Photography Block - What to Do When You Are Stuck in Photography

In every creative pursuit there is a time when people are just unable to be creative, the most famous example of this without a doubt is writer’s block. Everyone knows what writer’s block is and assumes that it is an affliction solely for them, but really I prefer the term creative block because it can occur with any hobby, job, or interest in which you have to be creative. Whether that is writing, art, sculpting, pottery, or, you guessed it, photography. 

I’ve had photography block multiple times but I have never really seen it is something openly discussed. More recently there has been a bit more discussion of it but really no-one discusses their personal experiences of photography block and they rarely suggest methods to work through it. So, that’s what I’m going to be talking about here: my experiences of photography block and how I worked through it.

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My First Period of Photography Block 

The first time I had photography block was a few years ago now and it was a wide ranging issue for me. I was advanced enough in my photography hobby to be constantly criticising my own work, I was struggling to find ways to improve my photography and to advance my skills, and at the time I was seriously questioning whether or not I should even bother with photography anymore. 

Whenever you are learning a skill, at some point there will come a time when you think you know a lot and you are struggling to find a way of advancing your skill. I was at this point. I had been doing photography for many years, I thought I had sufficient knowledge of exposures and camera settings. I kept reading the same advice in photography magazines, online and in books, and I just was not improving. I didn’t understand where I was going wrong but I hated every image that I was producing. 

I was beginning to fall out of love with photography. I was questioning what was the point of keeping a hobby that was constantly frustrating me. How could I ever improve? 

There was another issue for me as well, I was in a time and place where I was unable to pursue the photography that inspired me. I was unable to get to dramatic landscapes, to go hiking, and to observe wildlife. Those were, and still are, the areas of photography that I enjoy most. Documenting the beauty of the world. 

The combination of a lack of motivation, a lack of creative vision and an apathy towards photography in general meant that I just didn’t want to pick up the camera. I was blocking myself from photography and I couldn’t find advice on how to move forward. 

For a long time before this I had always thought photography could never be my job because deep down I thought I wasn’t good enough. That the photographers that make it have an innate talent that I was lacking. But at some point during this period of photography block, I knew that if I didn’t at least try to work on my photography more, to get to that next level of skill, then I might as well give photography up all together. And so I began to work on my photography. 

I moved from that uninspiring place. I went out with the camera more. I started to write, read and practice photography at an unprecedented rate with the goal of truly becoming a working photography professional. A goal that I am still working towards now. 

Now I’m not recommending that you try that. Honestly, it was a major gamble that is still to pay off. Although I feel my photography has improved boundlessly, it was an impulsive decision and I should have spent more time pursuing photography as a hobby. 

Where Does Photography Block Come From

The primary source of photography block has got to be fear. At least that was certainly my case. I was scared about failing. I was scared that if I made that leap to be a professional, I would eventually be found out as a fraud. If I tried a new photography style and it was terrible or if I submitted my images to some magazine or competition and they failed to get through, that would mean I was just not good enough. 

But the truth of it was I was criticising myself too much. I was putting myself down and exacerbating my photography block with constant messages to myself that I was not good enough. That’s why I hated everything I produced because I kept comparing myself to the professional pictures in magazines and thinking I will never be that good. 

But those negative thoughts were what were blocking my pursuit of photography. Instead of motivating myself to keep trying, I was pushing myself down to the point that I was on the verge of giving up. 

Self criticism can be really useful to help you improve but at some point you must acknowledge when that self criticism is getting out of control. You are not helping yourself to improve and in fact you are probably depressing yourself. You need to focus on the good aspects as well as bad. Every time you should ask yourself: what do I like about this image? Why did I take this image? And once you have answers to those questions, ask yourself, how can I improve this image next time? By asking that question you are on the right track to improving your photography. 

Instead, I was focusing only on the negative. “I hate this… I hate that… why do I even bother?” 

I was scared to ask for advice and when I was given it unasked, I thought they were being overly critical and pushing me down further. But that would have saved me a lot of heartache about photography. If I had asked someone to give me some advice or constructive criticism, and by that I mean they don’t focus only on the negative but try to encourage you by telling you what you did well as well as what you did bad. If I had listened to that advice and tried to put it into practice I might have improved quicker.

How to Get Through Photography Block

Honestly, the only way to get through any creative block is to start. If it’s writing, pick up the pen and write “I don’t know what to write. Johnathon walked into the room and … “ By writing that sentence you will have begun a process of breaking your block. You just need to carry it through, finishing that sentence. Stop overthinking and write. And it’s the same with photography. 

You need to pick up that camera point it at something and press the shutter. Create an image and the block will begin to break. Just go for a walk and point your camera wherever you want. Whatever you look at and think ‘that’s interesting,’ take a photo!

Just keep taking photos all day. Then leave them on that SD card. Take the card out of your camera and put it away. Put a new card into your camera and repeat the process. Keep doing that until you run out of SD cards. Then spend a week without taking any pictures. 

After that week has finished, download the images from the SD cards and look through them. Ask yourself: what do I like about this? What was it that caught my attention? Have I made any mistakes? How could I improve this image next time? 

Once you have answered those questions, go out and try and improve those images! That’s a big difference. 

A lot of professionals don’t talk about the fact that those amazing magazine quality images didn’t come from one walk one morning and everything was perfect. Anyone that tells you that is either lying or just had an incredibly lucky day. The reality of creating those amazing images is that it takes time and dedication. You need to constantly go to the same locations with the hope that one of those days the luck is with you and you are able to create something truly amazing. Professionals have reduced that fear of failure because they know they will just try again tomorrow. 

Recently, I was experiencing a bit of photography block again, it’s a similar situation as before: I was lacking motivation because I was not inspired by my surroundings. To get through that block I went out everyday for a week and I had to come home with 1 image on the camera. It didn’t matter if that image was total crap, the important part was to take an image. I decided to limit myself to one lens: my Canon 50mm f1.8 and I just walked and took pictures. 

It was so liberating! I knew that I wasn’t going to achieve anything spectacular but it was just fun to reconnect with photography at its most basic level. To forget about creating images for a particular reason. To relieve myself of the pressure to produce professional quality photography and to just take pictures the way that I used to (if you would like to watch that experiment it’s on my YouTube Channel or you can click here). 

After you have re-ignited your passion for photography and you are once again practicing, my best advice is to go on a workshop or tour with other photographers. Now rest assured I’m not trying to sell my own services as a guide for this part, but one of the first things I did when I moved and was trying to work on my photography more seriously was to go on a trip to the Isle of Skye with Glen Campbell of Lightstalker Photography. 

By going on that trip I learnt a lot about photography from a professional, I got to see other amateurs like myself at work, and I started to recognise that my skills were not as bad as I thought. Ok - they were certainly not perfect but I was starting to understand where I was falling short and in which parts I needed to work on. After just a few days with Glen, I was inspired to really pursue photography and with each day out with the camera I was improving. My block was well and truly beaten. 

Conclusion

After all that rambling, I just want to give these tips: 

1. Keep practicing

2. Stop overly criticising yourself, look at the good stuff as well as the bad

3. Ask: How can I improve this next time?

4. Look for advice from others

5. Go on a trip to somewhere inspiring

Those 5 tips are what will really help you to beat your photography block. Stop saying to yourself ‘why bother? It’s not going to be good.’ And start saying to yourself, ‘I want that photo, so I’m going to take it.’ 

Try and learn from others, and when you are stuck, reach out. If you are struggling with photography block talk to other photographers. Having someone tell you what you did well and where you could improve can really help bolster confidence and motivation. Any good teacher should not be putting their students down all of the time, they will never learn if they believe that they can’t. It’s the same with photography, you will only improve if someone encourages you to try.

Photography block, in my experience, is created by each of us as a way of preventing us from trying. You need to find encouragement and motivation to keep doing it. Stop putting pressure on yourself and just have fun, after all that’s why you started photography in the first place.

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Written by Daniel Long

Daniel Long created DRL Photography as a place to showcase his work as a photographer. Daniel has learnt a lot about photography and wishes to impart this knowledge with you, although the world is an ever changing place and he always says “you can never learn everything.” So as he makes his way, he continues to learn knew techniques, skills and information about photography. He focuses on Landscape and Wildlife photography and Daniel has a special focus on Scotland, his home away from home. As well as writing about photography and taking pictures out in the field, Daniel offers guided photography days so he can share his knowledge and locations in an effort to give his clients the best opportunities possible. Have a browse around this website to see his images, guided experiences and articles about photography. If you have any questions don’t hesitate to get in contact.