Recently some friends and I have been talking about those times, and they are usually rare, when one seems burned out, or taking photos just gets stale. It can happen, as it can with anything. I think the key to avoiding it is to put the activity of shooting pictures into the broader perspective of what it is to be a photographer. It's important to take time to practice the many other skills essential to photography.
I have a little sign on my desk, it says: "Pictures Every Day." Often that means working on my negs: editing, scanning, printing, or simply sitting down with a photo book. Sometimes it's reading a page out of Weston's Day Books. Sometimes it's taking a walk and forcing myself not to take pictures so I can simply practice seeing. Or it's just thinking of some new place I'd like to photograph, and never touching a camera that day. It all works, it's all part of the process, part of being a photographer.
Photo: ©2011 David W. Sumner
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