What I Learnt After Shooting 5000 Photos in 5 Days
Note: Earlier this year, in what can only be called a radical -- and visionary -- move, SimpliFlying's CEO Shashank Nigam, announced a policy of "compulsory leaves" for each employee. For every seven weeks of work, we are expected to disconnect completely from work, for a week. (We continue enjoying regular bank holidays and weekends.)
My colleagues Ravi, Marco, and Guen have previously shared their thoughts on this experiment. This is my attempt to assimilate all that happened during my week off -- May 30 - June 5.
I was probably the only one in the team who chose the week off based on when I would not be able to dispense my duties.
I have been trying my hand at photography -- semi-professionally -- over the last few months, and I had managed to snag a plum assignment during the first week of June. For five days, I was expected to be the official sports photographer at the Red Bull Campus Cricket National Finals, at Dehradun (coincidentally, my home-town), in India.
It was the first large project I'd taken on as a paid photographer. Nerves were on edge. Since I am looking to pursue photography as a serious profession soon, equipment -- really, really expensive equipment -- had been purchased. A super telephoto lens had been rented. Everything was set. Hopefully.
(Have I mentioned that SimpliFlying has been utterly encouraging as I've pursued my interests outside of work -- such as in photography, and poetry? For a company with such blissfully flexible working conditions; a constant stream of creative work; and, above all, a sense of belonging, it really isn't surprising that I've been supported this way.)
Poorly planned, but lessons galore
The next five days passed in a daze of shutter clicks; an unending search for creative angles; post-processing frenzy; and the taste of grass and sweat. It was swelteringly hot -- sometimes touching 40 degrees -- and humid.
From 9 am in the morning to about 10 pm at night, I spent my time rushing to and from the working room to the stadium, clicking photographs, delivering, clicking again. Thankfully, the stadium itself is at a breathtaking location nestled amidst tree-splashed hills.
My parents were annoyed that I barely spent any time at home -- that too when visiting after months. I was annoyed that I barely had time to breathe or think -- and that I had to shoot and deliver relentlessly. My perfect vision of the perfect week off had been simple -- sit in a corner and read; sit in a corner and write; stand in a corner and shoot. All this had gone topsy-turvy.
To be honest, I could not have planned it any other way. I was a photographer for hire and was expected to deliver. If there were three T20 matches a day, there was barely any way I could have managed my time better. But, ultimately, the experience left me enriched, and deeply satisfied that I had managed to produce work that was appreciated.
Here's what I learnt:
- Following your passions can be hard too. At times, while standing outside in the merciless sun, clicking shot after shot to get the "perfect" shot, I felt like giving up and going back to a more sedate life behind my laptop.
- There's no better teacher than failure, and near misses. If you know what's going wrong, what works, and what does not, the next shot will be better. (This is true of life in general, I suppose.)
- Listening to experienced professionals can save you many hours of practice. On the last couple of days, I shadowed a senior photographer which helped me iron out a number of things in my technique and taught me more than I'd picked up on my own through the year.
- Even if you've had the most tiring day of your life, knowing that you've accomplished what you set out to achieve will throttle your tiredness.
- Be thankful for the blessings you've received. For me, it's been working at SimpliFlying.
As my colleague, Marco, wrote so gracefully:
It felt good, and it reminded me why I do what I do. Our company has always been a bit different and that's why I joined it.
We never had a physical office, everyone lives wherever he or she wants to, there are no office hours and we see each other somewhere around the world 3 or 4 times a year. The most important thing, however, is that people do this job because they love it, not because they want to make money.
We are not trying to get rich and shopping around for higher wages all the time. We have a job that is integrated into our lives, that pays us back by allowing time to see our friends every evening, to spend time with our families and really live. That to me is worth much more than money.
[You can find more of my photographs at Red Bull Content Pool.]
💡Top Customer Experience Voice💡Founder: Commercial Excellence Partners | Customer Centricity | Speaker | Advisor | Travel-Tech ✈
7y3 key lessons I've taken away reading this and reflecting upon my own experience: following your passion is hard work (even if soulfully enriching); the lessons learnt from failure or near misses seem to stay much longer with you than the occasional highs of daily success; learning from a more experienced person by watching actions taken is priceless, and sometimes a lot better than reading theory. Thanks for sharing. Constantly impressed by you all!
Crafting the future of ✈ @ SimpliFlying | Author | TEDx Speaker | Girl Dad | 🇬🇧 🇨🇦 🇸🇬 🇮🇳
7yGlad you managed to learn by doing!