Here's How to Make Photography Fun Again
Like any job or hobby, photography can become a grind.
With the day-to-day demands of life and work, you might find yourself struggling with creativity. You might also find yourself totally lacking desire to even pick up your camera.
I don't have to tell you that this isn't a good situation, especially if you use your camera to make money.
What needs to happen is to make photography fun again, get those creative juices flowing, and learn to appreciate photography as an art form all over again.
Here's three easy ways for you to do that...
Make It Easier
"Make it easier" means a couple of different things.
First, photography will be a lot more fun if you don't have to work so hard to get great shots.
As the saying goes, work smarter, not harder!
One way to do that is to equip yourself with photography accessories that make the act of taking a photo a simpler task.
Enter the Holdfast MoneyMaker.
If you've been a photographer for any amount of time, you understand how inconvenient it is to carry your camera (let alone multiple cameras) using the flimsy, uncomfortable camera straps that came with your camera bodies.
The MoneyMaker changes that because as a dual-strap system, you can distribute the weight of your gear across both shoulders, making for a more comfortable shooting experience.
What's more, the MoneyMaker keeps your cameras (up to three!) right at your fingertips.
With one smooth, intuitive motion, you can raise your camera to your eye and quickly take a shot.
The manner in which your cameras hang from the MoneyMaker also means they're much safer. Rather than dangling at your hip, they're right at your torso - out of the way so they don't bump up against people or objects as you walk by.
These things are ridiculously good-looking, too. That's just an added bonus!
The second aspect of "make it easier" is comfort.
Those awful factory-made straps that come with cameras do nothing in the way of making the experience of shooting for hours on end a comfortable one.
But the MoneyMaker was purpose built specifically to address that concern.
With a variety of materials to choose from - including the ultra comfortable American Bison Leather option - you get a harness that conforms to your body.
As noted earlier, the MoneyMaker also distributes the weight of your gear evenly across your shoulders so that you can shoot longer with less fatigue.
If that doesn't make photography fun again, I don't know what will!
Try Film
I met a photographer the other day - a young guy just starting out - that has incredible talent. I have no doubt he'll do big things.
But the guy has never shot on film!
That blew my mind, maybe because I'm old now.
Aside from that, it bummed me out because shooting on film is such a great learning experience.
With a limited number of shots to take, you really have to slow down, think about your composition, framing, lighting, and camera settings to get the best results.
There's no LCD to chimp your photos, no immediate feedback to worry about. I think that helps engage you more in the process. Besides, it's less stressful!
And then you have to actually wait to see those results...
That was always the best part for me back in the day. I just couldn't wait to get my prints back from the lab to see how they turned out.
Film is also fun because you don't have anything to post-process.
Sure, processing can be fun - sometimes. But usually, it just ends up being one more thing you have to do over the course of the day.
Instead of spending an hour shooting and three hours processing your images, you can spend a couple of hours shooting, let the lab do their thing, and have an extra hour to take more photos.
That sounds fun to me!
See more reasons why you should shoot on film in the video above by Mattias Burling.
Try a Different Genre
Nothing gets you out of a rut and having fun with your camera like trying something new...
Landscape photography has always been my passion. In fact, I'd say that 90 percent of the photos I have on my hard drives are landscapes.
But shooting landscapes day in and day out can get a little old and a little boring, so when I feel like I'm not having as much fun as I should, I issue myself a challenge.
Instead of continuing with landscapes, I get out of my comfort zone and try portraiture, street photography, macro - anything but landscapes.
Not only does this give me something fun and different to do, but it also helps me further the development of my photography skills.
After all, the way I approach a photo shoot of a mountain is a bit different than what's required to photograph a person.
The same goes for composition, lighting, framing, and so forth.
In other words, the challenge of tackling a different type of photography is fun on two different scales - you get to try something new, and you get to develop better skills that make you a more capable photographer once you go back to your favorite subject matter.
Final Thoughts
Having fun with your camera can be a simple matter of trying something new, giving film photography a try, or upgrading your gear to something that makes photography a more pleasant experience.
But that's not all you can do...
Join a photography club so you have a group of peers to shoot with for leisure.
Buy a new lens and work on using a different focal length to capture eye-catching photos.
Go out and shoot at night and take on the challenge of low-light photography.
Heck, you can even try a photography challenge that gets you immersed in a variety of projects over the course of a month, 90 days, or even the whole year.
The point is that if you just aren't feeling it with your photography, do something to change things up.
If you're like me, you'll find that your creativity comes back and that you develop skills that will help you take your photos to another level!
