Letter From The Editor [June]

I don’t know about you, but every now and then, I get… bored. I’m not sure if someone slips something into my Cheerios, but on occasion, I start to feel uninspired. As a creative who captures images for a living, my biggest fear is letting this boredom show in my photos and creating a lackluster product – something I can ill afford.

It’s not a pleasurable experience, being in that funk. It’s nearly a feeling of hopelessness, this overwhelming sensation that you will never be able to create what you really want to. But clients keep calling and a game face must be put on. You hope to God/Allah/L. Ron Hubbard that they won’t notice that you’re bored shooting the same things over and over and over again. You hope that your images don’t scream “SWEET MOTHER OF GOD, I AM BORED TO TEARS OF THE SAME OLD SHOOT!” You hope.

My biggest fear is the inability to escape this black hole of despair and forever doomed to create uninspired work. But then, just when the dark cloud of doom appears overhead, I search my brain for some way to squeeze any bit of creativity out of my mind grapes. And lo and behold, magic happens.

I start shooting things. With my camera, of course.

Now, this may not seem like the most astounding revelation, but I think it’s something we all overlook as we move from amateur hobbyist to working professional. We all start becoming absorbed in the world we’ve built for ourselves, shooting solely in the niche we have chosen for ourselves. All the while, we start to lose the one part of photography that got us involved in it in the first place: the fun aspect.

I, for one, have caught myself slipping into the comfort of routine, and in doing so, I start to lose that part of photography that made it intriguing and fun. And so, I challenge myself to photograph something I normally wouldn’t do. Self-portraits, models, street photography, still life… anything to break the clutches of the mundane. When I start to break out of my shell, I find I become invigorated again to create, and my interest in the subjects I’m accustomed to shoot is renewed. All is well in the universe again.

If you find yourself in a similar funk, perhaps a change of scene or subject matter is all you need to get back into the creative swing of things. Here at FYP, we have our Weekend Photo Focus to help you break out of your funk and try photographing something you normally wouldn’t find yourself shooting. Give them a try, but also, for this month, attempt to shoot things or try techniques you’ve read about, but have yet to try.

I challenge you to shoot out of your comfort zone and share your results with me! Either post a link to your image in the comment section below or send an email to me at Patrick@fuelyourphotography.com and explain the funk you were in and how this image helped you snap out of it (or maybe it didn’t at all). Share your image and story with me and I’ll do a write up about it at the end of the month!

Furthermore, we’re looking for new writers to join our team. If you love to write, but love photography more, shoot me an email to Patrick@fuelyourphotography.com and we’ll get in touch. I’d love to see what you’ve got!

Until next time,

- Patrick
Your Fearless Leader