The Online Photographer

I mentioned last week that I hired an Organizer. She's seriously wonderful, and we're making great progress now.

Uncovering many old photographs and seeing them suddenly again, I'm struck by one overriding thought: I wish to hell I hadn't f@#$!ed around with cameras and techniques so much.

Granted, part of that was necessary: I wasn't talented, focused, driven, or psychologically clear enough to make it as a pure photographer. Not sure I was even interested enough to keep up pure visual work on a day-in, day-out basis. I might not be multi-aptituded, but I have a multitide of interests. And I love to read and write, which isn't part of the pure shooter's brief. And I ended up cracking the monthly nut by learning a variety of techniques, teaching, reviewing cameras, writing articles. It was seldom my job to just take pictures. Gotta make a living.

Still—I had a good, solid, serviceable, robust technique from early on, and I was a much better than average craftsman. How I wish now I'd just stuck to it. Owned my one chosen technique and moved on from there, never deviated. I would have been a much better photographer by now if I had. Well, maybe not better, but much more accomplished.

The irony here is, it's what I always wanted to do. It was always my goal. But I wasn't able to do it.

"Word to the wise."

Mike

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Featured Comments from:

Alan Fairley: "From early on, I've had a definite 'eye' and self-defined as a photographer but for various reasons having to do with the vagiaries of life have completely dropped photography for close to 10-year stretches a couple of times. There will always be the thoughts of 'what if' but, in the end, so what? The important thing is that I am getting such deep soul-satisfying pleasure from it now."