Have you ever photographed at your lowest?

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Have you ever photographed at your lowest?

When you just got fired from your work and everything happened so fast that you only realized you’re jobless in the middle of the street? Do you whip out your camera and take pictures? Or when your bag gets snatched containing some camera accessories and your passport but you press on shooting because that is all you have left in your person and that is all you have going for at that exact moment? How about at the moment of getting dumped? Your now ex-girlfriend tells you that you have a special way of making her feel lonely. Do you take a picture after that state? Or maybe something as simple as finding out that your only lens for your camera now has fungus growth in it? Do you still shoot with it? I guess what I’m saying is that do you really need to wait for the right time or would you rather push yourself forward and just photograph despite everything that happened? I’m asking because really, I want you to reflect on yourself and ask the question “Why am I not photographing right now?”

Photography, specifically street photography has always glorified that photographs should be made at the highest apex of what it can possibly be. More often than not, we are stuck in the everyday crap of life and it gets to us. We wait for the right mood, the right equipment, the right light, and all else so we tend to wait, wait, and wait when in truth the best thing is to actually just start. Whatever happens, with whatever you are going through, it is always better to take that shot even if really it is all you will have. A great testament of what you have gone through or experienced no matter how simple it is will be much better than having nothing.

I guess I believe that when you have nothing to fear and you have nothing to hide, you can pretty much do anything. My point here is that you need to make things happen. If you want good photographs, you need to be photographing. It’s not going to be easy because the act of photographing might be a reward in it itself, but it doesn’t guarantee good pictures. You need to build your skills, overcoming your fears both in the streets and in your heart. The key is you need to start and you need to keep working even in little spurts in successive days.

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So I’m going to close by saying that don’t wait. Grab your camera and take a shot right now. With whatever you are going through, if that is fear or anxiety or if you are feeling satisfaction and joy, take a shot! I’m inviting you to turn it into something productive by photographing what you love most: A person, a pet, a family member,even your favorite spot in the city, heck! Photograph yourself. It doesn’t matter as long as you love it. That way, even at your lowest, you have a photograph of something that will get you on an emotional high. Just have something, doesn’t matter if it is good or bad, just start and have something.

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