In today’s digital age, it seems that there is always a motivational speaker ready to deliver a viral quote, on every post, in every snap, or on every video. And most of those quotes can be summed up into “keep grinding! Keep pushing! Never settle! Don’t look back! Keep your eye on the goal!” Advice like that has helped many people achieve some great things in life. But have we ever considered the inverse of advice like that?
For every photographer, the journey is different; therefore, the end goal will be different. We all pick up a camera for various reasons and we all take different paths. But often times photography advice is given and applied as if we are all trying to reach the same destination. This can result in the photographer missing some very important landmarks on that journey.
I’ve been struggling as of late as to where to take my photography. I don’t want to continue just shooting the same stuff over and over. Fed up and frustrated with this creative block, I started to go through my portfolio during a moment of self loathing. But strangely enough, I started to notice my progress over the last two years.
In that time, I have photographed well over a 100 people using the same camera, lens, lights, and editing program. And there were multiple times that I used the same person. This is where I really noticed the growth.
I started using off camera flash in late 2018 and Shelby was one of the first people I shot with using it. At the time, I absolutely loved those those first photos. I thought all the colors were bright and vivid. I was able to overpower the sun with my flash and I was in awe of the power of flash photography. It felt like a great shoot. Fast forward a month after that first shoot and Shelby and I shot again. I was even more impressed with this shoot. The fall colors seemed to pull me in. I had learned frequency separation during that time (or so I thought) and I was feeling good.
Well it seems that some photos do not age well like fine wine. And our most recent shoot highlighted that stark difference. With over 6 shoots together in that two year time span, the steady growth can be easily seen through the photos of her. I think that by recognizing this growth, I can pull myself out this funk. But that requires looking back which is a modern day faux pas.
But I almost missed some major milestones in my photography journey by following the one size fits all advice of not looking back. It was through looking back that I could easily see when I changed my editing style and was instantly reminded that I did so because of a creative block. By looking back, I could see when I changed up my lighting angles and camera settings because a creative block. A creative block caused me to branch out into other genres of not only photography but other art mediums.
Each creative block became its own milestone on this journey and resulted in growth.
So as I try to snap out of my funk, I’m encouraged by the growth. And I think this line of thinking can help out other photographers and artist. Look back on your work and see how far you have come. There will be plenty of time to “chase the bag” and grow your brand. Knowing where your path started allows you to pace your self on this journey. It’s not a sprint to the end.
Check out the videos below to see really see the growth over the years. But in the mean time, i want hear from you. Has looking back help or hindered your artistic growth?