Burn out...or just too easy?

[DaveEP]

I tried retiring several years ago and got bored. I mean really bored. I'm not intending trying again.

In terms of losing interest in photography, if you keep shooting the same things in the same places you'll get bored. End of story. Go to new places, do new things and you'll find that the memories that the photos generate will make you keep wanting to do more and more.

 

[biomed]

I have taken a break from photography for a bit and went back to one of my other interests (knife collecting) for a while. I still take the occasional photo now and then. I just need the break for inspiration to strike again.
Mike

 

[CWRailman]

I got an e-mail from this site about an app and figured I'd check in again...been away for a while. Before I retired, my wife and I both bought GH2s and a variety of lenses and accessories. I have been doing photography, both as a hobby and for work, off and on since the early 70s (yes, I'm a geezer).

At the peak of my interest, I had a Linhof Kardan 4x5, two old Leicas (two IIIFs and a few lenses) and a big Konica system, 4 bodies, bunch of lenses, etc. These were all film camera of course. I remember spending hours and hours in the darkroom and I seem to remember that it was something I liked.

Now, I snap a lot of pictures, but I don't do anything with them. I sometimes go back and look through them on my computer but I don't work on them, print them, catalog them, or anything else, I just accumulate them. Here my long time hobby has become easier than ever and I can't seem to find any real enjoyment in it.

Has anyone else experienced this? I think maybe my job literally burned me out. When I was working, all I could think about was the things I wanted to do if I only had the time. Now I'm retired (as of October 2012) and I really just don't want to do a damn thing. I can't figure out if I miss the old darkroom days (and I can't go back, I became allergic to fixer) or if I'm still in the throws of burn out. Has anyone else found the digital age of photography to be missing something?

I have a similar problem which is caused by a backlash of going from a job with responsibility and working 48-60 hours per week to being retired. I found that individuals going through that experience need to find something that inspires them.

I always wanted to share my hobbies with like minded folks so I launched my CWRailman WEB site which has become very popular and though it required a lot of work to develop the content and teach myself HTML code, that still did not fully satisfy me. This year I decided to do a complete revamp of my photographic equipment so this has been the year of the camera with 9 different cameras coming through here. Most were acquired second hand at reasonable prices. I tested them for relevance to my interests in photography and ignored what detractors had to say. Five of those cameras stayed and four have found their way to new owners. I also reviewed what sort of photography interested me and while I am usually carrying some sort of camera in my jacket or pouch worn on my belt, I only take the camera out if I see something that I decide I might want to use either for a project or for my own interests. If you really have an interest in what you are photographing then take the shot. If not then don’t. Some folks pride themselves on taking 10,000 images a year but they never do anything with them. If you have so many images that you never look at them why were they taken?

I for one put my favorite images on a flash drive which plugs into one of my TV’s. When I have guests I have the images playing on the TV with the sound turned off. Sometimes the images initiate a conversation and my guests decide to talk about them and sometimes they find no interest in them. Sometimes I have them playing just for my own enjoyment, kind of like a changing photo on the wall. The idea is that these are images that I found to be interesting at the time I took them and not just taken to be exercising the camera.

If nothing else, buy a motorcycle and travel. That never bores me.

 

[fsuscotphoto]

You can still work with film, btw. It's still around.

You might also want to consider some counseling, as the transition to retirement isn't always easy after a very focused life.

I agree with this 1000%! When I retired, I was miserable. I couldn't figure out what to do with myself, nothing was fun anymore. I finally figured out that I needed to not just do things, but I needed a reason to do them. I'm now part of a camera club board, and really pushing myself to learn new things. I'm really enjoying my "new" hobby again. Sure I have days where I'm not motivated, but I those when I twenty. Someone has to teach those young whippersnappers about film!

 

[hanzo]

Hmm.. I should start a retirement support group

 

[quatchi]

I can't figure out if I miss the old darkroom days (and I can't go back, I became allergic to fixer)

I cannot comment on the retirement part as it is still 30+ years away for me. On the film developing, though, there might be a solution without any toxic chemicals. In case you want to process your own negatives again, you could have a look into Caffenol (Caffenol - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia). It is about developing film with a combination of instant coffee and Vitamin-C. Usually they use a regular fixer in the end but there are also other "non chemical" options you might not be allergic to.