I’m sure I’m not the first guy to tell you that photography is a process.
Yes, it is a process.
But why is the process more important than the pictures or the end result itself?
Maybe professional photographers experience this differently, they have deliverables, clients, expectations. But as a street photographer or travel photographer, when you capture moments that aren’t designed or staged, you experience it a bit differently.
So what happens to the end result then?
For me, the end result is just a reward. That’s it.
Think of it this way — the end result is like dopamine, and the process is serotonin. Dopamine gives you that instant high when you see a good shot, but serotonin, the process, that’s what gives you contentment.
It stays longer. It keeps you grounded and fulfilled.
Or simply put, the end result is for others, and the process is purely for you.
That’s why the process is important. And that’s why it matters for you.
What makes the process interesting, especially when you’re capturing moments that aren’t in your control?
You wander, you wait, you endure to capture that one moment that catches your eye and stays etched forever. Honestly, not every photo turns out the way you imagined. But that’s okay.
Like I said in my previous blog, there’s no perfection. You either keep the picture or you delete it. But the moment you spent taking that shot, that is what truly matters.
And if the picture happens to come out well, that’s the reward. Simple.
My tip for all photographers out there, follow the process.
Follow your own, or the one you’ve learned or heard or seen from others. But be in that process, and enjoy it for as long as it lasts.
People who see your picture later, who like it, comment on it, or even admire it, they might not know anything about the picture. They’ll never know what went behind it. But you do.
You remember the process, the light, the wait, the sound, the feeling, the exact moment you clicked that shutter.
That’s what stays.
Keep capturing. Don’t think too much about the end result.
You’ll delete a few. You’ll keep a few.
But if you enjoy the process, trust me that’s the real picture.
– PS