The state of stuartmackaphotography
As we approach two months into 2024, my photography has been impacted by a number of factors. Work, the lack of subjects to photograph, I am hyper-focused on advancing my career, which has caused a major stall in my photography. I've only made two posts to my social accounts, modified my website, and then nothing.
My overall social media time has decreased significantly compared to 2019-2022, a trend I noticed in mid-2023. Despite this, I still have the passion and urge to go out and take photographs, which is frustrating. Part of this frustration stems from knowing there are places waiting for me to capture, while another factor is my hyper-focus on my life progression. Fortunately, things at work are heading in the right direction, which has a positive ripple effect on other aspects of my life.
If you know me well enough, you'll understand that when I want something, I'll work relentlessly until I achieve it. However, I also know when it's crucial to stop pursuing something, a realisation I've come to in the past few months with a few goals I have which are now push back for an undecided date.
So, what can you expect from me in 2024? Honestly, I can't tell you. I think about the impact my photography has taken daily. You could classify this as a break, but I know that this isn’t a break from photography; it's more of a roadblock caused by other factors.
This isn’t a goodbye message, not by any means. It's more of an update with a less than desirable outcome. I have been thinking about this a lot lately, especially in the last few months. It has just gotten to the point where I needed to write down what I was thinking instead of keeping this to myself.
Before I end this, there is one more thing I want to say. When I do have photographs I want to share, they will be posted within days of me taking them. Until then, it might be a week, a month, or longer before I next post. Yes, I could go back through my archives, re-edit old photographs, and then publish them. I have thought of that, but it doesn't excite me as much as taking new photographs.
If you, the follower, are reading this, it means I decided to publish this to my social platforms. I hope the above makes sense to you, as sometimes understanding what other people are feeling or thinking is hard in the tone the original author means. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out.
