A Focus on Learning

How to stay motivated – and exciting news

Last Sunday, as usual, I headed off before 6am to explore a bit of bush and take some photos. For the third weekend in a row, the weather was expected to be warm and the skies clear – not great conditions for forest photography. Summer, the bane of most landscape photographers, is almost here.

In preparation for the summer ahead, I have thought about how I stay motivated to continue to take nature and landscape photographs even when conditions are not great.

There are many motivations that help get me out the door – a love of nature, being curious about exploring and understanding the world, exercise and fresh air, companionship – but these alone do not get me outside taking photographs.

I have found that the best motivation for getting out and taking landscape photographs, even when the chances of a great photograph are small, is to focus on learning rather than results. This is more than the common advice of “enjoy the process” (because part of the enjoyment of the process is producing nice images). A focus on learning requires a very deliberate approach to learning the skills required to be a “good” landscape photographer and ensuring that these skills are practiced on a regular basis.

The twin approach of focusing on clear learning objectives and then a commitment to practice has consistently given me a reason to go and take photos, even on those days filled with harsh light.

Harsh summer light is not conducive to forest photography

Focus on learning, not results

Conscious and deliberate learning requires clarity of shorter-term objectives in pursuit of longer term goals in order to decide what to learn. One of the challenges is that there is so much to learn and, with so many resources available, it is easy to jump from one idea to the next.

This is not just about techniques, but everything that makes a better photographer. There is a huge range of techniques and skills required for the craft of photography including fieldcraft (to be able to get in and out of a location safely), camera craft (use of the equipment, composition) and post processing (making the most of the images taken).

And then there are the skills as an artist around visual literacy, developing an individual look, style and voice, defining a purpose and building story telling skills, and so on.

The list is never ending, and your focus will change over time as you develop. In a YouTube video, Sean Tucker relates Carl Jung’s idea that there are two stages in life, a morning and an afternoon, to a person’s creative journey. In the morning, a photographer is experimenting with equipment and techniques, trying to work our look and style. We often look to other artists for inspiration. Then there is a crisis, where everything that has been built is questioned, and we move to the afternoon, where the focus shifts to a purpose and more inward motivations. Needless to say, the work required in each phase is very different.

I remember hearing in an interview with the famous Australian photographer Bill Henson (who has been photographing for nearly 50 years) that he rarely picks up a camera. He will spend his time reading and thinking to develop an idea or concept and only then will he create photographs that realise this idea. I suspect he is in the afternoon phase of his creative journey.

“The first half devoted to forming a healthy ego, the second half is going inward and letting go.” Carl Jung

Whatever the stage in the journey, the key is to be deliberate with your learning – identify and prioritise learning objectives and actively learn.  For example, don’t passively watch YouTube, but take notes, design projects and put the learning into practice.

Practice, practice and more practice

One of my commitments to myself is that I will go out at least once a week to practice – in the year to 30 June 2023, I had 104 days of photography (where I went out and took at least 20 images). And because I work full-time and have a busy family life, I really don’t get to choose the days I take photos. I just take every chance I get on weekends and holidays.

Beautiful, direct early morning light

It is always great to go out in fantastic conditions but there are also many benefits to going out when conditions are not great. Here are three.

Firstly, it is an opportunity to practice, to get the reps in. There are still many things to practice regardless of the quality of the light. Regular practice also builds a routine and momentum. Often, I come back from a trip with a list of new things to learn or ideas to try out. And the biggest benefit is that you stay ‘match fit’ for when the conditions turn epic and the pressure to deliver is really on.

Secondly, there is no expectation to produce great images. I can just go out and take some photos without any pressure to come back with something for the portfolio. Sometimes, if the thought of a long drive is too much, I do something closer to home – architecture, street or portraiture – all are opportunities to learn. Having said that, I still always go out with a plan to try something or practice a particular skill.

And third, it is an opportunity to experiment. Macro, long exposure, ICM, black and white are all techniques less dependent on particular light. And sometimes there are images to make that tell a story despite, or because of the conditions. Over the Australian summer, telling a story of the blistering heat can be just as interesting as moody, fog filled forests. I just find it much harder to do it in a way that tells the story and produces a visually appealing image (challenge accepted).

Conclusion

I have found that a commitment to learning and practice has been extremely helpful to stay motivated to photograph, even under unfavourable conditions.

This requires clarity of learning objectives in order to plan a program of active learning and practice until it becomes second nature.

This approach has worked for me – perhaps I am naturally inclined to learning and it suits the stage I am at in my photography journey. While ‘lifelong learner’ is such a cliché, as the years of practice go by, the knowledge and skills I have increases. Some are tried and discarded, others lead to whole new areas of creativity.

“Most people overestimate what they can achieve in a year and underestimate what they can achieve in ten years.” Gates Law

Postscript

Having complained in the article above about the challenges of landscape photography in summer, there was a certain irony in the news this week that my image below had won the Water World Special Awards category in this year’s Natural Landscape Photography Awards.

This image of Piemans Falls in Victoria’s Alpine National Park was photographed on an incredibly hot summer’s day last January. It certainly helped that it was taken at 6.30am as the sun rose above the ridgeline to the east, but the image works (I think) because the strong warm light coming from the top left contrasts nicely with the cooler bottom right of the image with just a hint of warmth beginning to emerge from the cliff face.

The Natural Landscape Photography Awards is a competition committed to showcasing nature how it is, with strict rules on the amount of post-processing allowed. It is an absolute honour that a photograph I made is included amongst so many amazing photographs, and in a competition with such integrity as the NLPA.

I would encourage everyone to go to the NLPA website and look at some inspirational landscape photography. Then get out there and practice.

Early morning at Piemans Falls