Embrace Naivety. The Art of joyful Photography

When I go to shoot a photojournalistic story, it goes one of two ways. Either I am with a reporter, who can pass me basic information of the story, or I am the reporter myself and have done some research about the shoot beforehand. Either way, I have to render the scene upon arriving on location and search for images that best represent the story.

Much thought goes into the work, especially if it’s a reportage I’m photographing, as it’s necessary to search for light and composition. At the same time, I have to pay attention to the emotion of the moment. Often, there isn’t a lot of time, and I have to scramble to create compositions. Sometimes I have to talk to the person photographed and learn a bit about their character, so I can think of ways to create an image that would complement, not contradict it.

Capturing stories and getting your hands dirty out there in the field is very fulfilling and a lot of fun too. However, it can be quite emotionally draining at the same time plus, of course, there is the mandate of bringing home usable images every time I go out for a shoot. Sometimes, I just need to let off some steam.

I don’t pick up my camera only when I’m trying to work, though. It’s a creative outlet and a way to relax as well. Even though I have had a camera on my shoulder since primary school, I think I am just now re-learning how to shoot in a way where I only have fun and not a lot of expectations.

In a way, it’s about following the breadcrumbs back to that creative innocence and naivety of amateur photography. Remember when you were just starting, and you simply went out and shot pretty flowers, or frosty leaves, up close, with your aperture wide open? At the moment, you’ve had so much fun, right? Nearly everyone’s photos from that period were shit when it came to their aesthetic value, but what I’m trying to say is that THAT wasn’t the point of you getting out with your camera. There was an element of passion, and there was an element of  the joy of just simply being out there creating.

Creativity hit rock bottom over the first year of the pandemic for me. There have been times when my camera was dusty because I didn’t shoot a lot. Many things I like to shoot were just not happening – there weren’t many reportage opportunities for me as most of society just stood still, and there sure weren’t many tennis tournaments to attend. I was just depressed. I mean, no compositions made any sense to me. I couldn’t see an image interesting enough to press the shutter button anywhere around me. It’s just recently that I’ve started to discover a way back to hobby photography.

The most important thing is to avoid the feeling that you have to shoot at least something. Whether travelling or just walking through your town, you simply don’t have to take one shot if you don’t feel like it. Often the things you see aren’t photogenic anyway, and you are better off just enjoying the moment. Plus, you will surely have the most memorable moments somewhere in your phone’s camera roll, after all. Just carry the camera on your side and chill out.

If you come home without a picture, it’s okay. Plus, you know, at least you don’t have to clean your memory cards right?.

You know what’s so fun about shooting for pleasure? Nothing has to make sense. You can go totally nuts. Flip the world upside down, shoot the whole scenery or just a tiny detail of it. Focus, or leave everything out of focus. It’s like Lomography, but with real cameras. If the pictures don’t come out good, who cares? If you don’t post them on Instagram, nobody will know.

For me, it’s the architecture details that please my creative side. I think it’s fun to find minor elements of the big buildings. Those pictures don’t covey any hidden meaning, and I don’t attempt to attribute it to them. It’s okay. They just make me happy.

Have you ever gone to a modern art museum? I went to the one in Vienna. Honestly, I didn’t truly know what precisely I was looking at any given moment. Interestingly enough, the visit left me culturally fulfilled anyway. Actually, that’s an understatement. In my head was bursting with inspiration. It reminded me again that things don’t have to add up to create some great message. The creative process is the message. It’s the only point. And that’s enough. 

Here, I will show you what I’m yapping about.

I figured: light is the simplest, most fundamental element of photography. So, if I want to create naively and not overwhelm myself with stimuli, I could simply photograph just light, without any object.

For example, here I shot this light in a philately shop in Prague. Would you learn anything about where I shot it, or what is the purpose of the photograph? Absolutely not. It’s nonsense. But I think of that photograph often when I need to get inspired, and It always fills me with the same joy I felt when taking it.

Or this one which I’ve shot in Vienna. But you wouldn’t know it, would you? Well, maybe you would, but anyway, the building in the reflection is Vienna State Opera. I think most people would suggest that it makes more sense to shoot the building itself. But you know what, I didn’t feel like that made sense at all, and it didn’t inspire me. But the light sure did! I loved how the light created a nice regular square in the window reflection, so I decided to focus on photographing just that alone.

Other times, I like to bring in other people. I have a couple of friends whom I call to go out with and enjoy photography together. It’s a great way to explore new compositions and exchange ideas, plus you can always use your friends as models if necessary. Often, the pictures I bring home from sessions like these are near worthless, but the important part is that I know I’ve had fun, and my creativity has been recharged.

Letting yourself be naive, create simple, fun images which you enjoy making is not just self-serving. Although it would have been enough. It can also help you accumulate energy for the serious stuff though, so you don’t fall into a routine.