A Moan of Photographers…

A few years ago I was chatting to some fellow photographers and, for some reason, we were trying to decide what the name should be for a collective of photographers.

A gaggle?

A pack?

A herd?

We eventually decided on ‘a moan’ of photographers because that is what photographers do.

We moan.

We moan about the bad lighting, the background with a ugly neon sign in it, the tv crew walking in front of us, the PR person who has no concept that some pictures are physically possible in certain situations and so it goes on.

Photographers are great at moaning.

People in general are pretty good at moaning.

But it gets you no where. I don’t believe in being in a Moan of Photographers. I don’t want to be in that gang.

If something is wrong you deal with it.

If the lighting is bad you create your own.

If a sign is in the way you try and hide it or you have to live with it.

If the TV crew are in the way you work around them because they are doing a job too.

If the PR company have totally unrealistic expectations you educate them.

This is how I try to be. No shoot is going to be perfect as not all variables can be controlled (unless you are in a studio) so you see them as challenges and you work to solve them.

The same was true during my recent SUP (Stand Up Paddleboarding) trip down the Mekong.

The temperature was around 35’, the river tried to flip you off the boards without warning and we often had to fight the strong currents to cross the river. There were always little things that could have tipped you over the edge during the trip.

However, if we had started to moan it would have changed our whole trip. The challenges would have become issues. The set backs could either ruin your day or make it part of the adventure.

And I guess that is what it is about. Not letting the set backs actually set you back. They are just part of the challenge. Part of the bigger picture. Part of the actual picture.

It is what it is.

So what is it going to be?

Glass half full or half empty?