Even the Pros Struggle

I subscribe to Thomas Heaton on YouTube. He’s one of the few nature photographers on the video platform who shows the reality of going out into challenging landscapes and coming back with images worth sharing. Not that “coming back with images worth sharing” is the most important part of “going out” (it certainly isn’t for me), but as someone who dares to make a living creating images from wild places, coming back with images that might sell does come in handy once in awhile.

I’ve lived in West Texas for almost seventeen years and still have only a handful of images that I consider “good” from this particular landscape. The blowing dirt and harsh sun can complicate matters of photography, and for those of us not as accustomed to such conditions, it can also complicate the experience.

In short: it’s not easy. For anyone.

That’s why Thomas Heaton’s recent video from Great Sand Dunes National Park is, in my opinion, important as a nature and landscape photographer. In it, you see him struggle with the wind and blowing sand.  

Why is this important? Maybe it’s not, ultimately, but I do think there is value in recognizing that just because someone is considered a “pro” in our field doesn’t mean they wouldn’t struggle if placed in the same conditions in which we struggle.

In other words, the most significant challenges we face would likely be just as difficult for even the most skilled among us. Cut yourself some slack. Feel proud of the work you’ve done. Then get back out there.

Stay focused, friends.

Can we also take a moment to appreciate Thomas filming his experiences working in difficult landscapes, something which I have personally learned is extremely difficult. At one point he stutter-steps between the tripod his still camera is on and the tripod his video camera is on, trying to anticipate which one might be blown over by the wind first so that he can run over and catch it.