Forums > General Industry > Does shooting ever turn on you?

Photographer

Tog

Posts: 55204

Birmingham, Alabama, US

Ever have one of those crisis of doubt moments in the middle of a shoot, where you draw up blank and can't answer the question, "Why the hell am I doing this?  What's the point?"

Not getting too philosophical here.. Just, specifically in the context of a photoshoot.. Ever lose whatever it was that made a shoot idea seem like a good idea WHILE YOU ARE SHOOTING IT?

Dec 13 06 11:06 am Link

Photographer

Rich Mohr

Posts: 1843

Chicago, Illinois, US

W.G. Rowland wrote:
Ever have one of those crisis of doubt moments in the middle of a shoot, where you draw up blank and can't answer the question, "Why the hell am I doing this?  What's the point?"

Not getting too philosophical here.. Just, specifically in the context of a photoshoot.. Ever lose whatever it was that made a shoot idea seem like a good idea WHILE YOU ARE SHOOTING IT?

Actually yes and recently too...
I was able to salvage at least 1 or 2 images from this particular scene.
For the curious, it involved coating a model with flour. I was attempting to create an unfinished statue. The flour texture wasn't the best when captured on film. When the model mentioned she felt silly standing there coated in spray on olive oil and flour; it dawned on my that I might not be able to get the shot the way I intended to.

I will attempt it again in the future with a different coating but for now that scene is shelved...

Rich

Dec 13 06 12:12 pm Link

Model

Shyly

Posts: 3870

Pasadena, California, US

Bill's back.  smile

Dec 13 06 12:17 pm Link

Photographer

RBDesign

Posts: 2728

North East, Maryland, US

This happens to me only with complicated ideas that involve multiple shoots over the course of a long time. Simple ideas that can be done in one or two shoots are easy. I have a few personal projects that have been "reinvented" at least 10 times over the last few years. I mostly change the direction of a project after I am well into it and have had time to review it rather than get that feeling while I am shooting it. Maybe shooting it puts me in a delusional state of everything is good and working but reality sets in after I put images together for a project and have time to live with them for a while. It is then I say wow, this thing is going in the wrong direction, I rack my brain for a few weeks, and start it over.

RB

Dec 13 06 12:21 pm Link

Photographer

byReno

Posts: 1034

Arlington Heights, Illinois, US

I never question my ideas.  They’re always good. smile  There are plenty of times they are just not implemented very well and for some reason I can not get it to work as I envisioned it.  Much like some scenes in a movie, sometimes they just work and they get cut.

Dec 13 06 12:23 pm Link