You know that feeling when you have a closet full of clothes but nothing to wear? Well, that's me, but with camera gear. I've got a whole collection of lenses, cameras, and gadgets, and honestly, it can totally kill my creativity. I get so caught up in choosing the "right" equipment that I forget to just be creative.
So, imagine this: It's a national holiday on a Friday. Most people are sleeping in, but I'm wide awake at 3 a.m. I have a photo walk with my friends at 5:30 a.m., and my mind is racing. "What if I miss a great street portrait? What about a wide landscape shot? Or a close-up, tiny detail?" The stress was real.
In that moment of panic, I did something crazy. I grabbed my camera and picked just one lens: a 16mm wide angle. I know what you're thinking "Dude, are you for real? A zoom lens is way more useful!" And you're not wrong. But sometimes, you have to put yourself in an uncomfortable spot to force a new way of thinking.
By only having this one lens, I couldn't just stand back and zoom in. I had to move. I had to walk closer, get on the ground, and look at things from a whole new angle. This single lens became a tool for me, not a limitation.
The quiet, holiday morning was the perfect setting. There wasn't the usual busy rush, which let me really pay attention to the small things. I looked at how light hit a building or how a shadow fell on the street. I was seeing the world differently, not just through a lens.
And you know what? It was one of the best mornings of photography I've had in a long time. I got shots I never would have even tried with a bag full of gear. I was just there, in the moment, not worried about what I was missing. My creativity, which had been stuck, was suddenly set free by having so little to work with.
So, if you're like me and have a bit of a gear problem, try this: grab one lens,
maybe even the one you use the least and just go.
See what happens when you're forced to get a little uncomfortable.
You might be surprised by what you capture.
