Photo Theme Thursday: Flight of the Photographer (D262)

Each photographer creates their own flight plan … whether the plan is to go from amateur to aspiring to professional or whether the adventure starts with a student at photo school and heads into the world of photojournalism. We each navigate through to our final destination, some flying at break-neck speeds, others moving at their own pace enjoying the journey.

Here are a few tips to remember as you create and navigate your flight plan…

1. Look at the paths of those who have gone before you: Your path will be different but there are still key milestones you’ll want to pay attention to along the way. Find a photographer you admire (not one who makes you jealous), and pay attention to what they share about how they got where they are, the sacrifice, the commitment, the resilience… emulate those characteristics.
2. Be clear about your destination: Without a clear flight plan, even the best pilot would get lost and arrive somewhere unexpected. Don’t be a photographer without a plan… know who you are, where you want to go and why you want to go there. Once you know the who, where and why, the how will be much easier to discover.
3. Find company for the journey: Whether you find a traveling companion before you start or pick one up along the way, find someone to share the ride… it’ll be more fun and increases your chances of success.
4. Prepare for inevitable storms: Every journey brings with it the reality of storms… they will come. The best way to handle them is to be prepared. You can prepare by heeding the above three tips first, then preparing yourself emotionally and spiritually to be strong and persistent even in the face of trials. Always remember “this too shall pass” applies to both the ups and downs of every flight plan.
5. Rinse and repeat: Things change. People change. The industry, technology, equipment, and the world are constantly in a state of flux. If you need to adjust your flight plan, don’t hesitate. Make sure you adjust as you need to. You may need to find new company for your journey as you break into new territory… that’s okay. Bottom line: stay true to who you are and you can’t go wrong!

Today’s images are inspired by the theme of flight…. I found something that would look interesting in flight and tried shooting in various situations… my favorite is the dark background and the way the orange crinkles look like they’re flying.

Looked at images of Mount St. Helens which erupted 30 years ago in Washington state. I lived in Washington at the time and remember hearing about it as a little girl and seeing the ash in the air. We even got bottles of the ash as keepsakes. It was a moment I’ll never forget.