Whenever I shoot a new batch of photos, I start with a vision in my head… but the results never quite match that initial vision.
Sometimes, they’re better than I could have imagined. But other times, something isn’t quite right. Either I missed an opportunity for a GREAT shot… messed up a setting… or the light wasn’t right.
My clients continue to be excited about the results, and they keep referring me… so things are good! But when I look at the images, I always see what I could do BETTER.
I’m telling you this for two reasons:
1. If you ever feel like this, you should know you’re not alone… and that you can still be successful, even if you feel like you’re not “there” yet.
2. Because there’s only one way to get better at photography… and that’s to shoot a lot and push past that feeling. Even when you don’t feel good about the results. Even when it hurts a little.
I’ve learned over the years that when it seems to hurt the most… when you feel the most stuck… that’s usually when you’re on the edge of a plateau… and just a little push can lead to a break-through.
Some of my favorite photos happened at that very moment when I pushed through the feelings of doubt… fear of being uncreative… not knowing what to do. When I stuck with it and kept trying new things.
All of these shots, below, happened when I wasn’t sure what to do next…
And that’s the trick!
It’s when you feel like you’re not making any progress that it’s most important to keep at it. Keep shooting. Keep trying new things.
You’ll break through… until it happens again. You’ll break through again. And again… and when you look back at the year before, you’ll finally see the progress you’ve made.
And that’s well worth the struggle.