Its never as we think

Although were lead to believe it is

It has been 5 weeks since I did my portfolio review with the incredible artist Petrina Hicks here in Perth. Since then, I’ve made 3 images. Just 3—one from an idea that faded to nothing, and one that I tried very hard to make work but never would. Today, I spent the day cleaning, cooking, planning, researching, and thinking. All of that, but none of it will make a difference because I didn’t do the one thing that can actually make an impact: taking action.

I have some cool ideas I want to play with and see if they have potential. However, I find myself—like many people—when trying to do something new, finding 100 reasons why it can’t be done. Today, I did the same thing. We don’t focus on the one thing that matters, which is to simply do it the best we can, and then try again, and again, until we’re further along than we ever thought possible.

Right now, I have a series of ideas I want to pursue, but here’s where I’m at: I need a studio or a studio setup, but I gave my lights to a friend over the weekend—excuse #1. I want to shoot this on film, but I only have a 35mm camera, and I want to use medium format—excuse #2. I need a couple of people to help me shoot and some props—excuse #3. I don’t have time to play around with ideas because I’m busy working and shooting for clients—excuse #4. I could go on, but you get the point. I have plenty of reasons not to do it, but where does that leave me?

Let’s say I get my lights back, set up a studio, or book one. I’ll need to save time for the shoot, more excuses. Let’s say someone lends me a medium format camera film camera—I’ll have to learn how to use it, figure out how to sync my lights, and decide which film stock will give me the look I want, more excuses. I need people and props, so I’ll have to book talent and find props before I can even book the studio, which might delay things for weeks—more excuses. I’m working and shooting more, and the busier I get, the more I’ll be involved in other things, which makes me wonder—when will I actually make my next frame?

Now, let’s flip the script. What if today, instead of making excuses, I set up a practice shot against the wall and used my partner to test the idea? I could figure out how to execute the vision I have, and for now, I could use my digital camera to take a test frame. From there, I could try another idea, and another. Let’s say we spend 20 minutes playing around with concepts, going from an idea on paper to an actual image I can see. That could change how I approach the shoot when I eventually get into a studio, and influence how I light it based on these test frames.

Why is this relevant, and what am I actually trying to say?

In a nutshell, I’m saying that action leads to more action, and excuses lead to more excuses. It’s simple. We set out to do something, or to learn something, and we spend time researching, planning, and understanding, but we never actually do the thing. Months go by, and we’re no further along than we were before. But if we take action and keep doing it over and over, we’ll end up much further than we ever thought we could be.

I’ve done this thousands of times in my life. I got into photography because of my love for travel. When I came home, I started studying everything—how to shoot landscapes, astrophotography, macro, sports—you name it. All I wanted to do was make photography what I did for work. I practiced a lot, and that helped, but things really changed when I was asked to shoot my first event for someone else. I’d never done it before. I’d taken photos of people for brands, but never documented an event like this. So, I did it, and, funnily enough, I was terrible. I knew what I needed to do, I had seem other shoots done by friends, but I hadn’t done it before, and it showed. I didn’t understand the lighting, gear, where to be and when. It almost cost me a job, and it shook my confidence. But fast forward 4 years from that moment, and with the same company I have shot over a thousand events, concerts, headshots, products, food and drinks, stock imagery, large campaigns and big sporting events. I can look back on everything I’ve done. Both the technical skills I’ve gained and the work I’ve done on myself with all of those shoots under me I understand that just by shooting and learning through action I have gone further than I ever thought I could in commercial photography.

The point isn’t to pat myself on the back. It’s to show that we spend so much time worrying about what could happen and studying how to make things happen, but rarely spend time actually doing the thing. And if you’re like me, you’ll fail often but I’m where I am today because of action, not excuses.

So lets finish with this, a promise: I said earlier that in the last 5 weeks, I’ve made 3 images. Well, by next Tuesday, when my next email goes out, I will have made 3 more. Action will lead to more action, and next week, I’ll be closer to where I want to be than I am today after spending 5 weeks deliberating.

What can you take action on this week?

Thank you for reading.