I haven't been doing much photography lately... so does that mean this was a quick two month flirt with a new hobby and now my mind is already searching for something new to catch my eye? I've done similar before, but I don't think so.

So what's going on?

Photography instantly clicked with me as something that has the right amount of gadgetery and creativity to appeal to both sides of me. At the same, being busy with a full-time job and taking some night classes doesn't give me a "Get Out of Jail Free" card for not going out there and actually doing it.

I've identified five key points of paralysis that are keeping me away:

1) Preparation Paralysis

The more I learn about photography, the more I realize I need to learn. You don't just pick up the camera, get a composition, shoot, and done. You just learn how aperture, shutter speed, and ISO interact and you've learned everything you'll ever need to know.

"I just need to learn a little more before going out to shoot."

In fact, in the process of learning how photography works, you need to learn a whole new vocabulary, with many of these new terms having unfamiliar symbols associated with them, symbols that aren't even fully explained in the manual! Learning photography is about learning the technical, artistic, and language of photography all at the same time.

Books, videos, forums, podcasts, etc. It all takes time to consume this content, and being so fresh to the world of photography means that each and every lesson is teaching me something new and reinforcing things that I've quickly forgotten and not yet absorbed, while at the same time hinting at all the things I have yet to learn.

It can be overwhelming.

2) Product Paralysis

What are the core essentials coming into photography. Coming into this I would have said a camera, lens, tripod, and flash. Four things to shop for, and I already did the hard part of choosing a camera, how complicated could this be?

"I just need to get one more thing before going out to shoot."

I have my kit zoom lens and a prime lens, that should give me some good variety until I learn more. This is easy. Now for tripods... what's this? How many are there to choose from? How tall should it be? How heavy? What's a ball head? I have to consider that a separately? And quick release plates? How do all these things interact? Can I mix and match? I'm seeing warning after warning after warning about not getting a cheap tripod because a good tripod should outlast my camera body. I don't know what to do!

What about flashes, that's gotta be easier right? Do I even need a flash? Some people don't even use one... on the other hand some people use a ton. I could just use a reflector. Or maybe get a reflector and a flash. What are these Radio Poppers and Pocket Wizards? Some flashes need them some don't? Soft boxes, diffusers, strobes, stands, gels... Orbis Ring Flash? I need to dial back.

And that's just the core essentials. I still need to figure out what bag or bags I want to get, rain protection, screen protection, cleaning, filters, strap, and all kinds of fancy gear. Then when you add light painting, time lapse, and video the amount of gear out there to learn about and decide on is immense.

3) Perception Paralysis

Here we come to a paralysis that solely has to do with mindset. I feel strange walking around in public with a DSLR in my hands. I feel more self-conscious partly because of how much it costs and I want to be aware of people who are aware of me, and partly because I'm simply not the kind of person that likes to draw attention to myself. (I guess that's weird to say since I'm writing a blog, but there's a separation between myself and what I write that isn't there when you're standing right next to people.

"I feel a little weird when I go out to shoot."

I know most people don't really care and are busying doing their own thing and thinking their own thoughts. I know that some people will see glance over at me, think some fleeting thought if anything at all, then forget I was there the second I leave their sight. But for someone who isn't the most outgoing of people, it's strange to not be simply blending in with the crowd. Just moving with the flow of foot traffic or simply enjoying the beach. When you put a camera on your hands, you move yourself a step away from "normal" where ever you are (unless you're on a photowalk or convention or something.) And this is something I'm just going to have to get used to.

4) Post-Processing Paralysis

"There's a whole flipside to photography that I didn't know about, I need more time before I go out and shoot."

Take everything I said in Points 1 and 2, and multiply that by two... or three... or ten.

I new post-processing existed, but I had no idea to what extent it was a part of the whole photography process. Now instead of just learning the physical gear, how to use it technically, and how to use it artistically, I now have all kinds of software to learn to use, with a vocabulary and complexity that dwarfs that of the pre-processing side of things.

That means, more books, forums, lessons, youtube, googling, asking, listening, and comprehending. That drives up time to learn and drives up costs to enter this hobby. If I had unlimited money I'd just buy everything, try it all out, and figure it out from there, but working with a budget I need to prioritize what I'm going to get next and when so I can maximize my enjoyment and learning while also simulating my interest.

This is not a simple hobby.

5) Posting Paralysis

Some of the enjoyment from photography comes from the act of creation. But some of that enjoyment comes from the act of sharing your creation. While all kinds of social sites have made it easier to share pictures and idea than ever before, I do want to know that I own my images, and reading through all the Terms of Service for every site and really understanding what those Terms of Service really means when it comes to photography is quite an undertaking. That's a big reason why I started with this blog rather than settle on other, simpler, methods of photosharing.

"I don't understand where I can safely share my pics, so why would I go out and shoot."

Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, 500px, Google+, Adobe Behance, Tumblr, Smugmug, etc. Some of those are places where photographers have flocked to, some are not, but I don't want to just assume what's safe and what's not by looking at those numbers. I really want to know nuances myself, and that will take some time to understand, time that could otherwise be spent elsewhere.

I can't wait until this part is over and done with because out of all these 5 points, this one is the biggest hassle that I'd rather not have to deal with. The first 4 points are all paths I want to ascend, this here is the path I want to leave behind. I can't wait until that time has come.