As a hobby photographer, becoming a professional is not really on my immediate radar. However, it is floating there just along the edges of my mind. My one problem, though, is getting better at photography!
Frustration is the enemy of progress. For me, the frustration lies in the science of using the exposure triangle correctly, not to mention choosing the right focal length.
Getting Frustrated!
The exposure triangle is actually easier to learn and practice than it is to deal with and get past frustration. This took me some time to understand. Yep, I am human and prone to wallowing in my own feelings and making the situation even worse.
How did that happen? Well, it was simple. My photos were not as sharp as they should have been. This was, of course, after getting home and loading them onto my PC for editing. A whole morning shot by fuzzy, out-of-focus, too dark or too light photos!
Why was everything in the background blurry or fuzzy? What was causing the image to be overblown or, worse yet, too dark? WHAT WAS I NOT GETTING?
I get composition; I can frame a shot, but why can’t I take a sharp, clear, perfect image!
Instead of learning why, I put my camera away instead!
Dealing With The Frustration
One morning, early this September, the spark, the need, the calling- I call it- hit me again. I wanted to dive back in, even with the frustration lingering in the back of my mind after all those months.
I had to deal with (and still do a bit) the frustration first.
So, what did I do? Simple. I prayed about it. I prayed for patience. I prayed for understanding. Then, I prayed for some grace and peace with my efforts in learning how to better meet this need to improve my photography.
Patience with myself was the biggest of all the issues I faced. We all suffer from that at first, I think. We expect to get out there and that our camera will do all the work for us, and the photo editing app will make it worth it all!
But that is just not true. This is a fact I learned.
Photography, even as a hobby, takes time; time to learn the best practices, to learn how your camera works, and to learn the style of photography you love the most.
Once you learn patience with yourself, you will then find the space in your head to fit in all the learning you’ll need to achieve whatever level of photography you are shooting for. Frustration, impatience- these things will leave no room for knowledge, understanding, or peace. Besides, like my grandfather said, “If you shoot for the moon and get halfway there, finish the trip; it’s worth it!”
Today, I am getting better. I’m not there yet, but at least the frustration is minimal at best, so minimal that I can shake it off and keep moving forward. Isn’t that what God does with us in every aspect of our lives? Did He not promise to, if we ask, no matter what it is? Yes, we go to Him; He picks us up, dusts us off, and sets us back on that path again- the path He has meant for us.
The one thing He taught me was this:
I will always be in learning mode with every aspect of my life this side of heaven, even my photography, He cares that much, period.
So, today, when it comes to being a hobby photographer, and maybe, one day, stepping into a more professional direction, I will continue learning from my mistakes, as well as my victories!
So, get out there, dust off that camera, take off the lens cap, put on that lens, and take a walk out the front door. Trust me, frustration is not worth giving up what you love to do.
Talk soon.
Featured image by David.