Photography can be deeply frustrating.

You head out early with only the best of intentions. The forecast is promising, and you’re filled with optimism about what you might create.

But the gods laugh when men make plans.

Later, when you look at your photos in Lightroom, you feel only disappointment at what might have been.

Many of us hope the frustration is temporary; that with enough experience, photography will eventually become easier.

But it rarely does. 

And perhaps that’s a good thing. 

Perhaps that's the whole point!

The Myth of Arriving

Many of us believe things will get better the moment we get good. That frustration only happens because of our shortcomings.

So it comes as yet another disappointment when that turns out not to be the case.

The problem is that as you improve, so do your standards. The baseline by which you measure your progress isn’t static. It constantly shifts.

And so do your expectations.

"When you have expectations, you are setting yourself up for disappointment."
— Ryan Reynolds

Those of us who have been doing this for a while have only one expectation.

That it never gets any easier.

And that’s exactly what keeps us coming back for more.

Why the Struggle Matters

Nothing worth having comes easy. That is the sentiment behind one of my favourite quotes about the nature of human endeavour. 

"Nothing in the world is worth having or worth doing unless it means effort, pain, difficulty..."
— Theodore Roosevelt

When we get it right, photography is enormously satisfying. 

But that satisfaction doesn’t come from the photograph alone. It comes from the effort that preceded it.

The sense of achievement we get from photography is directly proportional to the effort we put into it. 

So, if the struggle is inevitable, we might as well enjoy it.

Learning to Enjoy the Ride

It is sometimes said that creativity is a journey without a destination. Which is just as well, as most of us have no idea where we’re heading!

It is easy to believe photography is all about the end result. And that if you produce nothing of value, you are a failure. But that opinion rarely comes from anyone who truly understands what it is to be an artist.

If our journey has no destination, what’s the big hurry? Why does it matter if we go down a few dead ends along the way?

Anyone who has practised photography for any length of time will know that most outings produce very little. A few promising ideas. The occasional near miss. But mostly, a lot of old dross.

That is simply the nature of the process.

Don’t mistake this for time wasted. Instead, think of them as an artist’s sketches. 

Remember, every good photograph is the culmination of all the bad ones that came before. One day, when you least expect it, everything will come together.

And all those dead ends will suddenly make perfect sense.

Photography will be our companion for life. There will always be another story to tell.

We are on a journey with no final destination. So perhaps the only sensible thing to do is enjoy the journey.

Because when you love the journey, the destination becomes irrelevant.