I think it’s fair to say that despite a few airport hiccups, my trips over the last couple of months have reawakened my love of travel and exploration.
It’s also had the knock on effect because I’m feeling happy to having a camera in my hand once again. Ever since the twin blows of losing both my archive and my gear I’ve not quite felt the same buzz. Picture taking has been perfunctory, just a record of where I’d been and going through the motions. That was in 2013 and so that slump has lasted the best part of three years.
It’s felt a little different recently. It’s felt fun again. Like I’ve slipped back into a mindset where I’m shooting things how I want to and not because ‘it’s how you’re supposed to take a photo’ according those that spend more time critiquing in forums then actually shooting images.
I think mindset this has been helped somewhat by meeting people who have told me that I have to start taking photos again. That they’ve enjoyed looking at those that I’ve taken before and so they want to see what comes next. There is one person at work who when I say I’ve booked a trip they insist I must take my camera and get lots of pictures. They weren’t too pleased with me for only taking my iPhone to Amsterdam, but I found it liberating to be working within those constraints and it did feel like I was starting to learn timing and composition all over again.
I’ve always taken photos primarily for my own enjoyment, but it has been pretty motivating to have complimentary things said and now a couple of months later as I wandered around Faro with my ‘proper’ camera in hand and a lovely wide-angle prime attached I could feel myself sliding back into a welcome and familiar groove.
DigiDonkey 