happens.

Why is this?

At its most fundamental level–at least as I see it–landscape photography is about seeing.  It’s about the photographer’s ability to recognize “the image” in a real life scene.  There’s much more involved, of course, in moving from the process of seeing to the final image, but seeing underlies it all.  And–here’s where the doldrums come in–seeing requires a special kind of personal focus.

Generally speaking, I’m very good at compartmentalizing.  But I’ve found that focusing on something as intangible, as nebulous, as strictly personal as seeing in the field is extremely difficult when my mind is burdened with something else.

So what can be done to escape the photographic doldrums?  I’ve found that putting myself in an environment that inherently forces my mind to refocus is the necessary tonic, and that typically equates to going to a new place.  A new locale invariably means new stimuli which almost always forces my mind to snap into a different mode.  Rather than experiencing the process of “going through the motions” that can happen when exposed to a familiar place, a new location all but requires the mind to process what’s unfamiliar.

Sometimes realizing this is as simple a matter as going to a new spot near my home.  But when the funk is particularly deep, it may require a complete reset:  going somewhere out of the immediate area, for more than a day, which will automatically involve an adjustment to the everyday routine that is so easy to lapse into when at or near home.  When the doldrums are particularly acute a trip out of the area, for a few days, is normally the best cure-all…at least for me.

Unfortunately, circumstances beyond my control are keeping me from filling my own prescription at the moment.  There’s no photo trip on the immediate horizon for me, so I’ll have to muddle through for the time being and see if I can extract myself from the photographic doldrums in which I currently find myself embedded using something other than my tried and true method.  Suggestions are heartily encouraged.

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