For all the years that I have been taking photographs, I have always found that I encounter a rollercoaster of emotions, I am either really enjoying the experience, or I am in a slump and find it difficult to find the enthusiasm to get out with the camera.
An example of this is that at the end of 2024 I sat down and reviewed my photography exploits for the year, I was surprised to find that during 2024 I was out with the camera for the least number of times, and that I had taken the least number of photographs for many years.
I made a conscious decision that 2025 was going to be a different story, so my mindset was to get out with the camera whenever I could, and to stop listening to the monkey on my shoulder telling me no to bother. By the time April came around, I have achieved a significant increase in the number of photography visits than in the previous year and greatly increased the number of photographs that I had taken.
The icing on the cake was me attending a week’s photography workshop in Assynt which is in the far north of Scotland at the end of March, with Dean Allan Photography, this was a fantastically enjoyable week, where we were out from dawn to dusk taking photographs with likeminded people and us all having a blast. (See my previous posts for more details of this adventure here)
Upon my return home it took me several weeks to view and process the photos that I had taken in the week, I then needed to spend a substantial number of hours updating and refreshing my website, even fitting several photography sessions in whilst completing the editing and website updates. Upon completion of the editing and website work, I was really pleased with the results.
As we headed into late spring and early summer the negative thoughts began to return, sunrises were becoming earlier and earlier, I was again not getting out into the landscape for what were minor and stupid reasons, and I was again fighting the demons in my head. We are now in the second week of June, and I have already cancelled several alarm calls and stayed wrapped up warm and cozy in my bed.
So, how can my mood swings change so quickly and regularly, its time for some self-reflection. I will admit that in previous years, summer is a quiet time photography wise for me as my excursions decrease markedly, probably due the early sunrises, late sunsets and the harsh summer light.
So, what can I do to resolve this situation? I have made the decision that I am not going to fight this lack of enthusiasm, I will take a month or so off from photography in the hope that I can re-charge my batteries, and come late summer, and autumn seasons I will be back to normal. Time will tell!!
So, what is the purpose of this article, I hope that it highlights the fact that my photography is not an all-year-round activity, for which I am constantly enthused towards it.
There are times when I have a negative mindset and cannot find the enthusiasm to work at my photography 12 months a year, year after year, it just does not happen.
Let’s see what the summer of 2025 is like for me.
Thank you for finding the time to read this article, and for your support towards my photography, be it by likes, shares, comments, on social media, or by visiting my website.
