time off

I’m not sure if something happening for two years running makes it a ‘normal’ occurrence, but I’m not too disturbed by my lack of all things photography for the last couple of months.

Just after Halloween, I tend to get strong creative urges to bake, to make christmas cards, and to make/buy christmas decorations. Compounded by the lack of daylight outside working hours and generally miserable weather, (regardless of my newly found appreciation for overcast skies!) I find it near impossible to get around to doing some photography – and slightly more worrying, don’t actually miss it that much.

At the time, I started to panic slightly and considered forcing myself to shoot, in case I forgot how… but I couldn’t do it, if I wasn’t in the mood. For something that has taken up so many waking hours in the last couple of years, such a drastic drop in interest could be cause for concern. But I’m not concerned, because this week I started seeing with my photography eyes again. Today was one of those misty winter mornings, with beautiful bare winter branches silhouetted against a pale blue sky with a wash of purple pink on the horizon. It’s an exquisite torture, seeing that and not being out somewhere with camera in hand to be able to work with it. And feeling that today, I know that the break is good for me. I know that I’ll lift my camera when it’s time to create something by instinct, and if that isn’t for another few weeks then it won’t hurt the final outcome when I do get back to shooting.

It’s all been said before but I don’t think you can stress it enough – working from instinct is the only thing that can yield satisfying results. You simply can’t force creativity. I think that’s also the main reason why I don’t do photography in a professional capacity, whether it’s weddings, or product shots, there’s nothing worse than trying to force yourself when you”’re not in the mood, and under pressure to produce.

Here’s to some inspiration in the new year!