Digital BW, The Print

Hi,
every now and then we probably all find our creative selves to be totally lacking.

This morning I went to the extreme measure of photographing my toaster from every possible angle! None of the photos inspired me.

I wondered what exercises any of you do to get the creative flow running again.

Any ideas would be appreciated,
Richard
--
http://smallfield.vze.com
http://photos.smallfield.vze.com

   "If you are going through hell, keep going." 
  --Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

Richard,

You being a jazz fan, I'm sure you'll find plenty of inspiration there...
I glanced at your page and noticed that you live with CFS... Keith Jarrett
had that same problem some years ago. He recorded "The Melody at Night with
You" right after he was "cured". It's an incredible album!

Some "medicinal marijuana" might also help... I realise it's kind of
controversial though...

Something that works as well is to not sleep at all during the night and go
out shooting early in the morning - works best in summer and spring
though... You'll find your senses much sharper than they usually are.

Finally, there's something that usually works; looking at art (paintings,
photographs...) in books or museums...

My 2 euros...
José

-----Original Message-----
From: Richard Smallfield [mailto:r.smallfield@....nz] 
Sent: mercredi, 12. janvier 2005 00:25
To: Digital BW Print
Subject: [Digital BW] OT - needing inspiration


Hi,
every now and then we probably all find our creative selves to be totally
lacking.

This morning I went to the extreme measure of photographing my toaster from
every possible angle! None of the photos inspired me.

I wondered what exercises any of you do to get the creative flow running
again.

Any ideas would be appreciated,
Richard
--
http://smallfield.vze.com
http://photos.smallfield.vze.com

   "If you are going through hell, keep going." 
  --Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965) 




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Challenge yourself to something new. Switch from b&w to color (and USE
the color, don't just let it be there), switch subjects: people to
social landscapes or landscapes to people, change film formats: MF or
35mm or vice versa, go from country to city or vice versa, try macro,
try portraits or whatever you're not doing now. In other words, change
EVERYTHING, and all at once. It'll be like  starting photography all
over again. 

Bob Michaels

 --- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, Richard
Smallfield <r.smallfield@p...> wrote:
> Hi,
> every now and then we probably all find our creative selves to be
totally lacking.
> 
> This morning I went to the extreme measure of photographing my
toaster from every possible angle! None of the photos inspired me.
> 
> I wondered what exercises any of you do to get the creative flow
running again.

> 
> Any ideas would be appreciated,
> Richard
> --
> http://smallfield.vze.com
> http://photos.smallfield.vze.com
> 
>    "If you are going through hell, keep going." 
>   --Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

I try a new model..*^)

Christer


Christer, AKA Christer Rosewell
http://www.ChristerArt.com
3.5 million visitors to date..


On Jan 11, 2005, at 6:49 PM, 
DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com wrote:

> Message: 16
>    Date: Wed, 12 Jan 2005 12:24:49 +1300
>    From: Richard Smallfield <r.smallfield@...>
> Subject: OT - needing inspiration
>
> Hi,
> every now and then we probably all find our creative selves to be 
> totally lacking.
>
> This morning I went to the extreme measure of photographing my toaster 
> from every possible angle! None of the photos inspired me.
>
> I wondered what exercises any of you do to get the creative flow 
> running again.
>
> Any ideas would be appreciated,
> Richard
> --
> http://smallfield.vze.com
> http://photos.smallfield.vze.com
>
>    "If you are going through hell, keep going."
>   --Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

I was doing bed-time reading of a book of short stories (actually a
book of collection of newspaper columns of a columnist).

And all of a sudden I think I can do a few pictures of each column he
wrote about..

Michael

--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, Richard
Smallfield <r.smallfield@p...> wrote:
> Hi,
> every now and then we probably all find our creative selves to be
totally lacking.
> 
> This morning I went to the extreme measure of photographing my
toaster from every possible angle! None of the photos inspired me.
> 
> I wondered what exercises any of you do to get the creative flow
running again.

> 
> Any ideas would be appreciated,
> Richard

Try looking at photographer's work that you admire.

I'm always inspired after looking at Avedon or Penn (Irving, not 
SEAN!)

I don't run off and try to copy what they've done, but I just let it 
run through my mind.


Scott


--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, Richard 
Smallfield <r.smallfield@p...> wrote:
> Hi,
> every now and then we probably all find our creative selves to be 
totally lacking.
> 
> This morning I went to the extreme measure of photographing my 
toaster from every possible angle! None of the photos inspired me.
> 
> I wondered what exercises any of you do to get the creative flow 
running again.

> 
> Any ideas would be appreciated,
> Richard
> --
> http://smallfield.vze.com
> http://photos.smallfield.vze.com
> 
>    "If you are going through hell, keep going." 
>   --Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, Richard
Smallfield <r.smallfield@p...> wrote:
> Hi,
> every now and then we probably all find our creative selves to be
totally lacking.
> 
Richard,

Perhaps a reading of Freeman Patterson (local library) or even a look
at www.28mm.org
Good luck,

Andre Moreau

Richard,

Here's my 2 cents or whatever you call it down under...

Grab your tripod and shoot at night in the city. It's never too dark 
with a tripod!

-bruce


On Tuesday, Jan 11, 2005, at 16:49 US/Pacific, 
DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com wrote:

> Message: 16
>    Date: Wed, 12 Jan 2005 12:24:49 +1300
>    From: Richard Smallfield <r.smallfield@...>
> Subject: OT - needing inspiration
>
> Hi,
> every now and then we probably all find our creative selves to be 
> totally lacking.
>
> This morning I went to the extreme measure of photographing my toaster 
> from every possible angle! None of the photos inspired me.
>
> I wondered what exercises any of you do to get the creative flow 
> running again.
>
> Any ideas would be appreciated,
> Richard
> --
> http://smallfield.vze.com
> http://photos.smallfield.vze.com
>
>    "If you are going through hell, keep going."
>   --Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

> This morning I went to the extreme measure of photographing my 
toaster from every possible angle! None of the photos inspired me.
> 
> I wondered what exercises any of you do to get the creative flow 
running again.
> 
> Any ideas would be appreciated,
> Richard


Richard;

Buy Something interesting and expensive like that new lens or camera 
body you've been lusting over. Then you'll have to go out and test 
it thoroughly, right? Works for me-it's made a mess of my credit 
cards though.

Steve Karafyllakis

Richard, I enjoyed your site.

I don't know if there are such things as "creative juices," but I do
know that sometimes some people have something worthwhile to say with
photos, and they then prove the point. 

You prove the point with your "people" and "forms" images. You've got
a fine eye and obvious gift for dealing with people.  

Not quite what you asked, but related.



--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, Richard
Smallfield <r.smallfield@p...> wrote:
> Hi,
> every now and then we probably all find our creative selves to be
totally lacking.
> 
> This morning I went to the extreme measure of photographing my
toaster from every possible angle! None of the photos inspired me.
> 
> I wondered what exercises any of you do to get the creative flow
running again.

> 
> Any ideas would be appreciated,
> Richard
> --
> http://smallfield.vze.com
> http://photos.smallfield.vze.com
> 
>    "If you are going through hell, keep going." 
>   --Sir Winston Churchill (1874-1965)

I like to watch a movie with unusual visuals (my latest favs are Hero and
Cirque de Soleil's Varekai). I try to feel the flow of the scenes and follow
the image composition. For several days thereafter I see everything in a
different perspective.

Avery



[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

At 05:58 PM Wednesday 1/12/2005, you wrote:
>> This morning I went to the extreme measure of photographing my 
>toaster from every possible angle! None of the photos inspired me.
>> 
>> I wondered what exercises any of you do to get the creative flow 
>running again.
>
>Buy Something interesting and expensive like that new lens or camera 
>body you've been lusting over. Then you'll have to go out and test 
>it thoroughly, right? Works for me-it's made a mess of my credit 
>cards though.

Thanks for all your suggestions. I do have a Nikon 28mm lens in my sites, but ink and paper have made my visa bill too high as it is! 

(BTW, has anyone tried the Sigma 28mm 1.8 lens?)

One thing I found useful was to look at my web site and recall the photos I've taken that I'm pleased with - it boosts one's confidence to look back at one's favourite shots.

Sorry to be OT.

Rich 
--
http://smallfield.vze.com
http://photos.smallfield.vze.com

   "If you can spend a perfectly useless afternoon in a perfectly 
   useless manner, you have learned how to live."
   --Lin Yutang

Hi,
thanks so much for your kind remarks,
Rich

At 02:27 AM Thursday 1/13/2005, you wrote:
>Richard, I enjoyed your site.
>
>I don't know if there are such things as "creative juices," but I do
>know that sometimes some people have something worthwhile to say with
>photos, and they then prove the point. 
>
>You prove the point with your "people" and "forms" images. You've got
>a fine eye and obvious gift for dealing with people.  
>
>Not quite what you asked, but related.

--
http://smallfield.vze.com
http://photos.smallfield.vze.com

   "Don't compromise yourself. You are all you've got."
   --Janis Joplin

Hi,
I can now add another way of beating the uninspirational blues: spend some time doing self-portraits. I am often surprised with what I come up with.

I have a portrait session with an artist this morning, so let's hope my therapy worked!

Richard
--
http://smallfield.vze.com
http://photos.smallfield.vze.com

   "DO NOT WORRY ABOUT ANYTHING! Another 100 years 
   and we won't even care."
   --Narayani Diorio

Richard,  years ago in San Francisco a custom photolab client and
friend who had severe MS (or similar) did wonderful self-portraits and
mini-landscapes, fanciful worlds set up in his living room. Another,
who installed fancy wallpaper professionally, assembled collages of
wallpaper scraps, then photographed them for large color print
editions. Another spent a great deal of time photographing his
hands...it only occurred to him late in the game that his girlfriends
hands (and especially body) were of more interest :-)



--- In DigitalBlackandWhiteThePrint@yahoogroups.com, Richard
Smallfield <r.smallfield@p...> wrote:
> Hi,
> I can now add another way of beating the uninspirational blues:
spend some time doing self-portraits. I am often surprised with what I
come up with.
> 
> I have a portrait session with an artist this morning, so let's hope
my therapy worked!

> 
> Richard
> --
> http://smallfield.vze.com
> http://photos.smallfield.vze.com
> 
>    "DO NOT WORRY ABOUT ANYTHING! Another 100 years 
>    and we won't even care."
>    --Narayani Diorio