Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2002/09/22

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Subject: Re: [Leica] Mid-life crisis ???
From: "Gerhard Paulman" <gerhardp@inch.com>
Date: Sun, 22 Sep 2002 12:06:01 -0400
References: <20020922153007.35100.qmail@web21403.mail.yahoo.com>

Yes, I can identify with that to some degree.  I took my best pictures in my
teens and early twenties, with the most primitive equipment imaginable.  I
was an artist then, and like you, I now work in IT.

Just like you, I have thought about it a lot lately.  But I see different
factors contributing to the decline in my case:  1.  I only shot B/W (Tri-X)
then, always pushed to 800.
2.  I did all my own printing and developing.
3.  I sought out more interesting subjects than my grandkids. <g>

I would say, I even suck technically now.  A lot of focus problems, at lot
of camera shake problems.  Well, we won't even mention composition.

Gerhard


- ----- Original Message -----
From: "Henry Ting" <henryting10@yahoo.com>
To: "Leica-users" <leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us>
Sent: Sunday, September 22, 2002 11:30 AM
Subject: [Leica] Mid-life crisis ???


>
> They say photography has less to do with technique
> (which can be mastered by anyone if the desire is
> there) but more to do with form and the ability to see
> the world around us.
>
> Well I remembered when I first took an interest in
> photography in my teens, I was able to see all the
> possibilities and quite frankly IMHO I was able to be
> creative in "sight and form". At the time I lacked the
> technique, but my mentors always comment on the
> originality and creativity of my pictures.
>
> Now 40 years later, since I retired recently, I went
> back to my old love in photography. Now I have the
> time of the world, travelling in different parts of
> the world, I found the zest and the creativity of my
> pictures are gone. All my pictures lack the snap and
> form that I thought I used to have. While the
> technical side of my pictures are good, but the form
> and the image have nothing behind it. I was delighted
> right after retirement when I first thought I could
> pursue my love in photography is turning out to be a
> disappointment -- to a point that after months and
> hundreds of rolls of film, no picture possess the
> image that I feel proud enough to even post on the
> forum for any feedbacks. I'm indeed a little perplexed
> and depressed. It almost seems like a similar feeling
> of one reflecting what one could do both in physical
> ability as well as perception in life during one's
> youth, is now gone as one reaches mid-life. Could it
> all be a case of too much of anything being
> detrimental and I'm indeed going through a cycle of
> photography overload ?
>
> Any old-timers here ever gone through a similar
> situation ?
>
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Replies: Reply from "CHRISTIAN HUEBER ESQ." <philpenn@dircon.co.uk> (Re: [Leica] Screwmount Lenses)
In reply to: Message from Henry Ting <henryting10@yahoo.com> ([Leica] Mid-life crisis ???)