*Note this blog first ran in 2020 when the Kentucky Three Day Event was canceled. In honor of this year’s Defender Kentucky Three-Day Event, I’m bringing it back as a small throwback and hopefully confidence booster for photographers out there.*
If you’re like me, going through your old work can be painful. As a perfectionist, seeing things I could have done differently or questions I could have asked to make a story better always drives me insane, even years after the fact.
But the good thing about going through past work is that I often learn from what I could have done differently and in last weekend’s case, also build confidence.
If you’re a big equestrian fan, you know that this weekend was scheduled to be the Land Rover Kentucky Three-Day Event. Canceled because of COVID-19, my weekend plans of being at the Kentucky Horse Park nearly 24/7 turned into a weekend sitting on the couch organizing photos from my five years of covering the Kentucky Three-Day Event and watching replays.
With a camera going out during a major show last Fall and many of my shots being subpar, I was coming into the spring at an all-time low on confidence. I replaced the camera and my trip to Oklahoma in December had shown me that I still know how to shoot but December was a long time ago and I haven’t had much to photograph in the past few months.
That’s where my friemy Facebook Memories came in. While I spent the weekend going through my Land Rover (and previously Rolex) folders, it can be hard to find the standouts among the literally thousands of photos I take there. However, I usually post only the best (or funniest) photos to my social media so at least a few of those standouts have been in my memories this week. Even though I find seeing what I said 10 years ago on Facebook painful, I also check my memories every day just to tort… remind myself of how far I’ve come.
I never expect the memories to be anything but reminder of what I’ve done on previous days and maybe show me a good piece or two I shared. This weekend, however, it turned into a major confidence booster when I saw photos I’d taken before last Fall’s camera issues.
I was reminded that I can indeed shoot well and know what I’m doing when I’m not fighting with my equipment. While it seems to be a small reminder for a professional photographer, it was the boost I needed. Not only did it give me the confidence I’ve been struggling with, it also reminded me just how much I love photography and helping record events for both those who want to relive it and for future generations.
As someone who likes to look forward and plan ahead, I definitely don’t recommend that anyone compare themselves to their past selves on a regular basis. But as I was reminded this weekend, if you’re struggling, it never hurts to go back and see what you’ve done and where you’ve come from.
If you’re like me, it could be just the push you need to dig yourself out of a hole and find inspiration in even the unlikeliest places.
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