Discovering A New Way Of Seeing - MONOMAD CHALLENGE

My approach to photography has been changing lately. Or, to put it more simply, I feel like I need a change in the way I approach photography in general. I have a lot of dilemmas, which I attribute to a lack of clarity about what I’m striving for and to unnecessarily complicating my photographic journey by convincing myself that I should be one type of photographer rather than another. To put it simply, I’m unnecessarily trying to limit myself and stick to one type of photography, when in reality I’m more like a photographer who enjoys constantly discovering new paths and styles. And here’s the question: is it worth limiting myself like this?

I began my journey in photography with landscapes and nature. I already feel fulfilled in these areas, and I’ve actually reached a point where I’m very satisfied with my skill level. For a long time, I tried to change things up, forcing myself to learn photo editing techniques in the styles used by world-class landscape photographers. The result? With every attempt, I felt like I was trying to copy the work of others instead of expressing myself. Now I know this, and in this field, I simply want to develop my own style - one I’ve honed over the years and am proud of. And I’ve finally decided to say it out loud!

The biggest problem lies elsewhere. It’s the fact that I force myself to stick to landscapes when, in reality, I love photographing everything! Architecture, streets, cityscapes, travel photography. I very often put all of that aside because of this strange belief that it’s a waste of time and that by doing so, I’m not fully dedicating myself to landscapes. That instead of sitting around editing photos from my travels, I should get out into the field and shoot landscapes. Except, unfortunately, it’s not that simple...

I just can't keep taking photos in the same style or in the same genre. I need challenges and variety. Once I go to a lake and take a bunch of interesting photos, I often can’t bring myself to go back to that same lake again. Why? Because I’ve already done it. I’ve exhausted the subject, and that’s enough for me for a long time. My creative side needs change, something new, to rebuild the resources needed for that particular type of photography.

Still, landscapes will always be my first choice, because that’s where I feel most confident. I’ve neglected other areas a bit lately, but I’m slowly - at least in my thoughts - returning to them, and I’ll probably post something different here soon.

But that’s not all I’d like to get off my chest and say out loud. For a long time, I struggled with the capabilities of my photography gear, especially the image quality produced by my lenses. I focused so much on the fact that my photos weren’t turning out the way I wanted because of them that it overshadowed other (definitely more important) aspects that determine the quality of a photograph. Instead of focusing on composition, analyzing light, and seeking powerful means of expression, I was struggling with my equipment.

My last trip, during which I took the photos you see here today, helped me let go of that a bit. Aside from that sunset and the moon photos (I’ll share the moon photos another time), I took most of photos with my smartphone. Knowing that it’s pointless to expect image quality that would satisfy me, I focused 100% on practicing composition. As a result, I haven’t enjoyed taking photos this much in a long time. I looked for new perspectives, additional elements to add variety to the photos, various shooting angles, and much more. This is the path I want to follow from now on: not fighting against limitations, but consciously making the most of every available opportunity.

I also often found myself looking for something that wasn’t there. I tried to find, in the scenes right in front of me, the things I’d seen in other photographers’ photos. As a result, instead of focusing on mindful observation, I tried to recreate something I’d seen elsewhere - and in doing so, I lost sight of what was actually right in front of me. Fortunately, with these photos here, I managed to break free from that mindset, and I’m very pleased with the results.

I’m writing about all this because we all make mistakes. First of all, speaking openly about such mistakes benefits us personally. Second, it’s simply worth sharing our experiences and our own mistakes. Because someone else might be facing similar issues without realizing it, or they might be able to help when we don’t know how to deal with these problems ourselves.