As the American holiday of Thanksgiving and the international shopping holiday of Black Friday rapidly approaches, photographers across the world usually scramble to find good deals on new gear and cardboard cutouts of Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones that they wish they had while in high school and now can finally afford in an effort to rapidly level-up their photography. This is a time of great joy across the world, as photographers suddenly find themselves capable of reaching that next level without really having to work for it.
Unfortunately, it’s 2020 and most photographers have been out of work for large periods of time this year and don’t have money or even a cardboard cutout of Harrison Ford as Richard Kimble in the Fugitive that they would keep in their garage and and yell at about a one armed man while drunk. So what’s a photographer who wants to level up left to do if they can’t just buy gear. Well, there’s really only one option left to them and that is grinding (practicing).
Unfortunately, grinding takes longer to yield noticeable results and as such many photographers burn out before they peak, let alone level-up. But also, grinding can be a pleasurable experience on its own when done right. There are two ways most photographers grind if they want level-up and hopefully one day peak (unless that’s myth). Firstly, most photographers find grinding to be a little more enjoyable if done with a partner, whether it’s another photographer or a model. What they need is someone to help them and work with them as they try to level-up and maybe give them feedback on how well they’re grinding. However, due to new lockdowns, many photographers will be unable to grind with other photographers during this time, unless they’re already cohabiting. In that case, we recommend grinding by shooting objects around the house like furniture. In fact, some photographers have noted that while they enjoy grinding with a partner, they sometimes prefer the solitude of grinding on their own as much or more when done right. Some photographers will spend hours just grinding on their couch or bed or a cardboard cutout of Harrison Ford as Han Solo in Star Wars that they’ve had since middle school as they really try to explore what it is that they like.
So this Black Friday we want to encourage photographers not to spend money you don’t have on gear for the quick and easy level-up. Instead start grinding and really exploring yourself. Get your camera out and practice, so hard. Really grind on your futon or office chair or cardboard cutout of Harrison Ford as Rick Deckard in Blade Runner that you bought before heading off to film school which helped you come close to peaking once before. Grind because it’s what you can do to level-up your photography during lockdown.
