"USE THE FORCE, LUKE!" I MEAN "USE 'THE MEH', SUSAN!"

(I wish I had made this post on May 4th...May the Force be with you! Stay with me now. I promise, Obi-Wan Kenobi's admonition to "Use the Force, Luke!" will make sense.)

As an aspiring photographer, I am often overwhelmed by what I need to know, what I need to master. 

I have on more than one occasion wished I had started this adventure years, no, decades ago so that I might have a hope of becoming a genuinely proficient photographer someday. To my dismay, I have discovered that my brain is definitely not as quick on the uptake at 55 as it was, at say, 25. I do eventually learn what I need to know, it just takes a frustratingly long time. 

Maybe, however, taking longer to learn something is really better. Lessons learned from repeated effort or from mistakes are the ones that take deepest root in my psyche.

Those of you who know me well know that I am "a keeper". I find it hard to part with things. For example, if I find a plant growing as a volunteer in my garden, I will transplant the stray rather than toss it into the compost dumpster. Spent a few hours this past week relocating wayward lamb's ear seedings.

OK, Susan, so what has horticulture got to do with photography? One lesson that is finally making its permanent home in my brain is "90% of my photographs need to go to the trash". Duh! I have found, however, practicing that simple rule to be a tough one. My overstuffed hard drive can attest to that fact.

Here's the problem: I don't consider myself a competent judge of what technically constitutes a 'good picture'. I rely on how I respond to my photographs. Unfortunately, I can look at hours of work and feel only 'meh'. I can't tell you why the photographs rate only a 'meh', they just do. After a couple of days of only 'meh', doubts about ever taking a decent shot mushroom. I begin to wonder if I should just hang up my camera. Me, a photographer, who am I kidding? Then it happens. This is a good one! The feeling of discovery, the sense of certainty is invigorating. Again, I can't tell you why I feel this way. I just know this particular photograph is a good one.  

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Alright, time to cue Obi-Wan. "Use the Force, Luke!" Just as Luke struggled to trust the Force, I have struggled to trust 'The Meh'. When I trust 'The Meh', I make better decisions about which photographs deserves to be kept. Photographs that get 'The Meh' get the delete button. No reprieves, no second guessing. Of course, my 'meh' may not be your 'meh'. That's OK!

May 'The Meh' be with you!