From Nice Photographs to Creating Work With Meaning (Why many photographers drift and what to do about it)

Most photographers don’t fall out of love with photography: they drift.

They drift because, at some point, taking individual photographs no longer satisfies the deeper pull that brought them to the camera in the first place. Making images is still enjoyable. The images are still ‘nice’. But something essential is missing.

What’s missing is connection 

Connection between images, between intentions, between the photographer and what they are truly trying to explore.

This is the quiet moment when photography wants to become something else.

Not louder. Not more technical. Just deeper.

So how do we create that connection?

A photographic project is not about producing a portfolio or proving seriousness. It is about staying with something long enough for meaning to emerge. It is about returning to a place or a subject or a feeling and allowing your understanding to evolve over time.

For many photographers, this is the point where doubt appears

“Am I good enough to work like this?”

The simple answer is that you don’t need more talent. You need a way of working that allows attention, curiosity, and patience to compound. A practice gives photography continuity. It turns isolated moments into a conversation with place, with subject, and with yourself.

This is where photography stops being about what you capture and starts being about how you relate

And once that shift happens, it’s very hard to go back.

What’s the next step to working with meaning?

If this sounds like you, I strongly recommend that you take a look at my new live online workshop: The Practical Photo Project. Working in a small, supportive group, you create your own photographic project. At the same time and learn a proven template of how to create a successful photography project. Find out more here. (This workshop is limited to 8 places).