Staying motivated in photography
Although many photographer hobbyist love photography with a passion (addiction?) most go through phases when they’re very inactive, sometimes not taking any photos for months on end. It can be difficult to dedicate time to photography when you have a job, family and other commitments. There are many methods to stay motivated in photography, including the taking a photo every day, called Project 365, trying new styles of photography, create a book, use one lens only, entering competition/challenges and more. I like to take part in photo challenges, especially on Boards.ie photography forum.
Boards.ie Photography forum have fortnightly challenges, the photo with most ‘likes’ wins and the winner selects the next challenge. There’s no prize (expect for kudos…) but I find it a great way for staying motivated in photography, keep taking photographs and also for themes/styles that might be outside your comfort zone or just styles of photography that you wouldn’t normally shoot. What makes the challenge for me is that your entries have to be taken during the challenge period, thus making you ‘get out there’ with your camera. The past few challenges on Boards.ie have included ‘The Rules of Odds‘, ‘Water, unsalted‘ and ‘Symmetry.’
These morning dew drops were my 3 entries for Water, Unsalted, the last one (my favourite) is a crop from the 2nd picture and almost won. I used a 100mm f2.8 macro lens on my front garden to capture the early morning dew drops. Luckily no neighbours drove by; they’d have wondered what I was doing, lying down on my driveway at 7 in the morning. Which of the 3 photos is your favourite, and why?
Lastly what methods do you use for staying motivated in photography please?
