How to have a distraction-free phone without crippling it

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I truly believe smartphones are the single most empowering tool of our era. These little devices can do things we couldn't even dream of just a few years ago, no matter where we are.

With great power comes great responsibility, though.

My phone has greatly improved my photography, but it's also hurt it. I've found myself losing track of time while on my phone and missing shooting opportunities, like a sunrise in the morning. I've also found myself replying to tweets in the middle of a shoot, just because I grabbed my phone to meter the scene and saw the notification.

To avoid stuff like this, many people go to the extreme of keeping just the very basic apps on their phones. This is a mistake, in my opinion. Trying to avoid the downsides of using a smartphone, they are also missing out on the good stuff.

I believe there's another way, a way where we can still take advantage of these devices while limiting their negative effects.

This what I've come up with (this is for iOS, but Android should provide similar functionality).

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The conflict between the two sides of photography

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Photography is a weird activity in that it involves very active periods of time, followed by stretches of inactivity.

The time we spend outside shooting will inevitably produce work that we'll need to perform inside: working either in the darkroom or in front of the computer, or both.

Finding a balance between these two sides of photography is not easy, and having a regular schedule is almost impossible. If your photography happens outdoors, you have to adapt to things out of your control like the weather.

I find myself being most inspired early in the morning, for both the action of shooting and the more inactive parts of photography, like printing / developing images, writing on the blog or editing a video.

That creates a conflict between those two different sides of photography.

I would love to have a morning routine where I sit down and write or edit, slowly sipping and enjoying my coffee. But when would I go out and shoot? Most of my photography is made at that time.

I also struggle switching from one side to the other: I find myself doing one or the other side of photography for a few days in a row, and that really shows on the side that I neglect.

On the other hand, I feel like taking a break from either side of photography is at times very good for me.

I don't know if there's an answer to this, maybe there isn't one.

Sony a6000 + Sigma 30mm f/1.4 in Roscoff, Brittany

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We visit the small town of Roscoff, in Brittany, France, as I try a relatively new lens to me: the Sigma 30mm f/1.4.

Despite having the f/2.8 version, I decided to pull the trigger when I found a good deal on this one. 2 stops faster, but what else does it offer? Is it good for video?

Find out what I think about this lens after a little montage I made using the Sigma paired with my old and trusty Sony a6000.

This is something you have to do every day

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Casey Neistat tells us to show up every single day.

I think it was Michael Kenna who said, during an interview, that photography is something you have to do every day.

Showing up doesn't mean that we have to shoot every day. There's so much more to photography than using a camera: from developing / editing the images to publishing and promoting them, organizing your work in books, contacting models, agencies or brands, uploading stock images, planning your next trip, even cleaning your gear or posting on Instagram.

The point is: photography has to be in our minds every day, and we should make every day count, even if it's just a little bit.

Empty your mind

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"The mind of the beginner is empty, free of the habits of the expert, ready to accept, to doubt, and open to all the possibilities." - Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind

To make great images, you need to look and see. Some of us seem to lose the ability to do so when we stay in the same place for a while, when we get used to what surrounds us.

Josef Koudelka never stays more than three months in one country. He's afraid he'd become blind.

If you struggle to see in familiar scenes, try something different. Try street photography, still life or portraits. Shoot with your phone or pick a different lens. Try to make images "the wrong way" by following bad practices.

Mixing things up every once in a while helps us to unlearn some habits and open your mind.

Photography Waves

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Making images that matter is not an easy task, and we can go several days, weeks or even months without making one.

We must persist.

I believe in Photography Waves: days when the conditions are perfect, or you are extremely inspired, or the Muse is on your side... whatever the reason is, you make not only one but several meaningful images in one day.

"I could do that!"

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I believe the best art is the one that makes you think: "I could do that".

When a movie is so well directed and edited that seems it couldn't be any other way, we think we could do that.

When an image is simple -yet powerful-, we think we could do that.

Truth is, simplicity is the hardest thing to achieve.

"I could do that!" is the ultimate compliment to your art.

It's ok to be miserable

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Note: I have an audience of one in mind when I write these kinds of posts - me. While some might find them useful anyway, it's me writing to myself, about things I struggle with.

I rarely get a good image from a trip that didn't require a big effort from me, so big that it made me feel miserable (unfortunately, it doesn't work the other way around: feeling miserable doesn't guarantee that I'll get a good image).

My best images were made on days where I had to push myself beyond not only my comfort zone, but also what I thought were my limits.

I love the feeling of exhaustion after a whole day of shooting, looking at those negatives or RAW files, and finding out you captured what you saw.

It's ok to be miserable. It feels good.