The Power of Personal Projects

End of Days

Some of us shoot photos for love ... some for money.  If we're lucky we do both.  Regardless of where you fit into this,  one thing I'm pretty sure of is that the first time any of us picked up our camera and started shooting it was for the pure pleasure and satisfaction of the process - not the money.

Now don't get me wrong -  I feel very lucky to be able to make my living with my camera but I noticed something happening as my "shooting schedule"  booked solidly and as my career took off - I rarely ever grabbed my camera,  headed out the door with the anticipation and excitement of discovery, and went shooting just for the FUN of it!

Montgomery County,  Missouri

What a shame!  I didn't realize it at the time,  but not only was I missing out on the simple pleasure of shooting for fun (without expectations or pressure),  I was also not allowing my inner self and personal vision to come through in a lot of my commercial work.  How we feel about and see life in general is expressed in our photography - even when it's created for money - so it's important to make time for creative play to allow our true vision to shine through.

Aged Victorian

One of the best ways to do this is to connect with a personal photo project.  Choose something that has meaning and interest to you.  Shoot weekly if possible for this will keep you actively engaged.  After a few months or even years you'll have an in depth personal body of work that has true meaning to you and other like minded people.   From a business perspective these photos will help guide and focus your commercial shoots as well as give clients an insight into your unique way of seeing this world.

Times ticking ...  look inside yourself, connect, and start your personal photo project today!


Happy Shooting,

Michael