Many photographers struggle with motivation more than technique or equipment. Getting out to capture images consistently presents a genuine barrier that can significantly impact your creative growth and portfolio development.
Coming to you from Ian Worth, this insightful video explores what he considers the fundamental problem in landscape photography - simply not going out to shoot. Worth explains that as you build your portfolio, it becomes increasingly tempting to skip shooting sessions if you don't think you'll capture something better than what you already have. This mindset creates a negative spiral where the longer you avoid shooting, the harder it becomes to find motivation. Worth demonstrates this philosophy in action as he explores the coastal town of Harloc in North Wales, initially planning to photograph the castle but remaining flexible enough to discover unexpected opportunities in the sand dunes that mimic the mountain contours behind them.
Worth suggests a simple yet effective solution: embrace the normal and find peace with taking photos purely for the experience rather than the outcome. He encourages you to be content photographing mundane subjects like patterns in sand or cracks in rocks. Through his journey to various locations, including abandoned buildings and scenic viewpoints overlooking an estuary, Worth demonstrates how focusing too heavily on the final image can lead to burnout. He shares that when working with people in his photography workshops, the most common reason they attend is to rekindle their enthusiasm for landscape photography after losing motivation. Check out the video above for the full rundown from Worth.
