I woke up very early this morning. 2:57 to be exact. No worries though, Tigger (my dog) kept sleeping until 6:15, then he came and joined me at my desk.
In the last few months I have returned to photography after more than five years away. I received a very nice camera for Christmas and I purchased Adobe Lightroom to control image organization and for minimal editing. In the past, I have taken lots of photos and then I do absolutely nothing with them and they are forgotten. This time has been very different. Based on past experiences, I knew the importance of making sure that my photos are organized and Lightroom makes it a seamless process.
The reason that I am at my desk so early is because I think I have finally found my passion. Well, the passion has always been in me, I simply have found a way to move it forward. My passion is photography. However, I can only take so many photos that never go anywhere other than the hard drive on my computer. I have never had any success with Photoshop and initially, I was suffering the same with Lightroom. I open a photo, click some sliders and hit print. Then, after several terrible prints, I give up.
I have watched numerous You Tube videos on using Lightroom but let’s be honest. Watching a video in the living room and then a week later trying to remember the information when I sit down to use Lightroom is never going to be a winning strategy. Last week, I started watching an Intro to Lightroom course at Lynda.com. Well, what an eye-opening experience. I watch and I practice. After watching only a few topics, I understand what I am doing in Lightroom and I have produced several useful prints. Now, all I think about is editing the photos that I have taken.
I have also learned that most monitors are set with too much brightness and contrast, which means the prints are never going to match what is shown on the monitor. After reducing the brightness and contrast settings, I am very close to printing what I am seeing without the need to purchase a monitor calibration tool.
I have said all of this to say, I have learned that I do have a passion that inspires me to get up early and stay up late, I just needed to figure out how to move it forward. Sometimes, I give up too quickly when things do not work out the way I envision. Yes, I will likely walk away from things in the future when they do not come together quickly but I feel confident that those activities that I truly feel passionate about will resurface.
All I can think now is “Wow, will I soon learn to play the piano?”, which has been a desire of mine since I was a child. Stay tuned…
What passion do you struggle with and what will you do to move it forward?