I think we photographers desire to always be inspired/motivated to make photos which give us deep joy. And in order to do that– we of course need a camera. But is there a perfect or ideal camera which will empower us to constantly be making new photos? A ‘perfect’ camera which maximizes our creative productivity? Also a camera which is affordable, a camera which is small, powerful, compact? If so — that is the RICOH GR II.
What if you only shot with your camera or phone in JPEG (with a certain filter/preset in-camera), and you didn’t allow you to further post-process your photos afterwards?
The iPad Pro (10.5 inch) is what I currently have, as well as the Touchbar MacBook Pro (13 inch) and I can say I enjoy looking at my own photos at least 5x more on my iPad Pro. And my basic idea:
The device on which you view your own photos is of tantamount importance.
Motivation literally means “to move”. We need to move and act to do anything; we need to move our fingers to type, we need to move our feet to shoot photos, we need to move our bodies to get from point A to point B, and we need to move heavy weights off from the ground to build our muscles and strength.
You cannot predict or determine with 100% the outcome of your life, but you can steer your course in life.
Steering a ship
If you’re the captain of a ship, you can steer the direction of the ship but you cannot control externals (the condition of the sea, whether there are pirates in the sea, or the weather conditions). It is your duty as a captain to be brave, to exercise your best judgement, and for you to steer boldly in a certain direction.
When you’re steering your ship of life in a certain direction, you cannot control whether you will be hit with turbulent waves. However you can direct the general course (direction of your ship).
I feel we can use a similar metaphor in life:
You can generally steer your direction in life, but you cannot predict or determine the outcome.
Thus it seems the optimal strategy in life is to steer as wisely, boldly, and bravely in life — and leave the rest to fate. Think of the saying:
To grow as a photographer is to constantly shoot more, get more feedback on your photos (arsbeta.com), and to integrate the feedback of yourself and others into your future images.
To get honest feedback and constructive critique on your photos is impossible on Facebook and Instagram. That is why we created arsbeta.com in order for you to receive and give meaningful feedback on photos:
Disregard your “weaknesses”; simply focus on maximizing your own potential strengths, maximizing your own power output, and unashamedly maximizing you.
Paint with your camera. Find colorful textures and things which inspire you. Process your photos with additional contrast, tweak the colors, and paint photos which make you happy!
After buying all the stuff I’ve wanted in my life I’ve discovered that the cost of ownership (maintenance, stress) outweighs the joy of actually owning something.
To find inspiration to make photos, don’t worry about whether the photo will be “good” or not. Simply photograph what makes you happy, what makes you smile; what you love and care about!
If you’re looking to find more personal meaning from your photography or to take your photography to the next level, commission ERIC KIM Consulting to gain personal feedback on your photos, mentorship, and direction for your photography.
What exactly is “mood� Why does it shift? Why are we sometimes in a “good†mood, versus a “bad†mood? Is mood a physiological thing? Is there an “ideal†mood to be in?
For my whole photographic life, I’ve always stuck to shooting a 3:2 aspect ratio (the standard 35mm aspect ratio). But one day, I accidentally switched my Lumix G9 (Micro 43rds camera) into the native 4:3 format. And I’ve been shooting with 4:3rds aspect ratio, and have been having a ton of fun! Some of my thoughts:
In life, to ‘prioritize’ literally means to put 1 thing in front of everything else. You cannot ‘prioritize’ more than 1 thing (that is why the notion of ‘prioritie(s)‘ makes no sense).
If your main artistic outlet is photography — why don’t you make it tantamountly important in your life?
