The Challenge and Joy of Photography

Waterbuck on the Shire River, Malawi, Africa. June 2023.

I enjoy the challenge of photography. I have taken pictures for many years, but have not, until recently, began to consider myself a photographer. Last year I had the opportunity to take a trip to Malawi, Africa. I had a decent, entry level Nikon DSLR that was around nine years old. It was still a good camera, but I wanted to get a new camera before the trip. I know there is much more to being a good photographer than a new camera. I decided it was time to get serious about my photography and develop my skills a little. I made the decision to not buy any new equipment until I was able to consistently take decent photos with the camera I already had and to learn to efficiently shoot in full manual mode.

I spent the months leading up to the Africa trip reading, watching videos, and, most importantly, many hours out shooting some really bad photos. Eventually, the photos began to be consistently decent, and I made the move to a new camera before the trip to Africa. I got the camera about 2 weeks before the trip and spent a few days learning the camera. I left the old camera at home and was a little nervous the first few days. But I continued to capture some decent images, better than and more easily than I was with the old camera, and I fell in love with photography again.

There is always something new to learn in photography. There are many different avenues from fast action sports and events, to still life. Every photographer has their favorite thing to shoot, but most of us just love capturing and creating a great image of almost anything. Then comes the editing side. Some photographers take a minimalist path to editing and like to leave the image mostly as shot with minor adjustments. Some like to take an image and alter it completely to create a work of art not possible to capture in camera. From technical skills with cameras and lighting to the creative skills of composure and editing, there is a lot to be learned for any photographic endeavor and a seemingly endless amount of education available online and at in person workshops. I have more tutorials and classes saved to come back to later than I can possibly get to this year.

There is a lot of value in education, but the best way to learn photography is to get out and take pictures. As I start this new journey and add one more thing to my already busy life, I will be sharing my journey to become a better photographer and to create better images. I want to explore different avenues of photography and editing and explore this amazing field. I have fallen in love with photography again and I am looking forward to sharing my journey with you.