After several months of lockdown and being forced to spend the vast majority of my time indoors I finally head back out on a hike in the very northern fells of the Lake District in this video.
It felt so good to get back outdoors and on a hike again and although I had all of my camera equipment with me, I put no pressure or expectations on myself to take great photos, this was all about enjoying the moment.
I watched a video by landscape photographer Chris Sale recently where he said that if he goes out with his camera and at the end of the day he hasn't taken any photos that he's happy with then he himself is not happy at the end of the day.
I personally believe this is the complete wrong way to look at things. You have to take a large number of bad photos to have any hope of getting good photos. It is an unreasonable expectation to think that you are going to take incredible photos every time you go out with your camera.
With landscape photography in particular you are very much reliant on the weather conditions which you have no control over and how often do you get perfectly ideal conditions?
Getting out with your camera, whether on a hike up a mountain, in the woods, or on City streets should be done for the love and enjoyment of the craft. The appreciation of the outdoors, the love of photography and using your camera - that is what should lead you to feeling happy, not whether or not your photos are any good!
90% of the photos that any photographer takes are rubbish! At least. But you have to take those bad photos to have any chance of getting great photos the other 10% of the time.
A photo that doesn't meet your high standards should not detract from the beauty of being outdoors, the beauty of your surroundings and the love of your craft.
This video I hope emphasises this point where, for my first hike during the coronavirus pandemic, I hike up High Pike in the very northern part of the Lake District National Park and despite not coming away with a single good photo, I end up having one of the best days I have had in a long time.
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