How to Avoid Burnout in Nature Photography
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Loading... - charlie lucas
- 01 Sep 2022
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Let me be brutally honest – I’m not sure I’m the right guy to write this feature. How can I possibly provide you sound advice on avoiding burnout and photo fatigue when I struggle (almost daily) to achieve a healthy balance myself? Hopefully, though, my experiences may provide some tips to help prevent burnout.
So what exactly do I mean by ‘photography burnout’? The signs can be many and varied, but signs that you could be struggling with photography burnout include feelings of negativity toward your own images, frustration, ineffectiveness, and emotional detachment from the picture-taking process. Of course, this can be summarised as a general loss of enjoyment in the activity.
I have an almost lifelong love of photography. I first picked up a camera at 9 years old, and I’ve never been too far from one since. I effectively turned professional in my late teens; I’ve never had a proper job, a job interview, or been employed by someone!
Photography is all I’ve known, and I’m hugely grateful for its opportunities and my career. However, that doesn’t mean I have always felt content, motivated, creative, and focused (no pun intended)!
I’m forever being told how lucky I am to make money from something I enjoy doing – which is correct. That’s not to say I always find it easy. Let’s face it, unfortunately doing what you love doesn’t protect you from feeling pressure, negativity, and exhaustion.
If any of this sound familiar, maybe I can help…
Social media
Although I’m writing this as a professional, I think all photographers, regardless of whether you are an enthusiast or a pro, are susceptible to burnout.
In many ways, being a photographer is both easier and harder than it has ever been before. Technology has made it much easier to be innovative and capture the images you visualise. Meanwhile, social media gives everyone an equal platform to share and show case their talents, get noticed, and grow a following of other photographers and potential clients.
On the flip side, social media is often to blame for the despondency and burnout that so many of us regularly feel.
Why is this? Well, today we are exposed to so many images that, to some degree, we are growing increasingly immune to their impact and brilliance. Or, depending on our mood, we can feel so overwhelmed by their quality that we grow despondent and overly critical about our own work.
I once read some great advice that creative people (that’s us!) should never look at anyone else’s work before we have had an opportunity to be creative that day. It makes sense, doesn’t it? You don’t want to be affected or influenced by others until you’ve had time to focus on your own photography and development. Read More…
