It’s already time to wrap up Photography Tips month! I’ve shared simple things you can do to improve the quality of your photos, my advice for getting natural poses and expressions, and an easily avoidable mistake. And today I want to share a message that will hopefully help you feel less overwhelmed in your journey to become a better photographer and documenter.

I’m talking about photography here even though this really is a mantra for LIFE. I’ve been a professional photographer for almost 10 years and I can still find something to critique about every.single.photo that I take. Instead, I want you to focus on the way a photo makes you FEEL.

As you’re reviewing your camera roll, deciding which photos to keep and which photos to delete (sidenote: this is an awesome habit to develop for keeping your photos under control… I recommend doing it daily or weekly), try not to focus only on the technical aspects. If you connect with the photo, if it makes you feel something… poor exposure + missed focus + awkward crops don’t matter. Not to mention, many things can be fixed with a simple edit (you know I have some great, easy to follow online courses about photo editing, right?)!

This photo of my son at 8 months old is a great example. I missed the focus on his eyes and obviously it’s full of motion blur. However, it’s one of my FAVORITE photos of my son as a baby. The motion blur makes me remember how much he wiggled. How he’d flap his arms excitedly and smile at me. This photo, in all of its imperfection, makes me FEEL intense feelings. I’m so glad I didn’t leave it on the cutting room floor.

Remember perfect doesn’t exist, friend. In your life, your work, your diet, your family… so why would you expect it from your photos?