Ending the Search for Perfection.

The first 30+ years of my life were an agonizing search for perfectionism. 

During my school days, that showed up as not feeling like enough when I would get an A or B grade. It had to be an A+.

Later, in my photography practice, the search was for technical perfection. Getting the right settings, the right focus, the right composition. It was honestly crippling. I was known to set up my tripod when I spotted a subject, spend 20 minutes getting the camera dialed in, and then… I’d decide the shot wasn’t good enough. Absolutely frustrating.

Has wanting to take the perfect shot ever held you back?

In 2024 I saw Miho Kajioka’s work, and it was an awakening. I suddenly realized my photos didn’t have to be perfect. I learned that I could experiment, play, and have fun. Maybe the photograph would work out, maybe it wouldn’t. But I’d have a good time trying, and probably learn something along the way.

Of course, making the change from perfection to play doesn’t happen overnight. Even 2 years later, I still catch myself wanting everything to be just right. 

Case in point– this past April, I took a day trip to New York City. My joke of the day was that I was going to “shoot with reckless abandon” anything that interested me as I walked 10 miles around the city. In reality what happened was I would see an interesting subject or location, and just like the old days, not take the shot.

As the day went on and I realized I had only taken a few photos, I began to get frustrated with myself. Why couldn’t I take any photos? Why was I passing up all these opportunities? 

I took a deep dive into the issue. Ah, yes, I was seeking perfection again. I didn’t take that photo on the bridge because I didn’t think the people were standing in the right places. I didn’t take that photo on the street because the light wasn’t just right. 

“Remember: even the pros don’t get it right all the time...
If something catches your eye, follow through.”

I began to think about successful street photographers, and talented photographers in general. I thought about their seemingly perfect photographs where everything was exactly as it should be. And then it hit me: they probably had hundreds of imperfect shots. They picked one good picture out of 100 bad ones. I reminded myself how often a shot surprised me, where I thought nothing of it when I exposed the image, only to see how special it was when I had the film developed. That kind of thing happened all the time, so why was I so concerned with “getting it right?”

That’s when my day changed. I really tried to embody the “reckless abandon” I joked about. I took photos while walking, shot from the hip, tried things that might not work. I had hopes, but no expectations. In the end, some of the photographs came out pretty cool. But the best part was the mindset change.

If you’re like me, it can be difficult to break the habit of perfectionism, but it is so rewarding. Remember: even the pros don’t get it right all the time. It’s okay to make mistakes, just try to learn from them. Do things that might fail. Take chances. If something catches your eye, follow through. And, as my mentor endearingly tells me: “just take the damn picture!”