I Lost My Photography Groove, The Road to Get it Back

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With forced down time, I admit it, my photography groove is a mess. I’ve really lost track of time. This morning, started like my other Fridays. The problem? Today is Saturday. The result? My normal Saturday morning routine went by the wayside. It made me want to hide!

Our newfound freedom from our norm is costly on many, many levels. My own personal motivation to hit the field dropped.

Sure, mental breaks and rests restore energy. Too much of a good thing in this case though is not a good thing.

As humans, our routine schedules and non-routine activities keep us centered. When life turns upside down, we have to find our way. Or, the quagmire of floating along grabs us by the tail and pulls us down.

How to Get Our Photography Groove Back

I don’t like looking back and realizing I spent too much time reading meaningless articles and doing endless Wayfair searches (although I did find my hubby a nightstand).

So, how can we (I) ditch this dilemma? Here’s a few ideas:

Let’s Get Behind the Camera – Even if it’s Outside our Genre

1. Create a simple photography project. Pick flowers from your garden. Use unusual utensils from your kitchen. Try abstract work from art glass. Turn your coffee table into a photo studio and see what happens.
2. Stuck with family members that don’t get along? Shoot the dynamics as they play out. You may get a laugh or two. Or, get relegated to the basement.
3. Pull out that old lens. That one. The one you haven’t picked up in a while. Pop it back on and shoot your favorite subjects or find something new. The key? Revisit what’s in your bag and use it. A 50mm is never a bad choice if it’s buried in your bag.

Elevate Our Artistry

• Use a new image editing software program. Easy to use Topaz Studio inspires artistry and creativity with their diverse selection of looks and filters. Elevate sparkle, detail and artistry. Topaz’s powerful filters and masking operates standalone or as a plug-in to Lightroom or Photoshop. And, the work applied is non-destructive.
• Learn a post processing skill. Really learn it! For example, if Masking in Photoshop gives you heartburn, suck it up buttercup and get after it. Find your nemesis and conquer it. Have you been in to the Filter gallery? If not, play with the Filters. The below image was a Pansy flower that I later applied the pinch filter and then twisted slightly. (Filter, Distort, Pinch). A 30 second edit.

Sell Your Work

• Update your website. If you don’t have one, it’s time to change that fact. Zenfolio (my preference since 2014), Photoshelter, Wix and others deliver startup templates and trial periods to get you started.
• Open an Etsy store. It’s fast, it’s easy with minimal startup costs. 20 cents per listing. What are you waiting for? Turn your efforts into profits. The real cost here is your set up time. Speed this process by checking out other shops in your niche.

Clean up your act

Scrub photography files that you’ve forgotten about or that are gobbling up space. Pick a year to review and see what jewels turn up. You may find a few to add to your website or Etsy shop. Also, send the non-useable images to your electronic trash can.

I started a photography project and am thrilled with the results. My project included paper, my class coffee table and a light underneath. Curious? A fast tip article on making an abstract studio is on its way. Plus, I’ll be adding a new gallery to my website soon and adding images to my Etsy store.

How will you get your photography groove back? Or, if you’re rocking it, how will you keep it going?