There may be lots of reasons why you’re not taking photos, but this is most likely what’s on top of the list
“Practice makes perfect” is still the most fitting adage for anything you want to master. Sure, it’s easy enough to say and understand. However, it can easily become an insurmountable task with the mere mention of one thing: time. When work and responsibilities start taking big chunks of your time and getting in the way of your creative projects, saying, “I don’t have the time,” becomes the norm. But, is it really the case? Is it really often impossible to make time to practice photography?
For Andrew of husband and wife photography duo Denae & Andrew, it’s still possible to carve out some time from your busy routine to do some personal projects and get creative with photography. He explains in the video below what you can do so you don’t say, “I don’t have the time for photography,” again.
So, there you have it. The real issue here isn’t time, but focus. As Andrew mentioned, this often manifests in what we believe are the ideal conditions or circumstances to do the kind of photography we want. For example, if it’s landscape photography, it has to be in a perfect, Instagram-worthy location. If it’s portraits, it has to be shot during the Golden Hour for best results. We don’t always have the time or the means to experience these conditions each time the need to take photos sets in. That’s when we begin to be convinced that we simply have no time for photography.
What Andrew wants us to consider is to take little pockets of time per week to shoot what we’re able to, and not be boxed in by these preconceptions of ideal shooting conditions. The idea is to just keep taking photos no matter how brief the opportunity or how problematic the conditions. This constraint allows us to develop a creative rhythm and a sense of connection with our surroundings so we always find something worth photographing.
Personally, I find Andrew’s approach very empowering. Also, I know some people who use half of their lunch break to shoot whatever they can, whether in the office or a few blocks away. Some also shoot while on their commute to and from work, or spend a few hours of their Friday nights prowling the streets for some scenes to capture. So, I know it’s definitely doable. All it takes is the drive to get even just one photo per day (Project 365 all over again, anyone?).
Do check out Denae & Andrew’s YouTube channel for more of their photography videos.
Screenshot image from the video
