free fall

free fall
van dusen garden, vancouver

This past week I had a bit of a free fall, a sudden, sharp decrease in the quantity of time I normally reserve for learning photography. Last year all my ducks were in a row. I changed jobs resulting in a work-life balance I hadn’t had in the previous four years with time to dedicate to learning this craft, to practice, to read, and to network. It all came to a screeching halt last Monday when I had to step in and return briefly to help out in my old role. What followed was five days of working late and then this weekend, working some more. Yes, we all know what this is; it’s Resistance à la Steven Pressfield in his book The War of Art. The more you want something, the more Resistance will throw up barriers and obstacles to stop you from pursuing your dream. Good thing I have become quite sensitive to the hand of Resistance in my goal to become a better photographer and I am trying to find strategies to fight back.

On Saturday I started a rather innocent conversation with @PicSeshu on Twitter. Seshu is a wedding photographer based in New England. He just finished up a wedding on Friday and mentioned he was processing the images. I asked him if we could get a sneak peak and that was the beginning of what I hope will be a beautiful friendship. I commented on his images and he asked me if I am interested in a job doing weddings everyday. One thing led to another and Seshu kindly agreed to critique my recent images from Rebecca and Brian’s wedding. What I love about his approach is that it could have been lifted right out of Pressfield’s The War of Art. Promising no sugar coating, he asked if I was ready to lift my game. Pressfield speaks of people who tell you how good you are and relying on only on their opinions, you rise to the level of mediocrity. Don’t get me wrong, I love hearing from friends and family how they like my images but they need to be augmented by photographers who can give me very specific feedback from a creative’s point of view. From Seshu’s comments, I can see what basic areas I need to keep refining (exposure and composition) and what new areas I need to think about learning (yes, lighting!).

It feels odd to say that I still have to work on exposure and composition after this much time but I think it’s ok to admit this as part of sharing my learning journey. Photography is a complex craft. There are some with raw, natural talent but I would venture a guess that they are few and far between. Ask someone to share how they started out in this field and not many will say they are an overnight sensation. I’ll end with some wise words from another friend on Twitter @chromasia and former instructor of mine, David Nightingale “My best advice is to keep practicing. Photography is a craft skill & as such the more you do it, the better you will get (hopefully).”