3 Ways To Find No Pressure Photo Opportunities

“There is only you and your camera. The limitations in your photography are in yourself, for what we see is what we are.”

- Ernst Haas 

As time goes on it's easy to lose your inspiration or your motivation for taking photos. Some people may go for weeks, months or even years without taking a single photo. I know from personal experience the challenges that photographers face when trying to maintain the passion in their beloved hobby. However I've stumbled across a few helpful things that has helped me gain what I originally lost.

1. Make Having Fun Your Top Priority

If you don't have fun while doing something, then why do it? You must be willing to have fun while taking photos and this means cutting out anything that makes taking photos not fun. It also means doing what it takes to make it more fun. If you hate carrying your heavy camera around with you, start using a lighter one. I fell in love with photography again after I started using my camera phone with my editing applications instead of my SLR or point and shoot. Taking photos shouldn't be a chore that you have to force yourself into doing, it should be something that you're enthusiastic to do so that it comes naturally to you. If you focus on having fun, it'll be difficult to put your camera down.

2. Stop Trying to Get The Next Masterpiece

In order to have fun taking photos and take the pressure off finding photo opportunities, you have to lose all of your expectations for your photos. It took me a while to accept the fact that I'm a camera phone type of photographer. Especially considering the fact that my camera phone isn't what you would consider to be a great camera. However I found that the convenience of having a light camera that I take with me everywhere to be more valuable than stressing myself out over trying to get the next masterpiece. I've also found that learning to love an "imperfect" photo is more rewarding than having a "perfect" photo that you stressed yourself out over.

3. Fall In Love With Photography

Think about what a photograph means to you and learn to appreciate photos for what they mean to you. Come up with your own motto's and helpful quotes that inspire you. If you can't come up with anything, use what other people have said that sticks with you and inspires you to take better photos. You can find more no pressure photo opportunities if you fall in love with photography and find something that will continually inspire you or help you see and find more opportunities. By learning to love photography again, you not only gain a new perspective when taking photos, you also gain a new perspective on yourself. After all, what we see is what we are.