How is it that human brains are so good at creating doubt? How often does that doubt turn into something that holds us back from what we desire to achieve? This picture makes me reflect on the times I’ve felt doubt creep into my work as a photographer. Even my grandfather Les was plagued at times by a disbelief that his eye-capturing work could be of value.
When I look at this photo I often become my own worst critic. It’s one of those pictures that I often find myself tucking away out of sight and out of mind. Then it somehow finds itself back in front of a viewer who sees it in a way that my expectations regularly keep me from appreciating.
I didn’t plan for this picture to become one of any certain notoriety. The airplane sliding across a moon hung in an open sky simply wasn’t what I had built in my mind for this scene. When I first saw it, this picture was a reminder to me that I wasn’t good enough at my craft, at getting the perfect shot. Then by simple coincidence this photo received one compliment, and another, and I began to be able to see it differently. Not for what I had hoped it would be, but for what it really is and the way everything in it wraps together. It might not have been what I imagined, but it turned out to be a great print after all.
Now when I see this image in my gallery I’m left to wonder how often doubt about our skills or abilities keeps us back from our own best experiences. What if we could learn to enjoy the things we love without worry? What if we could look at our own creative pursuits, business ideas, or hard work and see them through the eyes of those who might admire them? For me photography isn’t just about catching my own favorite shots. Each time that someone pauses at this photo or remarks on it, I know that I have reached the real goal behind my passion; to make something lasting that other people can deeply enjoy. This photo encourages me to continue on even when things don’t seem perfect in life because sometimes we doubt ourselves, and sometimes that voice of doubt is completely wrong.
Photo by Nathan Anderson
Facing Doubt
35
How is it that human brains are so good at creating doubt? How often does that doubt turn into something that holds us back from what we desire to achieve? This picture makes me reflect on the times I’ve felt doubt creep into my work as a photographer. Even my grandfather Les was plagued at times by a disbelief that his eye-capturing work could be of value.
When I look at this photo I often become my own worst critic. It’s one of those pictures that I often find myself tucking away out of sight and out of mind. Then it somehow finds itself back in front of a viewer who sees it in a way that my expectations regularly keep me from appreciating.
I didn’t plan for this picture to become one of any certain notoriety. The airplane sliding across a moon hung in an open sky simply wasn’t what I had built in my mind for this scene. When I first saw it, this picture was a reminder to me that I wasn’t good enough at my craft, at getting the perfect shot. Then by simple coincidence this photo received one compliment, and another, and I began to be able to see it differently. Not for what I had hoped it would be, but for what it really is and the way everything in it wraps together. It might not have been what I imagined, but it turned out to be a great print after all.
Now when I see this image in my gallery I’m left to wonder how often doubt about our skills or abilities keeps us back from our own best experiences. What if we could learn to enjoy the things we love without worry? What if we could look at our own creative pursuits, business ideas, or hard work and see them through the eyes of those who might admire them? For me photography isn’t just about catching my own favorite shots. Each time that someone pauses at this photo or remarks on it, I know that I have reached the real goal behind my passion; to make something lasting that other people can deeply enjoy. This photo encourages me to continue on even when things don’t seem perfect in life because sometimes we doubt ourselves, and sometimes that voice of doubt is completely wrong.
Photo by Nathan Anderson
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