MOJO - what is it ?
………….and why it can do one !
Summer you say? Bah humbug I say !
Without doubt this is my least favourite time of year. It might be great if you’re a gardener, bee keeper or simply a sun worshipper, but for landscape photographers it’s the worst season of all. I’m not complaining about Summer in general. Certainly not. After all who doesn’t love warmer days, meadows full of wild flowers and the chance to enjoy a sundowner on the patio? Biting winds and permanently grey skies are a fading memory at this time of year. So I’m not against Summer per se.
My complaint is that there’s too much darned daylight. If that sounds crazy perhaps I should explain.
The old phrase “long Summer days” feels more like a curse if you’re a landscape photographer. Sunrise is around 05:00 which means setting the alarm for an inhumane time (and I’m a lark by the way !) and sunset hovers around 21:30 (that’s nearly bed time for us sexagenarians !!) which generally sees me getting home around midnight. I’ve spoken before about landscape photographers needing to be motivated to leap out of bed at daft o’clock but I’m starting to draw the line at one or two early starts per week nowadays.
If you’re an astrophotographer it just gets worse at this time of year. June means permanent twilight for most of the UK so we haven’t even got dark skies to keep us out of mischief….
Which all means that I’ve definitely lost my photographic mojo at the moment. Please don’t worry - I’m in no pain and haven’t even gone cold turkey yet. After taking a two week holiday in May, I was hoping that my mojo would magically re-appear when I unpacked my suitcase, especially as I’d enjoyed taking a few sunrise images to capture some memories of a lovely island. But no, it’s done a runner and doesn’t look like coming back anytime soon.
But what exactly is mojo? One dictionary definition is: “mojo (countable and uncountable, plural mojos or mojoes) A magic charm or spell. Supernatural skill or luck”. I’m not sure any of that applies to me if I’m honest. Definitely not the skill part anyway. It’s one of those indefinable things that we all speak about and assume everyone knows what it is. I guess it means different things to different folks and can be applied across a number of life’s little quirks. Like everything else in the UK at present, it’s most definitely in short supply but in this case there’s no external forces at play and no one to blame. Another definition reads : “To lose one's confidence, energy, or enthusiasm, especially coinciding with a decline in one's success”. Now that sounds more like it - enthusiasm and energy are definitely on ration around here right now. I don’t feel I’ve nailed a top image for some time and almost got to the stage where I felt I was going through the motions. It would be easy to fall into the trap of succumbing to G.A.S. (gear acquisition syndrome) to get me going again. (Actually I’ve got my eye on a very nice super-fast astro lens at the moment. I really need it, honestly). But buying new kit isn’t the answer. Lord knows, I’ve got enough gear to sink a battleship (has anyone else got four photography back packs? No? Just me then….).
No, it’s a change of mindset that’s needed, and the sooner the better. I’m definitely lacking inspiration because I’m not even enjoying woodland photography at the moment as it feels as though we’re wedged between the best seasons which means I’m well off my game. Perhaps it’s something all photographers go through. Perhaps it’s not down to mojo then. Perhaps “slump” would be more accurate in my case, which probably means it’s not terminal, probably reversible, and hopefully temporary.
The temporary element is really important as I’m setting off on my annual North Wales road trip next week. Seven days of photography with a few nights of wild camping thrown in for good measure. If that doesn’t stir the creative juices (steady now!) I’m not sure what will. I’m re-visiting some of my favourite locations but also exploring some unfamiliar places, so I’m confident that I’ll come home with a couple of portfolio images. But I’m not going to put myself under pressure to get great shots. It doesn’t matter if the weather doesn’t play ball or the light isn’t right because I’ll be fully back in the photographic saddle amongst hills, lakes and along the coast. My trip starts in Snowdonia, moves on to Anglesey and the Lleyn peninsula, then takes me along the Pembrokeshire coast. A new moon on the 29th means that our satellite is waning during my trip so I’m planning to shoot the night sky as well (twilight permitting).
I’m always excited about exploring new places. You never know what you’ll find when you get there.
Perhaps I’ll find my mojo………
P.S. Sincere apologies for not publishing a blog in May. No excuses except to say the weather was warm and the Mythos was cold and a sun lounger trumps blog writing. Please don’t judge me.
It’s not all bad……….Not a cloud in the sky on a stunning Summer morning