Gray Wolves captured by Z 9 / 180-400VR
When I started out over forty years ago, there were days when I would sit in the office thinking about the photographs I was missing because, I was stuck at home. There are many reasons why one can be “stuck” from money to physically being laid up. That’s when FOMO can set in. FOMO – Fear of Missing Out is a real thing and can send you into a deep dive that can adversely affect your photography. FOMO these days is often caused or worsened as one checks their social streams and sees all the “fun” others are having. Of course, you have no idea if that photo was taken today or five years ago most of the time, but seeing it is enough to start FOMO. A couple of cures I like to use when FOMO starts to creep in. First, look at my next trip and actively do planning for it NOW. Second, my daily handholding and panning practice work wonders to make me feel like I’m being photographically productive even if it’s just photos of Maggie (nothing personal Maggie). Lastly, I pull up images from a trip a year ago and then images from my last adventure and see how I’ve improved during that year. FOMO is a state of mind and the mind directly affects our passion. Look for that bright side to your photography and you will improve it!