Making a Comeback
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Greetings macro enthusiasts and welcome to another blog post. I did not think there was going to be a post this week. That’s not because I don’t have plenty I want to talk about. I do. It was just that I didn’t think I could make it all the way through the week. It was a busy one and I am still trying to unpack and sort through all the stuff I need to do my job. I am working on a couple of equipment projects and just started another. These jobs all need tools, tools that I already own. In some cases I have multiple versions of the same tool. But where are they? Who knows?! At least half a dozen times last week I had to interrupt the flow of my work to go hunting for a 3mm screw of the correct length, or the right kind of pliers, or a zip tie. That is, conservatively, 6 hours wasted looking for stuff.
But that isn’t what I want to talk to you about today, but it is related. I have been painfully conscious of the fact that I have not taken a studio photograph in 7 weeks. 49 days without taking a picture. That is four times longer than I have ever gone without taking a picture in recent memory. Taking pictures in the studio is like oxygen to me. It is the glue that connects all the other bits of my life together. It gives relevance and a sense of purpose to all the other things that I have to do. Not having the time, space, or energy to take photographs is an important part of the puzzle. But I have to ask myself, “why I don’t have the things in place that I should have?” Good photography starts with good preparation, and good preparation is all about having what I need to do my job.
How does that have any bearing of the idea of getting back in the saddle? It matters because it got me thinking about a very common problem that affects a lot of macro photographers, and something we don’t talk about enough. That is how we come back from taking time away. Is there a best way to reenter the world of macro photography after being gone for a while? I would argue that yes, there most definitely is. Or at least there are definitely bad ways of doing it. To pick back up a hobby that is as difficult as macro photography after being out of the studio for a few months, or even a few years, takes careful thought and planning, but it begins with an honest appraisal of why we left in the first place. This is, I am afraid to say, a very common occurrence in many hobbies, but especially so in highly technical and demanding ones. Gaining some insight into why we walked away from something we were once so passionate about can be uncomfortable, as we often end up having to face some realities about ourselves that may not be flattering. Nobody relishes that type of introspection. But why we left is only part of the story, a story that may have had its beginning a long time ago, when we first decided to give closeup photography a try.
This rather interesting personal dynamic is what I want to talk about this week. Why we do what we do, what can cause us to walk away from it, why we find ourselves drawn back to it, and what we can do to avoid going through the whole mess again this time around. As a teacher of technical photography, I get to see these events play out over and over again and have now been doing this long enough to have a pretty good idea about what is going on. I want to share those ideas with you.
In our first livestream this week I will talk about why people are drawn to close up photography in the first place, and what can happen to derail our progress, sometimes quickly and sometimes after years of doing it. For each f the reasons I most commonly hear from people who have decided to call it quits, I will try to offer a few suggestions for things we might have handled differently, traps we could have avoided, and ways they might have been avoided in the first place. I will introduce you to a few of the distinct personality types I have come to recognize and hopefully pinpoint some of the specific problems that these individuals may be at a higher than normal risk of encountering.
If this all sounds a little depressing, it isn’t. I will keep the focus on solutions and with a little bit of luck you may hear something that will help you get the most out of your photography. We will have some fun, too. On Thursday the conversation will continue with a close look at the circumstances that that are often at the root of our decision to move on and why they may have been brewing for a long time. I’ll talk about what many of us do after drifting away or storming out of the room in disgust. We will dig into what happens then, and how the mysterious tug of macro photography has a tendency to creep back into our lives, unbidden and often unannounced.
Finally we will unpack the tricky business of getting back into the swing of things and some of the very real obstacles that we are likely to find on the journey. I will share with you my plan for resuming your maco in a way that is healthy, fun, safe, and, best of all, effective. If you are thinking this doesn’t sound like it will be of much use to you because you started macro at age 5 by photographing your sister’s tonsils with a 4x5 and too much powdered magnesium (no big deal, her hair eventually grew back again - am I right!?) and just celebrated your 90th birthday by buying your seventh El Nikkor 50mm f/2.8N, don’t leave just yet. Even f you have never personally had to deal with the emotional turmoil of abandoning and returning to photography, I bet you know someone who has. You may even know someone who is dealing with this issue right now. So stick around. I’ll probably show some cool pictures and tell a dad joke or two.
Here are the links to Tuesday and Thursday’s shows…
https://youtube.com/live/gb7ACNWO1gA?feature=share
https://youtube.com/live/YGIo2Qo1pMA?feature=share
There is no Pzoom this weekend, which is a shame because last Saturday’s get together was really good. We talked about a ton of macro stuff and had more than out fair share of laughs. I really love these two hour live events and they just seem to be getter better all the time. If you are a Patreon member and missed Saturday’s bash, worry not. I have posted a link to the recording over on Patreon and the recording will be available for two more weeks. And don’t think that no Pzoom means no Allan - Ha! I wouldn’t let you off that easily. Instead of Pzooming it on Saturday, why don’t you plan to come by one of the most helpful live events that YouTube has to offer. From 10AM until we get tired (about 11:30) Bud Perrott and I will be officiating another episode of the popular live event “AfterStack” - the world’s leading live, free, post-processing roundtable for macro photographers! If you are looking for the fastest way to improve the quality of your macro images, or if you have already found it and are eager to show it of to your fellow photographers, you must come! It is free, fun, fulfilling, and fully fireproof (ran out of “f”-words). Here is your invitation to the festivities… You can’t get in without it…
Allan Walls is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting
Topic: AfterStack with Bud Perrott & Allan Walls
Time: Aug 10, 2024 10:00 AM Central Time (US and Canada
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/6916802815?pwd=TS9tZi9ZL1NXeVUvOUF4eTg5YjdlZz09&omn=82435211475
Meeting ID: 691 680 2815
Passcode: 678122
I will mention this in both livestream this week, but the deadline for RSVPing to the First Annual Peoria Macro Picnic is fast approaching. We close the registration this Friday and noon (8/9/24), so if you want to be in on making a little macro history you need to give me your name, a contact telephone number and email address, and the number of people you plan on bringing (limited to 237 people each), and you need to do so BEFORE NOON ON FRIDAY. If you are allergic to anything please let me know when you reserve your spot. It would also nee nice to know where you are coming from. The bash starts at 10AM on Saturday September 7. 2024, and will continue on until we decide we have had enough.
If you have not yet watched the interview with Charlie Krebs, you owe it to yourself to do so. The man is a wealth of information and was a fascinating guest. You can find it right here…
That’s all for now - another busy week ahead. Hope to see you tomorrow!
LATE ENTRY
As I mentioned in the livestream, Laura has put together a list of the nicer hotels in the area, for anyone who is coming to the picnic and needing accommodations.
Peoria Marriott Pere Marquette
501 Main Street
Peoria, IL 61602
309.637.6500
Courtyard Peoria Downtown
533 Main Street
Peoria, IL 61602
309.671.5050
Country Inn & Suites by Radisson
5309 West Landens Way
Peoria, IL 61615
309.423.3347
Wingate by Wyndham Peoria
7708 IL-91
Peoria, IL 61615
309.589.0033
Candlewood Suites Peoria at Grand Prairie
5300 West Landens Way
Peoria, IL 61615
309.691.1690