The best photographer is the most childlike, having the most fun, being the most curious, and playing the most!

Photography must be fun, interesting, challenging

Do you have a passion for making images and pictures? So do I.

The ultimate thing for us to avoid as photographers: when photography is no longer interesting, fun, or challenging to us.

But how can we conquer this? Simple:

Treat photography like a (fun) game!

1. Explore

Photography must give us a spirit of exploration. To get out of the house, travel, and explore!

2. Surprising

Photography is great because it is surprising!

We don’t know what a photo will look like until we shoot it!

This means:

Take more risks in your photography.

Shoot more subject matter which interests you, and shoot scenes for the sake of it!

Make photos for the sake of it, and you’re bound to get a few you really like!

3. Exercising our visual sensory systems

“Use it lose it.”

If we don’t use our visual systems, we will lose it.

We must constantly exercise and train our eyes:

• Looking closely at things that were interested in
• Exercising depth perception: going on walks, and looking at stuff very far away at a distance (the joy of looking at epic landscape views on top of a mountain)
• Understanding what makes interesting and dynamic pictures: us practicing photography, but also studying other art forms (like cinema).

4. Photography instead of video games

I have a simple proposal:

More fun to make photos than to just play video games.

Photography gets us out of the house, and gives us the opportunity to interact with the real world!

Even in Ready Player One, James Halliday says:

It is hard to get a good meal in virtual reality.

With photography, it is a lifestyle. We like coffee, exploring new places, meeting new folks, traveling, and investing in experiences.

5. You make artwork and stuff as a photographer

When you make photos, you create stuff. You own your artwork creations.

With video games, you don’t build capital. As a photographer, you build your own (creative) capital. You build yourself.

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Takeaways

1. How can you “gamify” your photography in a fun and meaningful way?
2. What makes photography more fun and creative than other games?
3. How can you continue to add randomness, chance, and challenge to your photography?

HAVE FUN!
ERIC