⇑ Play me ⇑
It’s quite amusing when I think about it nowadays, but did you know that up until about 6 months ago – I was afraid to hold a camera?
The type of fear I’m referring to isn’t a paralyzing fear, obviously, but I intentionally avoided handling our camera, preferring to let my husband reign as “House photographer”. I was quite comfortable with using my camera phone to take whatever pics I needed for Instagram (though I strongly believed other people are way better at it then I was), but to me – handling a professional camera felt unnecessary and unnerving (I once took a pic of my husband where you can see my image reflecting from his sunnies – holding the camera as if it’s infectious), mainly because I decided ahead of time that photography wasn’t my strong-suit, and why should I insist on doing something I probably won’t be good at?
One evening, I took a look at our camera and though to myself: “why would you give up on something without even giving it a shot?” True, I may not turn out to be the world’s greatest photographer, but who said I have to be? Is the fear of not being “great” at something supposed to stop me from trying? Of course not! That very moment, I picked up the camera and started pointing it at random things and taking pics.
So yeah, i’m still not (and will probably never be) a prodigy in the field of photography, but I actually enjoy taking photos, and particularly enjoy the feedback I get on the frames I create. Hey, I was even hired to take photos at a high-end bridal presentation during my last trip to New York, which as far as i’m concerned – means I definitely don’t suck! ;-)
When I come across something I’m afraid of, I ask myself – “Where is this fear coming from”? In most cases, I fear I won’t succeed in the task I’m facing, or I simply won’t be good enough. But you know what scares me more than anything? The experiences I’ll miss out on and the new fields of interest I may never discover – if I let fear stop me. So I refuse to let it :-)
When I fear a certain step, I take a deep breath, charge ahead – and do it anyway. Whether it’s a fear of jumping out of an airplane (skydiving course graduate in da house!), honing new yoga poses (which seem impossible) or acquiring a new skill – I choose to believe in myself. And if I don’t succeed? Or if I’m not super great at it? So fucking what. I prefer to regret trying something new rather than dwelling on “what if I had only tried”.
Have a fabulous weekend!
♥♥♥ֿ
Photography: Lior Nordman | Vitage Camera: Private collection | Slip: Private Collection