A Turning Point?

I recently read an article by Paul Gallagher in his Aspect 2i Journal which I hope will help me turn a corner with my own photography and escape from a seemingly endless period of low motivation, inactivity and poor creativity. In the introduction to the journal, Paul suggests that variety is one ingredient that delivers inspiration in the pursuit of photography and that without it we feel we stagnate and that the resulting work can begin to become uninspiring and formulaic. He suggests that breaking that mould can be tricky as we have to leave behind what feels comfortable and explore new avenues, even if the subject matter remains firmly within the same genre of photography.

Those few words resonated with me and got me thinking about why I had got into a rut with my own photography. I know for certain that it is not my love of photography that has waned, nor is it my love of nature which remains as strong as ever. Nevertheless, I have felt in a challenging place for quite some time and I am desperate to break free and kick start my creativity again. I know I am not unique in facing such circumstances, it is well documented that many photographers, writers, poets, and artists experience periods of time when the well runs dry and their creativity dries up. So, how might I break the mould? The starting place has to be to understand how I feel about my photography and how that is shaping my approach.

Going back to basics I can see that I am simply putting too much pressure on myself, both in terms of mindset and expectations. Every time I take the camera out I go out with a single intention….to take a great photograph. That is simply not realistic but it is a mindset that has become embedded in me. I reinforce that through my approach. I make a plan the day before in terms of location and timings, I pack my bag with most of the equipment I own so it is so heavy that it also becomes a burden, and then I go out in my role of ‘photographer’ expecting to create fantastic images every single time. That should be possible shouldn’t it? Surely it is, because I am a ‘photographer’ and that is what we do. Thinking rationally that is never going to work, my approach is creating self-inflicted pressure….pressure to deliver results. Photography should be fun rather than about deliverables. I left the world of performance measures behind when I left my job in industry, now is the time to remind myself of that and bring the enjoyment back into my photography.

So looking forward I am going to take a much more relaxed approach to my work. On occasions I will just venture out with one lens and a body and see what I can produce, other times I will leave the tripod at home and just take hand-held photographs. I will look for new locations closer to home that may provide that new opportunity, and I will look to introduce some variety into my photography such as architecture or macro photography. One thing I am certain about is that my expectations will change going forward. When I venture out with the camera it will be with the sole intention of taking photographs, enjoying the process and the thrill of just pressing the shutter and knowing that just occasionally I might end up with a portfolio image. I know that if I take more photographs with less expectation then eventually the good images will naturally appear. I will continue to work hard and practice regularly knowing that a change of mindset is more likely to make that hard work pay off.