Photography The Hard Way

In this blog I will share some harsh realities and challenges when it comes to photography. Some of these I’ve come to accept quite quickly, while others took many lessons to understand. As I sit here and look at the bullet point list I’m about to expand on, I realise that these can be applied to broader life, not just photography.

Everything takes longer

If you think your photography project will take 2 months, in reality it might take 4. If you think you will see meaningful progress in a year, I suspect it could take two before you see that needle move. Sometimes I set strict deadlines and meet them, especially for non creative tasks like cleaning my flat. However, for anything creative, I find that everything usually takes longer than I anticipate.

In order to avoid stress, panic, and sub par work, I add a 50% buffer to any creative project I undertake, and my life is so much more relaxed.

Everything is a work in progress

I wish I had a dollar for every time I updated my website and concluded that it was perfect, only to open it up a month later and make a bunch more changes. The same goes for my editing style, my presets, my video grading, my digital products, and every single aspect of my creative life.

Just when I feel I’ve nailed my style, it changes yet again. Sometimes the changes are big, other times small, but one thing is for sure: in a creative life, everything is a work in progress. Your work is simply a reflection of you right now. As you change, so will your creations.

Lose motivation

You will lose motivation to create, to film, and to shoot. I went through periods where I just wanted to chill at home and not do anything. I also went through periods where I had to force myself to go out, despite knowing full well it would be a ‘wasted day’.

Losing motivation for what you do is normal, and it happens to us all. What separates those who go on to kill it versus those who eventually quit is that when motivation drops, discipline kicks in and you get shit done anyway.

Right now I have an annoying fever. My head is pounding, my temperature is high, my nose is blocked, my throat is sore, and all I want to do is lie in bed, nap, and play on my Nintendo Switch. Yet I know full well that a more fulfilling use of this time is to do something creative, like write this blog. The video game will take place later in the day, when I am out of energy and focus.

Losing motivation is normal. It’s part of the cycle. Just make sure your discipline is there to pick up the slack, and before you know it, you will be motivated to shoot again.

You will miss your best shot

This is probably the one that will sting the most, both in frequency and potency. You will miss your best shot. You will go to take a photo and the battery will die. You will forget to take the lens cap off. You will be in the wrong mode. You will be too slow.

Even more frustrating is when everything lines up and a bus pulls out at the last minute and blocks everything. Or someone bothers you, or any other number of things happen, resulting in a missed 5 star banger shot.

The reality is that it won’t be the first and certainly not the last time this happens. If this was your mistake, learn and move on. If this was out of your control, then your stars simply didn’t align that day. It is what it is. Just be happy that you spotted the opportunity and did everything right to almost grab it.

Your work will get worse

There are periods of time when everything you touch turns to gold. Every outing results in great photos, every trip yields amazing shots. You seem to be on a roll, and nothing can get in your way, until it does.

We all go through periods where we simply can’t produce the same level of work that we did last year. There could be a number of reasons for it. You could be experimenting with a new style or direction, which naturally needs time to mature. You could be going through personal struggles, which means your head isn’t in the game. You could be limited by where and how often you shoot. You could even be subconsciously bored with taking the same ol’ photos.

I’ve had periods which lasted nearly 2 years where my work has been sub par compared to my previous efforts, and while it can feel defeating in the moment, it’s part of the growing process and needs to be diligently seen through in order to make it to the other side.

You will get stuck in the weeds

Photography is a very simple art form. You get a camera, and you take pictures. However, if we are honest, it’s very easy to forget this and go down various rabbit holes.

What sensor size is preferred? What brand is the best? What focal length should I use? What genre shall I try? Zoom or prime? What editing software? What’s my style? Can I crop? Is cloning cheating? Shall I share my photos online? God forbid you end up on Reddit arguing with gear nerds about pixel to weight ratios.

Do this for long enough and you end up stuck neck deep in the weeds with no clear sight of where you’re going or who you are. While most of the mentioned activities are harmless, now and then it’s worth getting out of the weeds and focusing on the basics, such as grabbing a camera and going for a walk.

Wasting time and money

You will waste time and money on photography. This is as guaranteed as death and taxes, and if you’ve managed to avoid this, top marks to you.

You will try different cameras, different lenses, different editing techniques, and different approaches to photography. You will hate your work, sell your gear, and then realise what a mistake you made. You will try hyped up camera brands only to realise they are not for you. You will spend weeks working on a project, only to lose your vision for it halfway through.

I don’t recommend counting this, unless you want to ruin your day, but for most of us, it’s a harsh reality of doing this craft. To be honest, it’s a harsh reality of doing anything new, challenging, and creative.

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