How Does Photography Help You

Does photography help you in your everyday life? Yes? No? Maybe so?

YES

Let’s say it does…but how? Gives you something to keep your mind off of. Keeps you busy. Gives yourself a challenge and allows you to think outside the box. Let’s your creative instincts take over when you are surrounded by creative constraints (work, school, life in general).

NO

Let’s say photography doesn’t help you in daily life. Perhaps, you are adding too much pressure on yourself with your photography. You get frustrated and impatient when you go out and shoot and come back with nothing for days sometimes weeks or even months! You feel discouraged. You compare to other photographers, those that win awards, have a big social media following, travel the world, and make money through photography and wonder why you can’t do the same or have half the same fortune.

MAYBE SO?

Maybe so? You are bi-polar. Some days you feel inspired. And some days not. You really don’t know what to make about your photography and overall goal. Maybe there isn’t a goal to attain. You have no direction other than you think you’re pretty good at taking photos and some what enjoy.

Conclusion

I believe the best practice with your photography is to not add any pressure and just go out and shoot. It is really up to the person. For me allocating a time and schedule to shoot is just too stressful because for one if I don’t follow my routine I end up feeling like shit. It’s like working out at the gym, you have a routine to work out before work at 6am and if you don’t you feel like your entire day went to waste. Some people like to work off of a schedule and be structured…for me it doesn’t work. I work off of feeling and sometimes that feeling is not feeling inspired to go out and shoot.

You can’t force something. It’ll either happen or it won’t. Of course you need to put yourself out there and work hard don’t get me wrong. But if it’s something that doesn’t feel right then follow your gut. My other advice is to have the right perspective. Your attitude is a big contingency on all future events. Your outlook on life and how you carry yourself. Having goals has both the positives and negatives sides to them but with photography I think it is best to not apply any goals because photography should be something you do out of passion and fun. Once you add goals especially more than one it becomes a job and sooner or later you’ll end up hating it. Imagine you got sponsored by a camera company and then they started to dictate on how you should be photographing and what you should be photographing. Although the money and attention is nice, you lose your creative freedom and opportunity to be an individual.

All in all, have fun with your photography and keep learning.