20/02/2026
The past months have been wild. Big jobs, lots of travel, great results, amazing new clients who want exactly what I love to shoot. On paper, everything was there. Everything that was supposed to make me happy.
Somewhere along the way I started believing every photo needed a purpose. If I picked up a camera, it had to be portfolio worthy. Styling, hair and makeup, a clear concept, a team. Otherwise it felt pointless.
But that mindset made me shoot less and less. Creating turned into planning, coordinating, waiting. And slowly, without really noticing, I stopped having fun.
At the beginning of this year in Cape Town it finally hit me. Maybe I just needed to go back to how it all started. Just me and a model. No team, no client, no pressure, no concept. Just walking around, talking, enjoying the afternoon and taking photos.
So I texted Caro, explained the idea, asked if she was down. She was. We had the nicest afternoon, got some really cool shots, I had so much fun doing what I do again, and afterwards I felt genuinely, deeply happy.
What’s the takeaway? Yes, portfolio work matters. Yes, teams are often necessary for the best results. Yes, big jobs are important. But if you only create from external pressure, you lose the thing that made you start in the first place. Sometimes you just need to go back to that to keep the intrinsic motivation alive.
If you’ve been feeling similar, and I know I’m not the only one, maybe give this a try too.