I hate to admit this, but I’m not photographing enough. Not enough to be as good as I want to be. I was reminded of this while I was returning home from dropping my daughter off at college. I was listening to the LensWork Podcast, catching up and looking for inspiration, when I heard The Virtues of Volume.

I’ve always known that if you want to move your work forward you have to create work. You can’t move your work forward by thinking about it. There is a pretty awesome story about perfection in Art in Fear regarding quantity over quality. In fact this story is name-checked in the podcast I listened to. The gist of the story is that if you want to create great work you need to make a lot of work and make a lot of mistakes, rather than sitting round pondering and planning the perfect photo. Yup, I’m not photographing enough. Sure I get out once or twice a month, but that isn’t nearly enough time to gain any traction on a multitude of ideas flittering around in my head.

How do they do it!

When I’m scrolling through my feeds on G+ or Instagram, I’m amazed at the wonderful photos being created. I’m in awe and I’m jealous. I see so many wonderful set ups with toys in mid air, sand flying, water droplets in mid-air, smoke billowing, great mash-ups…it’s a wonder to behold. …and it’s intimidating.

I’m frequently presented with photographers who post daily, or near daily, with the most impressive work. I just shake my head and wonder “How do they do it?”, “How do they find the time?” Which of course makes me question my own dedication to the craft of toy photography. If I’m not photographing enough, maybe I’m losing my passion? Or maybe the responsibilities of life are beating me down?

One of may favorite feeds is BrickExplorer. While he doesn’t post everyday, the posts come at a regular pace and each is a visual treat greater than the last. Each photo is an inspiration and a nudge to get my own shit ideas together. I’m also impressed by Sunny who seems to have boundless energy which allows him to create an endless stream of amusing images. It would be impossible for me to name all the toy photographers who intimidate inspire me but here’s a partial list: FathersFigures, Bear_Trap, Plasticaction, FourBricksTall, MitchelWuPhotography, Shundeez_official, SpideyGoesHygge, JoeCow, The_Aphol, The ReelJames23 and Y.Brick.

Some of these amazing folks have kids, jobs and wives. I know they’re as busy as I am…so what’s their secret? How do they do it? Whatever their secret, I want to know what it is. I want to be able to keep pushing myself and create amazing images, just like they do.

Care to share your secrets?

Are you one of those photographers who manages to post several times a week or even better once a day? What is your secret? How do you find the time?

I know I’m not the only one who’s busy, so my claims of not having the time is a cop out. Maybe you can offer your tips and tricks in the comments below. Let me know how you organize your time so you’re able to turn ideas into photographic reality. Know I will be grateful for your input. While I may not be photographing enough right now, I mean to change that…as soon as I get past the next emergency deadline. 😀

And if your like me, and you’re running from fire to fire, trying to balance work and family life, leaning in or practicing ‘self care’ (whatever that is!), know you’re not alone. Take a deep breath and we will get through this together.

Shelly

Your moment of Zen

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