As a blogger for Unique Photo, it's been my job to scan, process, and distill hundreds of headlines in the photographic world every day. What often results is seeing the world of photography via the conflict of opinions and ideas that exist on our beloved Internet. For every interesting new plugin for Lightroom, a gaggle of purists decrying the majesty of "getting it right in the camera". For every powerful new camera, a complaint of how "Canon didn't adopt x or y feature that I barely use, but still want, since it's a new camera". With truckloads of new information available every day, people tend to get caught up in how the latest development will both enrich and destroy their creativity, and cast judgment on others should they disagree. It's dizzying at best, headache inducing at worst.
Some time ago, while going through this flailing amalgam of blogs, hashtags, trends and Internet arguments, a switch somewhere in the very back of my head was turned. I couldn't tell you what it was, but it made me...cynical? No, that's not quite the right word, although that's certainly part of it. When this switched was flipped, it made me realize how so many of us get lost in the spastic, lurchy world of photographic news and ultimately dedicate less and less time to our passion, the creation of images.
Am I saying there's no place for photography blogs and news sources? Absolutely not. They are crucial for learning about new developments and, more importantly, are often a source of inspiration. Since we are all connected and news flows faster than we can process, it's easier than ever to immediately form shot-from-the-hip opinions about a headline before turning to the next one, and repeating this process ad infinitum.
What I am proposing is going to seem anti-climactic to my above tirade against overuse of communication media. But it makes sense, if you take a little time to engage. Leave the house with your camera and go photograph something you've been meaning to for a while. Take a look at your website, Flickr page, or whatever you use to display your work, and make sure you're focusing on what you're good at. Organize your camera gear, which is something we can all do from time to time. Visit a few local art galleries. Disconnect from the wired (and wireless) world and do your best to be purely creative for a day. Even if you do this regularly, it's important to disconnect as entirely as you can from your phone, your computer, or your tablet, if just for a few hours.
It pays dividends to, every now and then, escape from the computer screen and get back in touch with the person you were when you fired off your first snap of the shutter and said, "I like this. This is what I want to do for a long time."
Tim Kauger is a blogger and photographer based in Short Hills, NJ. You can visit his website here.