Burnout - How did you regain your passion

I’ve had friends who have gone through this and taking a break seems to be the medicine! Take a time out and come back when you feel inspired :-)

Try a different subject for a while. Landscapes, street photography, cars, trains whatever.

If the editing is the problem, try the new subjects straight from camera only.

Don’t put pressure on yourself to be motivated again. Just try keep an interest simmering away by going to the occasional exhibition etc. it’s not unusual to loose interest for long periods of time. 

I think I have avoided it rather than not experienced it by having several different interests making it impossible to do them all as much as I would like. That way, I just go where the interest takes me and let the others slip back.

Not that I have ever only had one main interest - but if I did, just dropping it would be hard as I would then feel I would need to make something up to fill the time or just do more chores, neither of which are rewarding. There is also the danger of just starting back up again to try and create a buzz and end up hating it. At least having several interests gives you the chance to find something rewarding and get the positive energy.

Ben,

I too am feeling the same and close to packing it all in. Think it is a creative thing with our crazy minds and perhaps taking a break or looking at other art forms might help to inspire again.

If you find the magic cure let me know.

On Torr Photography As others have suggested, go photograph something else for a while. In fact, I'm always photographing other stuff. Macro photography, experimenting with vintage MF glass, snapping some of the critters that have made their home in our tiny suburban garden, things I see in my travels...

It stops one becoming too wrapped-up and absorbed in the whole model photography thing. Works for me, anyway. :-)

Thelema I agree with this

Do something else. Come back when you are ready or don't come back if it doesn't float your boat any more.

 No point in flogging a dead horse. Do something you enjoy.

Editing…..    I used a PC, two big screens and Photoshop for more than 20 years.

Biggest change has been moving to Lightroom mobile on my iPad mini six months ago. Most of the top 30 photos done that way. Prod it with a finger while watching tv. Totally instinctive and fun.

Other than that, coping with burnout….   Take a break, work out what you really enjoy doing, not what you think you should enjoy doing. These things pass, given time.

Unless it pays for food, you can stop doing it until you want to.

I worked out that I needed to photograph “naked chicks on rocks” a long time ago.
And that the rocks were important.

I don’t really worry about why.

I can shoot other stuff, but I’m clear in my head that I’m doing it for other people.

I have to add, those who I’ve observed feeling a burnout are people that shoot ALOT! I think those who shoot less tend to maintain a steady rhythm with their enthusiasm for shoots!

I have had periods of shooting a lot but those were small bouts of high activity!

With 3 jobs and the odd workshop I just don’t have time to shoot that much, maybe once or twice a month! I wish more often but I always prioritise work over my own editing so it’s probably just as well I don’t shoot more often!

I think a lot of people have burnt out on shooting, I'm hearing lots of nagging models wanting a gazillion edits, models withbold/ai pics cstfishing on shoots and the poornphotographer left with a ton of editing to donthat he knows he will never want to show - we are essentially hobbyists (ie not doing to pay the bills) and we just need to be a bit more professional in how we take on these shoots I think and be clear on time frames and expectancy of shots, and give ourselves some time to have fun :) quality over quantity as they say - that's hownive been seeing a a few purpleporters anyways - we can always do with a break and come back fresher :)

One cannot know what and how others do things, such as model photography

I can only speak for myself and I maintain enthusiasm because everything I do fails to a greater or lesser extent.

I am left having to keep on shooting in a vain attempt to get a perfect image

The thing that keeps me attempting to get this image is working with models.

I like working WITH people and I always have.

I think it is the body and not the mind that will give out first.

I wrote my MA thesis on burnout (of a different type) - but not much use here. 

I burnt out from a programming task (as a game dev) six years ago and haven't gone back to it yet :( Part of it for me is I know I *can* go back to it - but when I do it will take a significant amount of time that I just don't have...

Thanks everyone, I really appreciate it :)

Definitely a lot of reassuring comments as I still have a lot of photos from a convention back in June I still have to edit among other things, I think part of it stems from being overworked these past few months where my normal job I was doing 60+ hours a week for a few months (joys of budget cuts etc). I'm not someone who shoots a lot normally anyway maybe once every couple of months with a few exceptions here and there.

I've definitely had a few cases similar to Philip where cosplayers expect dozens of images back from 15/30 minutes of shooting a convention which always makes you feel like it's not good enough and I've had to start managing expectations well in advance now. 

And I can relate to Huw talking about their particular area of photography they enjoy the most, the last time I felt motivated to edit was alternative outfits in urban/rundown environments so maybe that's the area for me 😂

This is a great question , At the moment I’ve lost all my mojo and have felt this for awhile so I’ve put all my gear away and I hope taking a bit of time away will help 

Good luck , Ian