Beauty (or art) is in the eye of the beholder. There are times I know I've captured something special, and those are usually the images that I can't sell, but they bring me a certain kind of gratification or reward.

But to address what you're saying, I think that you might need to let yourself go more often if you keep coming back to the same look over and over again.

I make major changes in my style every few years. Different bodies of work created using different kinds of camera equipment. Maybe that's the key. Changing equipment to keep your photographic style fresh. I use to purchase a few new lenses and sell the old ones I wasn't using every few years. That kept my photography fresh and creative. I've gone from 35mm to medium format with a little 4x5 thrown in and then to digital. When thinking about it, nothing changed my style as much as changing formats which included purchasing the CoolPix 990. I now had unlimited financial freedom to experiment and create. Combined with the swivel LCD, it changed the way I saw the world around me.

Simply put, for me the easiest way to change styles and stay fresh was to change the equipment.

Larry,

Always enjoy listening to peoples perception not only about their changes in life, but also how life changed thier photography. I have changed from where I begin. I made it sound like I always come back to the same look. I meant that there is a look I find exspresses my feeling for what I do and that look has marked my style of photography, but as I change the subject and the way I shoot them do change, Monte Johnson.

Ahh, now that's what I need - an excuse to buy new camera gear!

Seriously, though, I also find that as I use different types of equipment, my style changes a bit. And, when I use "old school" type gear, that is more manual and not all auto-everything, I find I actually like the results better -- to say nothing of the "zen" quality of relaxation I get.

Now, I just have to find me a 4x5...

-EdT.