Photography can feel overwhelming at times. Gear anxiety, social media pressure, feeling you are not good enough. I have been through all of it. Over time I realised this: the problem is not the photograph — it is how we approach it.
Five things that worked for me:
1. Shoot less, look more
Leave the camera in the bag and just walk. Watch the light, the shadows, the people. Training your eye sometimes comes before the camera.
2. Focus on one series
Instead of shooting a bit of everything, follow one subject. Paris Solitude came out of more than one trip — but I was always chasing the same question. A series says more than single good frames.
3. Make prints
You understand what a photograph is when you hold it in your hand, not on a screen. Seeing your own photograph as a print changes everything. Even a small print is enough.
4. Look at other people's work — but don't compare
Look at Bresson, Gruyaert, Meyerowitz. Try to understand what the work makes you feel, not how to become them.
5. Slow down
Speed is the enemy of documentary photography. Being inside the scene gives far better results than trying to catch it.
None of these pays off in a day. But over time your relationship with photography changes; shooting stops being a burden and starts being a pleasure again.