{"id":202292,"date":"2020-01-13T07:49:49","date_gmt":"2020-01-13T15:49:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/?p=202292"},"modified":"2020-01-13T08:50:32","modified_gmt":"2020-01-13T16:50:32","slug":"photo-motivation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/erickimphotography.com\/blog\/2020\/01\/13\/photo-motivation\/","title":{"rendered":"PHOTO MOTIVATION"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What seems most difficult for us photographers?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Discovering the motivation to make new photos.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Download TEXT PDF: PHOTO-MOTIVATION<\/a>Download<\/a><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Why do we lack motivation to make new photos?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Mexico
Mexico City, 2020 #ericproject<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

My thought is that the culprit is social media<\/a>. If you value your self-esteem<\/a>, the best thing you can do for your soul is get OFF social media.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why is social media so bad?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"Mexico
Mexico City, 2020 #cindyproject<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Social media is bad because you get suckered into comparing yourself and your photography with that of others. And I think I figured it out:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Good to discover inspiration NOT from your contemporaries, but from the dead masters who have come before you.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

But this is also the danger: Sometimes we fall into “photographic nihilism<\/a>“: the thought that all these photographers who have come before me have already done it better than me, and therefore there is no point or purpose for me to attempt it. “I might as well give up before I get started”.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beginner’s mind<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

As a beginner, you must be AS IGNORANT as humanly possible. I didn’t start learning about the photography masters<\/a> until perhaps 2-3 years after I started photography, and this was good. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why? Because I felt ALL the photos I created were totally original! This naivet\u00c3\u00a9 was fantastic, as it kept me motivated to keep on going!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How do children play?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"child<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Imagine: a child at the park, trying to play at the jungle gym. Would you encourage them to read a book on techniques of “proper form” in jungle gymming? OF COURSE NOT! This is insane. You let the kid play! And for children playing is learning. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When a child plays, a child is experimenting — figuring out for themselves what works and what doesn’t work. Trial and error done in a fun and non-boring way. For photography, refer to ‘My first photography book<\/a>‘.<\/p>\n\n\n\n