How to Make Photography Fun (Again?)

Whether you have been photographing for a lifetime, just starting out, or are somewhere in between, photography (sometimes) might feel a little too taxing or too serious. It's important to keep the sense of play, curiosity, and excitement at the forefront of your photography. Not just to expand your horizons, but to enjoy the process...to its fullest.

Maybe you still love all aspects of photography. Maybe you’re still excited to travel with a camera, photograph wildlife, chase great light, and come home with something you’re proud of. But somewhere along the way, photography can shift from exploration into execution.

You know what aperture does. You know how to blur water. You’ve photographed hundreds of sunsets. You probably have a pretty good idea of which lens you’re going to use before you even pull it out of the bag.

That’s not necessarily a bad thing. It means you’ve gotten better. But some of the mystery disappears.

I recently devoted an entire episode of The Wild Photographer podcast to this topic, so if this resonates with you, I’d encourage you to listen to the full episode. There are quite a few more ideas in there. But if I had to boil it down, here are a few of my favorite ways to put some fun back into photography.

Take Less Gear

This might sound strange coming from someone who absolutely loves camera gear, but occasionally, take one camera and one lens. That’s it.

Too much gear means too many decisions. Instead of looking at what’s around you, you start wondering whether you have the proper setup, or should switch lenses, add a polarizer, grab another body, or dig something else out of the bag.

Constraints force creativity.

Take a 50mm lens for a walk. Or, photograph everything with a telephoto. Put a wide-angle zoom lens at 35mm and refuse to move it.

Suddenly you’re solving photographic problems instead of simply selecting the perfect tool.

Give Yourself a Weird Assignment

Don’t go out to “photograph nature.” That’s way too easy.

Instead, photograph only shadows. Or reflections. Or the color blue. Photograph everything from less than a foot off the ground. Photograph wildlife habitat without actually photographing the wildlife.

You can even pretend you have a roll of film and only allow yourself 24 photographs.

Specific assignments make familiar places feel surprisingly new.

Make Photos Nobody Will See

This might be my favorite one.

Take photographs you have absolutely no intention of posting, printing, selling, or showing anyone. Photography gets less fun when every frame starts feeling like a tiny product.

Experimentation requires making bad photographs. Or at very least by "breaking" the rules. Drag (slow) the shutter. Shoot directly into the sun. Photograph through grass. Use intentional camera movement. Try something you’re pretty sure won’t work.

Then see what happens.

Stop Waiting for Perfect Conditions

Good photographers get very good at recognizing bad conditions.

Unfortunately, that can also mean we simply stop photographing when things are "great" for us. Instead of asking whether the conditions are good, ask what kind of photography those conditions allow.

Harsh midday light might be great for high-contrast black and white. Fog might simplify a landscape. Rain might create reflections you’d never see otherwise.

Work with what’s there and you'll find that you not only get out there more, but you'll learn a thing or to and start asking "what can I do" in these conditions, vs. "what can these conditions produce for me." That's an important difference.

Print Something

One of the simplest ways to reconnect with photography is to actually print a photograph.

It doesn’t have to be huge or expensive. Print a 4x6, make a few little snapshots from a recent trip, or put together a small photo book. There’s something very different about holding a photograph versus scrolling past it on a screen. You stop inspecting pixels and noise and start remembering the place, the light, and the experience of being there.

Sometimes that’s a pretty good reminder of why you picked up a camera in the first place.

I've had great fun with FoxPrint by ordering little 3x3 "polaroid" style photos from a recent trip, or heck, even just a fun day outside. They're inexpensive and just a great way to engage more with your photography with a low barrier to entry.

Get Curious Again

Ask “what if?” more often.

What if I slow the shutter down? What if I use the wrong lens? What if I shoot this in black and white? What if I get lower? What if I come back tomorrow?

Photography gets exciting when you don’t completely know what you’re going to get.

So occasionally forget about portfolio shots, Instagram, perfect conditions, and whether a photograph is technically “good.”

Grab a camera. Go outside. Make something different or unconventional.

And have some fun with it. Play around.

Until next time, Court