Let’s face it…
The hours can fly by as you sit at your computer gaming with your friends or modding your rig to make it faster and more capable.
But being a technophile doesn’t mean that you have to spend your weekends in your home office staring at a computer screen, though.
In fact, many computer addicts that I know are also pretty heavy into photography. After all, cameras are wonderfully advanced these days, and anyone that appreciates technology can examine cameras like the Sony a9 or the Nikon Z7 and be impressed.
What’s more, that respect you have for the creative possibilities that computer hardware and software offer is shared by photographers who are increasingly awed by the technology packed into their DSLRs and mirrorless cameras.
Sure, you can’t mod your camera like you can your computer (well…maybe you can, but it’s not recommended!), but picking up a camera gives you a creative window to the world that can satisfy your creative itch in a way that your computer can’t.
Besides, something to appreciate about photography is that it gets you up and moving and out exploring the real world. Sometimes after a long gaming session, some sunshine and fresh air are just what the doctor ordered!
But just because you’re a techno-savvy person doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll be a great photographer…
In fact, photography is much less about the gear and much more about you as the creator behind the lens. That’s why it’s such a great hobby for computer enthusiasts – it’s a much different creative pursuit that allows you to exercise your brain in a different way.
The question is, how do you get better at photography if you don’t have much experience?
Like anything, becoming a more skilled photographer is all about practice.
The problem with that is that it’s really easy to get caught up in a weekend gaming session and watch your Saturday and Sunday fly by.
But there’s an easy solution that allows you to get the practice you need to flex your creative muscles with a camera – a photography workshop.
The great thing about a photography workshop is that it’s an intensive photography experience. It might be a weekend excursion to a nearby location or it might be a one or two week adventure that takes you around the globe.
In either case, a workshop gets you focused on photography and learning the essentials (or honing your photography skills, if you have them) that make photography an even more fruitful and enjoyable experience.
In the span of a few days, you’ll find that you have tons of time to practice, to learn new skills, and to put those skills to the test in a real-world setting. It’s that kind of intensive learning that gets you better results, and fast!
Plus, workshops are led by photography experts and they’re often very small groups – maybe just three or four students total – so you get a lot of one-on-one learning time with an expert photographer over the course of the workshop.
This isn’t to say that photography is better than gaming or programming or working on your computer. But all that sitting and staring at a computer screen can have very real, negative effects on you (think eye strain, headaches, and a sore back).
You love your computer (who doesn’t?!) and that’s all well and good, but to create some balance in your life, why not add photography to your list of hobbies? It’s a great way to get some exercise for your body and your brain, and if you find a workshop or two to attend, you can see the world and get excellent instruction while you’re at it!
