I fell out of love with my Camera… How I got the spark back
Back in 2015, I went through a rough patch in my personal life. It got so bad that I would have a panic attack during shoots, before or after. I went into a depression, I could not focus and very little mattered to me. I was not interested in photographing weddings anymore. I wasn’t interested in shooting anything so I didn’t answer emails or take any calls. So my business I worked hard on was falling apart in front of my eyes and I didn’t care. I was tired of shooting the same thing over and over again, the same type of clients, same old crap to edit.
So the day came and I got the courage to go to the doctor and sort out my depression and anxiety.
That was the first step.
The next step was for ME to decide to get back on the horse again and pick up the camera.
I decided to gift myself with 2 new lenses. I thought to myself, get 2nd hand in case you are done with photography it won’t be such a waste of money. It was an 85mm F1.8 and a 70-200mm F4 lens.
Because I always shoot with off-camera flash and studio lights, I challenged myself by just shooting with natural light.
I decided on a few personal projects and I was going to try some new editing techniques. I roped in my daughter Morgan, she is a natural-born model. I bought her some new dresses and we just had some fun in our garden.
My photos were different, the feeling I had towards my photography started to change.
We get so busy with other people’s special moments and events that we neglect going back to basics and photograph something or someone that we are passionate about.
We edit our days and nights away on the same old same because we allow ourselves to take the same photos over and over again.
Why not make every photoshoot a challenge and make a project out of it?
Have fun again, run around after the dog to get a great shot. Take macro shots of the bees and flowers in the garden.
Be like a little kid exploring nature, appreciating the sunlight, lie on the grass stand on a ladder, try as many weird and wonderful angles as you can.
But I DECIDED to get back into photography again. It has been 6 years and some days those feelings creep up again. But then I grab Morgan and she models for whatever crazy idea I come up with.
Now and again shoot for yourself! Shoot what you love! Do it for the passion of photography.