Take a break from photography with photography

I love street and documentary photography from my heart but sometimes I need a little break from it to gain new inspiration. Do I need to put the camera away for a certain amount of time? No. I can have a break without doing so.

the new Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg (long exposure, XT1)

I use long exposure, architecture and travel photography as a break from the daily routine

Sometimes I meet with a friend who is mainly addicted to long exposure photography. We meet and look out for some nice places to take some photos. At the end we have a nice (vegan) burger and a craft beer. For me this kind of photography is the opposite of what I do most of the time with my camera attached to my eyes. It is more reduced to one subject. You try to find the right exposure and viewing angle. You play with the settings and the whole thing feels like fishing: it's quiet and slow. You focus more on one perfect shot out of fifty or hundred resulting images. That one big fish.

the stage (XPRO2)
I love this break, it leads me somewhere else away from my daily routine. Maybe I get new ideas from different locations and settings. And sometimes I found some great new places and situations that lead to new street images just by accident.

Elphi again
So take a little break, a little vacation from your main style of photography. Think of yourself as a photographer in general and try other things. Shoot a wedding if you always wanted to try that or do a macro-only-day. Everything that knocks you out of the beaten path is fine. Maybe you get some new influences by doing something different.

Cheers,

Nils

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