DIY Photography

Hacking Photography - one Picture at a time

  • News
  • Inspiration
  • Reviews
  • Tutorials
  • DIY
  • Gear
Search

Submit A Story

This is how photography can make you unhappy

Oct 15, 2018 by Dunja Djudjic Leave a Comment

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • WhatsApp

When you take photos, it can make you feel happy and act like an antidepressant. But no matter how much you love photography, sometimes it can make you feel exactly the opposite. In this video, Jamie Windsor discusses how photography can make you unhappy – and what you can do to change it.

Think about this for a moment: how much do you talk about gear and its specs? How often do you buy new stuff and upgrade or change your kit? According to Jamie, this could be the key to a photographer’s unhappiness.

Choosing the right gear is an important decision, and you should choose the gear that suits your photography needs. But as Jamie puts it (and I agree): the pursuit of gear is not photography; it’s a distraction from photography. And it’s a distraction that will ultimately make you unhappy.

The thing is: this distraction is tempting. Buying stuff is quick and easy while mastering the skill and understanding photography is hard and time-consuming. But what does this have to do with happiness? Jamie explains it further by referring to a Ted talk by Tim Urban.

Urban explains that our brains are driven by two conflicting characters – the Rational Decision Maker and an Instant Gratification Monkey. The Rational Decision Maker sees the big picture and makes decisions that are good for us. The Instant Gratification Monkey thrives for what feels good at the moment but has no long-term benefit.

If you always follow the Instant Gratification Monkey, you’ll have short bursts of excitement, but it will eventually leave you with the feeling of guilt and emptiness. And this is exactly what the “gear acquisition syndrome” is. Jamie sees this endless obsession with gear as a form of procrastination. It’s like you’re preventing yourself from truly learning, exploring and enjoying the art of photography.

How to overcome gear acquisition syndrome

Of course, gear does matter in certain aspects, and you should invest in something new if your current system is holding you back in any way. But the next time you have the urge to upgrade, have an honest conversation with yourself about it. Do you really need the upgrade, or do you want it? Because it’s not the same.

When you get caught in the loop of constant craving for new gear, think about what first attracted you to photography. What was the spark that awakened your passion? Jamie’s sure that it must have been something creative and had nothing to do with stuff like ISO performance or image resolution. Is he right?

Finally, take a look at the iconic photos made years or decades ago. And when you do, remember that the gear those photographers had was far inferior to what you own now.

[How PHOTOGRAPHY can make you UNHAPPY | Jamie Windsor]

FIND THIS INTERESTING? SHARE IT WITH YOUR FRIENDS!

  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Flipboard
  • WhatsApp

Related posts:

Photography Isn’t a Contest: why You Should Stay Away from Photography Contests Photography for Photography’s Sake The dirtiest secret in photography is to stop looking to photography for the answers Kai’s photography tips for newbies: where to start and how to improve your photography

Filed Under: Inspiration Tagged With: happiness, inspiration, Jamie Windsor, Photography

About Dunja Djudjic

Dunja Djudjic is a multi-talented artist based in Novi Sad, Serbia. With 15 years of experience as a photographer, she specializes in capturing the beauty of nature, travel, and fine art. In addition to her photography, Dunja also expresses her creativity through writing, embroidery, and jewelry making.

« 5 reasons to get it right in-camera and not fix it in post
How does the Samyang AF 14mm 2.8 stack up against the 3X priced Canon 14mm 2.8 lens »

Submit A Story

Get our FREE Lighting Book

DIYP lighting book cover

* download requires newsletter signup
DIYPhotography

Recent Comments

Free Resources

Advanced lighting book

Recent Posts

  • Sony teases upcoming ZV-E1 full-frame vlogging camera coming on March 29
  • The Xencelabs Pen Display 24 is silent, glare-free retouching tablet
  • Fall in love with astrophotography with these 10 space objects
  • Hipstamatic app relaunches as a social network, but only for iOS
  • Instagram now has ads even in search results. Sigh

Alex Baker is a portrait and lifestyle driven photographer based in Valencia, Spain. She works on a range of projects from commercial to fine art and has had work featured in publications such as The Daily Mail, Conde Nast Traveller and El Mundo, and has exhibited work across Europe

Dave Williams is an accomplished travel photographer, writer, and best-selling author from the UK. He is also a photography educator and published Aurora expert. Dave has traveled extensively in recent years, capturing stunning images from around the world in a modified van. His work has been featured in various publications and he has worked with notable brands such as Skoda, EE, Boeing, Huawei, Microsoft, BMW, Conde Nast, Electronic Arts, Discovery, BBC, The Guardian, ESPN, NBC, and many others.

John Aldred is a photographer with over 20 years of experience in the portrait and commercial worlds. He is based in Scotland and has been an early adopter - and occasional beta tester - of almost every digital imaging technology in that time. As well as his creative visual work, John uses 3D printing, electronics and programming to create his own photography and filmmaking tools and consults for a number of brands across the industry.

Dunja Djudjic is a multi-talented artist based in Novi Sad, Serbia. With 15 years of experience as a photographer, she specializes in capturing the beauty of nature, travel, and fine art. In addition to her photography, Dunja also expresses her creativity through writing, embroidery, and jewelry making.

Copyright © DIYPhotography 2006 - 2023 | About | Contact | Advertise | Write for DIYP | Full Disclosure | Privacy Policy