Life Lesson from Photography

This image “Searching” has won numerous award and recently won the first position award ( FUJIFILM X100V & Nik Collection by DxO) for the best “Our World Right Now Light Shapes Moments Photo Contest” by Viewburg.

It consider it important to celebrate success and milestones. It is even more important to understand that success requires a great deal of courage. The courage to take action, to be persistent, to ignore the noise and keep fighting for what you believe in. 

I am taking this moment to reflect on how long it took me to win this award and also share some of the lessons acquired along the way. I bought my first Canon EOS 70D DSLR in 2014 without any idea of what the basic 3 triangles of photography meant. The triangle of photography or exposure is three elements (aperture, shutter speed, and ISO). These elements work together to help the photographer capture images with the appropriate exposure. The understanding of colours was very challenging at first considering my engineering mindset that considered art something meant for others. Art like photography or painting was not something I ever considered and I can remember refusing to take free Corel Draw V 11/12 class way back in 2002 because of same reason above.

Like everything else I do, I understand that consistency and determination for excellence is a differentiating factor for success. I learned how to accept failure from countless photography competitions. I learned that not winning is an opportunity given to me by the supreme to understand the missing element. I understood there was a hidden lesson and my job is to find out what it is. I understood there is a greater price if I could try again, do it differently, and keep improving. I now realized that winning is a price is only an indication of what is possible if I keep applying the lessons I got from failing.

Most times we get wrapped up within the constraints of a job title and fail to live our full potential. Be a person of excellence and let everything you do speak of your appetite to genuinely improve the status quo. The value you bring to the table, the impact on other people’s lives is the ultimate goal. People will always remember how you made them feel. Remember that success is what you say it is and not what others have accomplished. A Job tittle is not relevant in the pursuit of a fulfilling life.

Keep moving forward, try again, and do it again. Do it differently each time. It might take you 10,000 times to find the missing element. Never give up on yourself. 

Searching:

When we make photos or create images it is a part of our selves trying to reach out to the unknown. Every good image beautiful or ugly should leave us with a feeling. Feeling something before the creating an image doesn’t happen to me so often. This time I guess I was trying to show what was happening to me. I have never stopped searching, this time it was different. The fog on this beautiful morning felt like I was part of it. From the window I could see that the fog was there just where it should be and I where I should. That was all I needed to pick my camera for a walk to find the something new. Keep searching !

This is my life lessons from #photography.