LocalNavy433 Photography

Hello, and how the hell are you? If this is your first time here, thanks for stopping by. Today, I’m sitting down to share some of the key things I’ve learned about my photography throughout 2024. Every year, I like to reflect on my work to see where I’ve grown or where I haven’t. This year, I pushed myself to try new genres, and let me tell you, it’s been a wild ride.

Breaking Through the Creative Wall

Let’s start with a confession: by mid-2023, my landscape photography was feeling stale. Sure, I had all the advanced techniques down, but was that it? I felt like I was hitting the same creative wall over and over again. It’s that moment when you show up to a location, shoot the same style of photo, and wonder why you’re bored out of your mind.

I tried to power through it. I shot as many landscapes as possible, hoping the spark would come back. Spoiler alert: it didn’t. Then in September 2023, I took a shot (pun intended) at something completely new—sports photography. And man, did it shake things up! I felt that same excitement I had when I first picked up a camera.

Did that mean I was done with landscapes or Milky Way shots? Nope! In fact, shooting sports made me fall back in love with landscapes in ways I didn’t expect.

How Sports Photography Brought Back the Spark

Shooting sports is like stepping into an entirely different world. The fast pace, the challenge of capturing the action, and the minimal editing required made it exciting. You’ve gotta get it right in-camera, and I loved every second of figuring that out.

Now, you might be wondering: why sports? Simple—I drive a school bus for a high school sports team. Before I started shooting, I spent hours just sitting on the bus while the team played. Bored doesn’t even begin to cover it. So one day, I grabbed my gear and decided to shoot the games. Turns out, it was way more fun than sitting around twiddling my thumbs.

What Sports Taught Me About Landscapes

The cool thing is, the lessons I learned from shooting sports spilled over into my landscape work in ways I didn’t expect:

1. Fresh Eyes: Sports taught me to see compositions faster, which means I spend less time wandering aimlessly and more time refining the best shots.

2. Freedom from the Tripod: Shooting action helped me feel more comfortable ditching my tripod when scouting a location. I still use it for killer compositions, but now I feel freer to move around and explore before settling on a shot.

3. A New Appreciation for the Outdoors: After a week of fast-paced sports photography, slowing down to shoot landscapes felt like therapy. Just standing there, soaking it all in, and letting the shot come to me? That’s the good stuff.

A New Approach for 2025

2024 taught me to stop leaning so hard on what I already know. I was stuck in my old ways, taking the same kinds of photos over and over, and I wasn’t growing. Trying a new genre gave me fresh eyes and a renewed love for photography.

The biggest takeaway? Slow down. Enjoy the process. Let the adventure take the lead. Whether it’s hiking into a stunning landscape or standing on the sidelines of a game, it’s all about being present and finding joy in the moment.

Thanks for reading, y’all. I hope this inspires you to try something new with your photography. Until next time, enjoy from St. Johns, AZ.