Since this is the month of love, I want you to think about your relationship...your relationship with your photography, that is! Do you have high or low self esteem when it comes to looking at your own images? We are all here because we love photography; so, let's learn to love our own work!
As photographers, we often are our own worst critics. I will sometimes notice that I am uncomfortable with positive comments on my photos because I don't appreciate the photos myself. How can we learn to love the outcome of the hobby we enjoy so much?
Can you be happy with the photographs that you take today while at the same time trying to improve your skills? Absolutely, yes!
There was a reason you took the photo you did. There was something that drew you to take it in the first place.
Sometimes you need to step back in order to go forward. Go back and look at some of the earliest photographs you have taken. Now, look at your current work. You should be encouraged to see the improvements you have made.
Do you compare your photography to others? Of course. We all do! It's a human thing. While it can be helpful to appreciate other photographers and their work, don't let what you see in another's work diminish how you feel about your own craft.
I encourage you as you progress through the prompts this year to find something to appreciate in each image that you share. Don't apologize for it or pick apart the things you don't like about it. Take pride in yourself and your work and congratulate yourself for reading the prompt, picking up your phone or your camera, taking the photograph, and posting it. Learn to love what you see in the images you create.
To boost your photography self-esteem, take a journey back and look at the photographs you have produced and liked in the past and try to recreate them. You can use the ideas of others but remember that we are unique individuals and photographers.
Practice positive thinking. Just as any skill takes practice, so does thinking positively about yourself and your work.
You will notice all of my example photos include a heart of some kind. This is a reminder for you to go out and cultivate a love of your work. You will see that it improves your relationship with yourself and your photos!