For the better, then the worse and back to the better.
At first I just enjoyed taking a few snapsots then the fever took over. For years I took the camera on every dive, no exceptions. The photos were everything, it was an obsession. I got caught up in the 'perfect photo' syndrome and was seldom satisfied with my results. And diving was just the method I used to get to my subjects. I was a photographer who dived. I was also a very bad dive buddy, too obcessed with taking photos to even check to see where my buddy was, much less be attuned to his needs.
Luckily about 2 years ago I woke up and realized how much I was missing. I started shooting for fun, not results. Yes, I still want to produce good photos but they are no longer my main goal. I may or may not take a camera with me on dives and when I do I may or may not take more than just the camera itself. I come home with about half the shots I used to but I enjoyed each dive for itself, the photos were just an extra aspect of it. I no longer worry about the shots I missed, the creatures I saw and didn't have a camera with me. Now I'm just a diver who takes a few photos.
At first I just enjoyed taking a few snapsots then the fever took over. For years I took the camera on every dive, no exceptions. The photos were everything, it was an obsession. I got caught up in the 'perfect photo' syndrome and was seldom satisfied with my results. And diving was just the method I used to get to my subjects. I was a photographer who dived. I was also a very bad dive buddy, too obcessed with taking photos to even check to see where my buddy was, much less be attuned to his needs.
Luckily about 2 years ago I woke up and realized how much I was missing. I started shooting for fun, not results. Yes, I still want to produce good photos but they are no longer my main goal. I may or may not take a camera with me on dives and when I do I may or may not take more than just the camera itself. I come home with about half the shots I used to but I enjoyed each dive for itself, the photos were just an extra aspect of it. I no longer worry about the shots I missed, the creatures I saw and didn't have a camera with me. Now I'm just a diver who takes a few photos.