Why It’s Okay To Take a Break From Photography

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  By Michael Moodie
Why It’s Okay To Take a Break From Photography www.sleeklens.com

They always say too much of one thing is never good for anybody. In many aspects, this statement could be considered true. They’ve said that even drinking too much water or sleeping too much has its negative effect on an individual whether it be a long-term or short-term effect. The same logic can then be applied to the field of photography whereas sometimes you just need to put your camera down and take a breather. Speaking from experience, as a photographer we sometimes get caught up in a cycle that is not good for our well being in many ways. We go from doing sessions to image selection and post-production to sleep and then the cycle continues. Most of us end up having so many sessions in one day that we don’t find the time to eat or enjoy the income we are making from all these sessions. In this article, I will be sharing with you just a few reasons as to why it is completely okay for you to put your camera down for a bit and take a complete break from photography. Let us begin.

1. Recharge

Constantly creating will eventually drain you and leave you with what I like to call a creative block. You begin to lack ideas and inspiration to even shoot and then you start to question if photography is what you should even be doing. Taking a break from time to time will avoid this from happening and give your mind ample time to recharge and come up with new ideas.

This doesn’t mean you should lay in bed with your camera by the table and look at the ceiling hoping for Ideas to come. Take the time and plan a trip with some friends or even go on an adventure without the camera and actually have some fun. You’d be amazed to see the ideas that come to mind when you’re not actually thinking about work. These ideas tend to be some of the best ones that eventually turn out into something amazing.

2. Not Take Things For Granted

Taking a break from photographer teaches you to not take things and people in your life for granted in many ways. The cycle created when you’re photography sometimes make you into an introvert without you even knowing that you’re becoming one. You spend hours around your computer editing and choosing images that you lose track of time and if you’re anything like me, you can even forget to eat. Let the laptop gather a little dust and go outside to venture into the things you didn’t see before.

Call or text that old friend that’s in town and go hang out with them from a while. The simple things in life are your greatest blessings and naturally, as human beings, we tend to take those little things for granted until we no longer have them. Don’t end up living in regret because you became a zombie by your job or passion. There are still many other things in the world to actually enjoy without your camera in your hand.

3. Refocus

Try to treat yourself like the camera you love so much. Pretend as if your life is a camera itself and your about to focus on your subject but you notice that this subject is not actually what you want to capture. You have to release that finger you had half-pressed on the shutter to focus and point the camera in another direction and refocus on what it is you actually want. Take the time to reevaluate yourself as a photographer and see where your career is heading and think if it is going where you want it to go. If not, you should begin to consider how you can either fix that or make some adjustments. Having time to refocus will change your perspective on certain aspects of your career as a photographer and it might just make you an even better one.

4. Time To Reflect

The Journey to becoming the great photographer you are was not achieved overnight. You’ve worked hard and dedicated so much time to the field that now you need some time to reflect. You can now look back and appreciate where you’re coming from and see the progress you’ve made with where you’re going. Reflection often brings about humility in many ways. This might sound crazy but ask yourself some questions to see answers you have for yourself. It at that moment you will learn what kinda of individual or photographer you are.

I won’t lie to you and say that taking a break from photography is the easiest thing to do because it’s not. It took a few days of having to convince myself to leave the camera at home for my own good before I even started to see the benefits of it. Taking a step back from the things you love can sometimes teach you how to love them even more or teach you how much you loved them in the first place. Take this break and rekindle the spark and love you had for photography from when you got your first DSLR.

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Michael Moodie is a Freelance Photographer and Photojournalist. He Enjoys Lifestyle Photography and Traveling while doing all things creative!

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