Photography as a hobby can be quite difficult to keep fresh and motivating, especially after a decade or more of shooting. The following mindsets or attitudes will help you stay motivated, appreciative, and in the long run, help photography remain in your life as a passion rather than a frustration.

The ups and the downs

The first mindset I’ve become really comfortable with (above everything else in photography) is knowing that you wont and you don’t always have to come away with photos you’re happy with on every photo shoot.

Beginners, hobbyists, and even professionals who are okay with saying 'that particular photo shoot didn't go well' are far more likely to stick with photography and continue progressing. Why? Because after a few years they don't fall into the trap of thinking they've mastered the craft and there's nothing left to learn. They don't blame every misstep on external factors like conditions or equipment. And most importantly, they don't give up because they keep having off days.

Taking a step back and assessing why a particular photo shoot was unsuccessful, learning from that, and going out again is the key to constant progression.

Embrace the Learning Curve: Photography's lessons come after the shoot. Beginners who are okay with setbacks learn more and stay passionate. They avoid creative stagnation and embrace the challenge that comes along with the hobby.

Get your priorities right

Number two is making a photography priority list. List everything that you currently do (or want to do) that surrounds your photography journey.
Put your most important current priorities at the top, and the least important (tasks you will make time for eventually) at the bottom.

For example mine at the moment (without listing everything) would look something like this..
1. Actually being out with my camera
2. Creating YouTube videos
3. Staying on top of editing
4. More stuff
5. Other stuff
6. Even more stuff
7. Updating my website
8. Posting on instagram

And I say at the moment because you can adjust this priority list at any time. Perhaps I decide in December I’m going to put updating my website to the top of my list allowing the others to take a back seat until the task is done, or I no longer want it to be my main focus.

So why is this so valuable? Theres a psychological feeling called ‘‘leisure time guilt’’ which if you haven’t heard of before, give it a quick google, but in short its feeling guilty when you relax or take a break, because you know you have a long list of tasks that would be more productive then resting and socialising. I have a really hard time dealing with this feeling, and my guess is that anybody who’s trying to build something in the creative field might have the same daunting feelings too.

Visualising your priorities helps you focus your time and energy on what matters most right now. Anything else you get round to is a bonus, but they’re still there at the bottom of the list for when you feel those lower tasks either NEED to become a priority, or you have a sudden urge to spend your time on them.

Hype the small wins

A few months ago, I took the image above. It might not be for everyone, but it's definitely one of my favorites in a long time. Even on the back of the camera, I knew it had potential. I came home and excitedly showed it to my girlfriend, yelling, "Look at this photo I took today!"

I edited it and showed it to friends and family the following week. They all loved it, which kept me motivated for weeks. But the most important lesson is that this photo sparked a whole new photography project for me! I'm now deep into exploring it and creating rough images.

My point is, you don't need social media recognition or hundreds of print sales to feel successful. Celebrate your progress, no matter how small. Maybe you mastered a new camera setting or finally captured that image you'd been trying to get right for weeks.

Taking pride in these small steps, sharing them with loved ones, and acknowledging them as achievements will keep you motivated and likely lead to bigger ideas. As Will Smith said, "Lay another brick."

Looking back at your old work and comparing it to your best new work is another great way to boost your mood and celebrate progress. You don't always need to hit a major milestone to feel successful. Constantly chasing a huge, possibly unreachable goal will only make photography feel like a chore.

Editing with intention

Something that used to paralyse my photography progress was worrying about getting the edit perfect right away. I'd overthink whether I was doing the photo justice, leading me to sit on photoshoots for months. This backlog, in turn, made me feel like I had to edit existing images before taking new ones, significantly reducing my shooting time.

Here's the mindset shift I highly recommend: Accept that you can always re-edit photos, even from scratch, later on. Your editing style will evolve over time, so nailing it perfectly on the first try isn't crucial.

In fact I encourage going back to photos that are 5-10 years old and re editing them, this way they can sit back in line with your current work (if you still want to use them in your portfolio of course.)

To help combat the feeling of indecision while editing, have a clear vision for your image. Do you want a dramatic mood? Highlight specific colours? Create a warm or cold feeling? Having a clear goal beforehand will guide your edits and lead to faster, more impactful results.

Instead of aimlessly moving sliders in Lightroom, you'll be making deliberate choices based on your desired outcome.

Your photography belongs to you

Finally, to wrap this up, remember: the photos you take, your photography, belongs to you.

The photography community can have its fair share of elitists who hide behind their computer screens, insisting their way is the only right way to shoot. They might try to tell you you're wrong if you don't agree with their rules or ways of working, and its common for people to take their frustration out on other creators they see, trying to make the most out of social media platforms because they aren’t doing it themselves.

Be open to conversations, debates, and opinions from other photographers of course. But whether you incorporate them into your work is entirely your choice. Some advice might be helpful, some might not resonate with you. The same way my YouTube videos, blog posts and any advice I might give across my channels is simply advice from my experiences, you don’t have to incorporate it into your workflow if theres something else that works better for you.

Don't feel pressured by these "keyboard warriors" who are likely to spend more time commenting on peoples work than creating any themselves. As I said, your photography belongs to you. Ultimately, all the creative decisions are yours.

You also don't have to share all your work, and not everyone has to like it all. Don't let social media turn photography into a stressful obligation. There will be times you crave picking up your camera, and others when you don't feel like it. There will be times you get ‘‘post happy’’ and want to dive deep into social media sharing, and times when you want to put your phone/computer down and escape.

This is all natural. You don’t have to be creating art every single day to be considered an artist.

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