This guy’s job description is literally shark bait

What I love about photography is, you do whatever it takes to get the shot.

Even if that means contorting yourself in an unflattering position to capture the subject.

Have you ever watched a person holding a camera while laying down on the concrete, going chest deep in swamp water, running full speed behind a sweaty athlete, or hanging from a tree in the pouring rain while wearing head to toe camouflage so hungry predators won’t spot them?

That kind of work requires dedication, focus, creativity, patience, resourcefulness and humility. That’s the real skill. Sure, the technical expertise of lenses, light, texture and composition is important. You still need to have the eye, as photographers say, to notice things worth photographing in the first place.

But when it comes down to it, only question that matters is, what lengths will you go to get the shot? Are you willing to do whatever it takes?

I watched a documentary about a renowned wildlife photographer who specializes in sea mammals. This guy’s job description is literally, shark bait. Because from a technical perspective, the ten thousand dollar underwater camera does most of the heavy lifting for his work.

Which means his skillset is something bigger.

Now, this issue hits a nerve with some people. There’s the never ending debate of whether or not photography is an art. Aren’t you just pointing a piece of metal at something and then pressing a button?

A photographer doesn’t make anything per se. They use a tool that captures reality, but they’re not creating reality itself. Not in the way that a painter, pianist, novelist or actor does.

But to me, that’s okay. Because even if you’re not making art, you’re still making meaning. The outcome is the same, it’s simply a different intermediary.

Lesson learned, meaning is made, not found. Use whatever intermediary you can to feel fulfilled.

Go to great lengths to provoke a sense of satisfaction from your efforts.

Participate in ways that are uniquely appealing to your desires and needs.

And contentment will not be far away.

How could you frame things in a way that guarantees you will increase your psychological experience of meaning?