Perseverance makes the photographer

It took me 4 days to make these images. Four days going to the same spot, hoping to find the right conditions. Until it finally happened. But as I was taking the photos, a car stopped by, someone stepped out with a camera, took a couple of shots, and left. Just like that, they got the same image it had taken me several days to make.

Anyone can get lucky - I have gotten lucky more times than I can count. Luck plays a very important role in photography, especially in outdoor photography where very few things are under our control.

Photographers must seek that luck, though. We have to put ourselves in situations where luck has no option but to find us. Perseverance will give us a better chance to get lucky.

How to shoot more photos of anything every day

Nature was the reason why I got started in photography. The beautiful landscapes of Oregon awakened my senses, and I felt like I had to create something with what I was seeing, hearing and smelling. For a long time, that was what drove my photography.

Even though I was documenting my everyday life with photographs as well, I never thought of those moments as situations where I could create art. They were just snapshots.

i was wrong

I was wrong. Very, very wrong. Any moment, any situation, no matter where you are, no matter what you are doing, is a good moment to create art. I shot the image above while I was writing this post, from the window in my bedroom.

no limits

Not just that, but anything could be worth of your attention. Why limit yourself to a tiny subset of the world, when there are so many interesting things to photograph everywhere?

just try it

Sometimes, all it takes is to try it. Before judging a place or an object worthy or unworthy of a photo, just put your camera up to your eye and try it. Walk back a little and show the whole scene, or get close and look for the details. Try to find the beauty in everything.

everything photographer

Going from landscape photographer to everything photographer was one of the most profound changes I made to my photography. It opened a whole new world of imagery for me, but also showed me that I could do photography at anytime, anywhere. I didn't have to wait to go anywhere, I could do right at home.

all photography is practice

All photography is practice. The more we practice, the better we get. And because we don't control most of what happens outside, the more we get out, the more chances we have to make great images.

some ideas to shoot more photos of anything

• always carry a camera with you
• take at least 25 photographs every day. go through them at the end of the week (Sundays, for example), keep only the ones you like
• try to notice one new thing every day, in a familiar place. photograph it
• don't label yourself: don't think of yourself as a landscape photographer, a street photographer, an anything photographer. give yourself license to shoot whatever you want. you are a photographer, period. no labels
• not inspired? never forget: inspiration comes from action
• don't overthink your compositions and shoot in P mode. focus on what matters, the feeling you are trying to capture / share
• even when you go somewhere on a photography trip, don't wait until you get to the location. start taking photos right away, even before you leave the house. that will get the ball rolling and will be hugely beneficial for your trip

don't stop

The most important step is also the hardest: don't stop.

Photography is a long-term game - it takes a long time (perhaps a lifetime!) to have a portfolio full of good images.

But it's a game we must play as often as we can. Showing up every day will give us a much better chance to create what we want.

Leaving is always hard

After months comfortably spent at home, I’m finally back on the road. This trip will take me to amazing places, some new, some very familiar. Even though I’m really excited about what is to come, I’m also struggling. And this is a familiar feeling.

You see, this is a solo trip. I will be alone for the next month, even a bit longer, and that’s a drastic change from my boring routine. Today, for example, I didn’t talk to anyone. Not having service for most of the time doesn’t help the feeling of isolation, either.

Then there are the unknowns. Only uncertainty is certain.

The only way forward is to embrace whatever might come my way. But it can be hard at first, while I’m still breaking from my everyday habits and comforts.

In just 3 days, I’ve gone from camping in 85 degrees, surrounding by starving mosquitoes, to freezing temperatures, snow, and carrying bear spray wherever I go. I’ve already had to take the car to a repair shop. I’ve driven 2,000 miles across 6 states. I’ve seen bison, and mountain goats. Vast plains, jaw dropping peaks, and pristine lakes. And this is just the beginning!

I know I will have an amazing time (I am already), but shrugging off these uncomfortable feelings might take a few more days. Change is never easy. But, in most cases, it’s worth the fight.

On self doubt

I used to think I was the only one hearing that voice. The voice inside telling me it's not worth trying, I'm not good enough, it's been done before... until I realized I was not the only one. And that, even though it can be painful, this is the way.

Miserable... and alive

Beautiful day today. pic.twitter.com/Dd0H1ivSzM

— adrian (@aows) February 5, 2021

We got yet another snowstorm. While the other ones had come overnight, this one happened during the day so I had the chance to go out and photograph it.

It was brief but very intense, a mix of heavy snow and sleet, and some strong winds. You wouldn't be blamed for calling those conditions miserable.

Yet somehow, I loved it and felt sad when it was over. For over an hour, I got soaked, I was cold, my cameras were taking a beating... all of that made me feel so alive.

That's what photography is for me. A tool of discovery, to experience moments that I would otherwise avoid in exchange for some comfort.

That's why we photograph.

Not as good (or as bad) as you think

When we make a good image, we might think we are getting better at this: "I'm a great photographer", we tell ourselves.

When the best image we can come up with isn't any good, we think this is not for us: "I'm a terrible photographer", we convince ourselves.

We are neither that good nor that bad. The truth is always somewhere in between.

We outdoor photographers are at the mercy of the location, the conditions, and the light. Making a good image is easy if we are at the right place at the right moment. If we have nothing going for us, even the most talented photographer might have not been able to create a decent image.

Since most of the time we can't predict what the outside world is going to do, our best chance is to get out as often as we can and try to do our best. Let's use this as a measurement of success instead of "good" vs "bad" images.

Don't miss out on the good days

I believe that every day is filled with possibilities. That's why I try to make images every single day, no matter where I am or what I am doing. But, not all days are created equal.

I'd been struggling for a few days to create new images. The weather wasn't helping: it was freezing cold, but no rain, no snow, no nothing. Being outside for more than half an hour became an act of bravery, and the rewards were too low.

Patience usually pays off. Yesterday was one of those days that come only every once in a while. It snowed overnight, so we woke up to a winter wonderland. Not only that, but the temperature was actually pleasant (28F / -2C, which at this point in winter is actually pretty warm), no wind, no rain, no snow, and a little bit of mist. Absolutely perfect conditions for photography.

Not too long ago, I'd dwell on where to go to take advantage of this gift. Instead of wasting time on Google Maps trying to find the perfect spot, I just grabbed my camera and headed out. I spent 5 hours in the snow, feeling like a little kid who was playing with the white powder for the first time. And I think I made some beautiful images -just walking around the neighborhood.

The place I spent the most time at was, perhaps not surprisingly, the local golf course. The snow worked as a beautiful white blanket on top of the carefully crafted landscapes, with its rolling hills, little ponds and intentionally spaced trees. So much potential in such a mundane place.

Yes, I do believe in everyday photography - there's always something to be found out there, any day. But some days are special. Those, you can't really miss out on.

Disappointing my dad

My dad is very good at giving unsolicited and brutal feedback. He's got a good eye for negative stuff and is able to find it in almost anything.

"I'm disappointed, I was expecting more"

Those were his words after watching my recent video from Crater Lake. And even though I will never tell him this, I have to agree with him this time: it wasn't my best work by any means.

On one hand, this was due to the conditions: a boring, sunny and clear day. Timing is everything in photography. No matter how many masters of photography you throw at it, if the conditions aren't right, it's not going to work.

On the other hand, it's always possible to create good images. We just need to find what is that shines under the conditions we've got. I did try with the full moon, with some long exposures, with silhouettes. They are not the kind of images one might imagine from a place like Crater Lake, and that might crush other people's expectations.

I've said this dozens of times on this blog and my YouTube channel, but it's worth repeating: you are one click away from your best image ever. What that image is going to be of, you don't know. Stay open and flexible when you visit a location. Have a few images in mind, but if they don't work, be willing to move on and find something else. In many cases, that will be much better than your original idea. It will be, at least, different and original.

Even if that disappoints others.

Why we photograph

Why do we go through such hardship for a few images? Why do we wake up so early? Why do we face the elements? Why are we willing to be cold, hot, wet, burnt, exhausted... all for an image? Why do we keep trying, over and over?

Why?

It's because we need it, as much as we need to breathe.

It's because it makes us feel in peace.

It's because we can see.

It's because we want to feel alive.

The world reveals itself when you pay attention. Our duty is to witness the beauty and show it to others, to become their eyes.

We are half crazy, or full crazy.

We pour our souls and hearts, we are obsessed, dedicated, passionate.

We want to show what needs to be seen, what needs to be known.

A day spent making images makes us feel. Calm, excited, exhausted and happy. Part of something much bigger than ourselves.

We wander, we are free.

When the time comes to pack and head back home, we are not the same. We are changed, every shot, every photo, every place, every subject is now part of us, they make us who we are. But the fire never goes away, AND we are excited because we know we get to do it again tomorrow.

Video was filmed at Dog Mountain, Washington.

“Where’s the Bronica?”

"Beautiful images, but where is the Bronica?"

If someone paid me $1 every time I get asked about the Bronica, I'd be making a very comfortable living off of photography.

We like to say we don't care about gear but at the end of the day, it's what we pay the most attention to. After all, buying a new camera and learning how to use it is a clear goal, something actionable anyone can do. We feel like we make progress.

Figuring out what to do with that camera is harder, though. Even though the purpose behind our photography is all that matters in the end.

I struggle with this like everyone else, and sharing my journey as I try to get closer to the what and the why, and not the how, is my purpose.

What's yours?

It doesn’t matter which way you go

"Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?", asked Alice.
"That depends a good deal on where you want to get to", said the cat.
"I don't much care where---", said Alice.
"Then it doesn't matter which way you go", said the cat.
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

I've been in Portland for almost 3 weeks now, but my time here is coming to an end. I was looking forward to being back in this beautiful city where I lived 6 years of my life. There were so many places I wanted to visit and photograph. I did go to some of them, but every day has been a struggle.

Back at the beginning of this trip, when I was in Colorado and Utah, I had fewer options. Not because of a lack of places, but because I did not know about them. The day the snowstorm hit Fort Collins, I just got in the car and drove. Somewhere. Anywhere. Everything was new to me, I had zero expectations. I made some images and it felt good.

Here in Portland, I know where the roads go. I have expectations. Choosing one option is very hard. I feel overwhelmed by the many options and the very little time!

Last night, I spent a good couple of hours thinking about what to do today, where to go, what to photograph. I couldn't make a decision, and the result is that I didn't go anywhere. And here I am, regreting it and writing this post instead of being outside taking photos.

I spent so much time thinking about which road to take, that I forgot that I don't really care where I go as long as I'm going somewhere. I just want to make images. Literally a walk around the neighborhood would've been better. Instead, I got stuck at the intersection, contemplating my options.

Wake up and get out, I wrote 3 years ago. That's still the most important lesson I've learned about photography. The key to make great images is to put yourself out there. It doesn't matter where. As long as you are somewhere.

Stay hungry

When was the last time you were hungry? I don’t mean a craving, nor your stomach complaining a bit around noon. I mean really hungry.

We are an overfed society. We’ve forgotten what it means to be hungry, to the point that we avoid it at all costs. We are always snacking. Always seeking comfort.

Our bodies are supposed to experience hunger from time to time. Somehow, it is when your body starts to complain about the lack of food, that we have the most mental clarity and even physical energy. The body is probably telling us is time to go out and pick some fruit, or hunt a rabbit.

I’ve been experimenting with intermittent fasting for almost 2 years. On average, I fast 2-3 days a week: I go through periods of time where I fast for 20 hours a day and eat all my calories within the other 4-hour window, what is called a 20:4 fast; other times, I settle on a 16:8 schedule.

As a bare minimum, I go 14 hours without food - the time between dinner and breakfast. I usually have dinner 2-3 hours before bed, and I don’t eat anything until at least 3 hours after waking.

While challenging at first, intermittent fasting has taught me many lessons about myself:

I can tell real hunger from a craving

Is that feeling in your stomach hunger? Or is it produced by a craving? Could it even be anxiety? If you haven’t felt hungry in a while, it can be really hard to tell.

I’d forgotten what real hunger feels like. Now, I know, so I can act accordingly.

I think better on an empty stomach

My mind is much sharper when my body isn’t busy digesting food. I try to do all my writing and reading on an empty stomach, and leave leisure and more passive activities (like watching YouTube) for after meals.

Skipping breakfast makes me stronger

I go on a 6-mile walk / run every morning, followed by 100 push ups. Only then I have breakfast. I’m just unable to perform if I have food before any kind of exercise.

Of course, if the physical activity extends for a long period of time (say, a long hike), I’ll have snacks here and there to replenish my energy.

Food tastes so much better

3:00pm is my favorite time of the day. After working out in my bedroom and an hour of incline walking on the treadmill, I’m ready for lunch. I reward myself with a huge -and I mean it, huge- salad.

Every bite tastes better than the previous one. I appreciate every single flavor in that salad because my body is ready for that food. When we keep ourselves fed all the time, meals become an almost automatic and mindless activity - there’s no joy, just comfort seeking.

Discomfort makes you stronger

In a time when society seems to seek comfort at all times, I believe it's more important than ever to embrace uncomfortable situations. If we never face discomfort, we become weak.

As photographers, we need to be ready to face the heat and the cold, the sun and the snow, standing up for hours waiting for a shot, or hiking for miles and miles looking for that image.

Fasting is just one thing we can practice often so we don’t get used to comfort, and we can remain strong. Exercising, and even taking cold showers are other two examples.

It's about time we tell our bodies to not get too comfy.

Stay hungry.

How to make time for photography

One of the recurring themes in the messages I get from other photographers is about their struggle to find time for photography on a daily basis.

Today, we are so busy all the time! It's the busyness era. If you aren't doing something, you are falling behind. It's all about the hustle, right?

This is an issue I'm deeply interested in. Recently, I read the book related to this topic, Make Time, and in this video I share some of the key points from the book, along with some of my own, all applied to photography.

We'll see why we are so busy, why we need to make time for photography, the highlight of the day, and several tips to make time for photography.

Allow yourself to take bad photos

Inspiration comes from action, so start taking photos. Allow yourself to make bad photographs, do it for the sake of it, with no purpose in mind. Art is more about play and less about thinking.

Photography as meditation

Many times, while I photograph, I lose track of time. I forget where I am. I don't even realize until later how cold it was, or how wet my clothes were from the rain.

It's when this happens that photography feels like meditation. It's not a mystical experience -rather, it's about being fully aware of your surroundings and focusing on the present moment. Forgetting about what time it is, which day of the week it is, why you are even there. You feel at peace.

“The greatest events are not our noisiest but our stillest hours” - Friedrich Nietzsche

In meditation, the breath is the anchor to the present moment. In photography, it's composing an image. For a few moments, nothing else matters - I hold my breath, I'm alone, I can feel what I'm doing, I can see the image.

Photography done this way encourages mindfulness, you can find a quiet state of mind by surrendering to the process. Through patience, photography compels you to see, not just look.

And it's then, when we see, that magic can happen.

Make images that spark the imagination

"The unseen is what fuels the imagination" - Om Malik

Have you ever wondered why readers who like a book usually dislike the movie version of the same story? In most cases, this is because no matter how good the author is and how many words they use to describe the characters and the places, a book is a non visual medium and in the end it relies on the reader's imagination to fill the gaps. Every reader will live the story in a unique way, making it more engaging and personal. On the other hand, the movie gives up almost everything with its visuals, every person watching it will see the same, there's not so much room for imagination.

Even though photography -like films- is a visual medium, there are some ways we can spark the imagination of the viewer. This will make them stop while scrolling down on their Instagram feed, or stare at the image a bit longer in an exhibition. When we get that kind of attention, that means the image works.

Black and white, removing details from the shadows and highlights, using the weather to your advantage, shooting at night... are just some of the techniques we can use to make our images a bit more obscure. In the video above, I show you an example.

Try to create intentional gaps in your images, so the viewer has to use their imagination to fill them in. By making some things go unseen, you'll be adding more to the image.

Related: Hint, don't show, 5 ideas to make images in the fog.

Inspiration is for amateurs

“Inspiration is for amateurs, the rest of us just show up and get to work” - Chuck Close

I've said it many times, but it's worth repeating it every once in a while: we don't take photos because we are inspired, we become inspired because we take photos.

It's by acting and doing that we get motivated and inspired to create meaningful art. Some times, that means we have to push ourselves a little bit to get out and work. While it might sound hard at first, it's always worth it.

The Photography Sage

View fullsize

A Sage is someone who has achieved wisdom. According to Donald Robertson in Stoicism and the Art of Happiness, the Stoics saw this person as

someone perfectly wise and good, giving the aspiring Stoic direction, structure, and consistency in her practice

In this context, a Sage would be a role model, someone to be emulated.

Many times, I like to put myself in other photographer's skin and try to see the way they would see (or the way I think they would see, at least). I also have a fictional photography Sage I try to emulate.

What characteristics would a photography Sage have?

• A photography Sage looks at familiar and strange subjects the same way, like it were the first time they see them. They travel but also photograph at home.
• They are forever beginners. They keep an open mind because they know photography isn't a recipe to follow, but constant experimentation.
• They are inspired by other photographers but try to add their own twist.
• A photography Sage is not afraid of sharing their work. Actually, they create to share and inspire others.
• They don't wait until inspiration hits them, they look for it with action. They take the first photo.
• They realize the way to make better images is go further, higher, deeper, for longer. New camera gear isn't the answer.
• They always push themselves: a photography Sage knows that those days when they don't feel like going out are the most important ones, because those are the ones that will define you as a photographer.
• They are always thinking about photography, even when they don't have a camera with them. Always trying to find something to capture, always trying to visualize that final image.

These are some of the virtues my own photography Sage would have, and the ones I try to emulate. Of course, I fail often if not most of the time, but they give me a sense of direction and serve as a guide.

What about you? What would your role model look like?

Results are often delayed

The problem:

our actions produce results, but they are often delayed

Most of the time, we don't get instant feedback about our work so we are left with doubt: is this really working?

Sometimes, things get worse before they get better, even if we are already on the right path. It's during this first phase, when things aren't looking good, that most people give up.

That's why we need a system to stick to, a plan to follow even if results take a while to show up. They will, eventually.