How to Overcome Burnout in Photography
What’s poppin’, people? It’s Dante.
Going for a nice morning hike here in Fairmount Park, Philadelphia. Welcome to the woods.
Today I’m thinking about burnout in photography — and how to overcome it.
Burnout Starts with the Physical
Burnout is interesting. I think a lot of the time it derives from something very technical and physical.
And I’m gonna be honest with you — I think it’s gear.
We get gear fatigue.
Photography requires you to exist in embodied reality. You need the vitality to move, walk, and act.
But the burden of the camera —
putting it around your neck, wiping the lens, wearing the vest, giving yourself a checklist —
all of that can slowly turn the act of photographing into work.
That’s when you burn out.
Photography as Play
These days, I work in the spirit of play.
I don’t take photography so seriously anymore — and because of that, I find it impossible to feel burnout.
Realistically, the choice of camera plays a huge role.
For me, having a compact digital camera — the Ricoh GR — fits in my pocket.
I don’t even think; I just do.
It’s always with me.
I’m always photographing.
Wow, look at this beautiful tree.
That’s how it feels — a perpetual flow state throughout the day.
Because it fits in my front right pocket, photography becomes effortless.
Gear Fatigue and Decision Fatigue
All the decision fatigue — which camera, which lens, what to shoot — it kills joy.
Stop thinking.
Start doing.
Start living your everyday life and just bring your camera along for the ride.
Photograph what you find on your journey.
For me, treating photography as a visual diary of my day has become the most beautiful way to approach this thing.
Making pictures in the spirit of play allows me to enter flow —
to create freely, without the burden of making something “good” or “bad.”
It’s all about feeding curiosity —
making pictures as a way to affirm life,
to thrive in the mundane,
to find meaning in the ordinary.
The Philosophy of Burnout
If photography feels like a chore, maybe your process is brittle.
Maybe it’s time to embrace play again.
Man, it’s such a beautiful morning.
I love exploring — finding new things in the mundane.
The act of noticing is everything.
And noticing derives from curiosity.
But in this modern world, we lack vitality.
We spend too much time inside.
And that’s where souls go to die.
When I’m outside, moving my body, photographing —
I thrive.
I exist outside the passage of time.
That’s where the ultimate gift lies — in the present.
When I photograph, I affirm life.
When I photograph, I say yes to life with each click of the shutter.
Burnout Is Internal
To overcome burnout is a mindset shift — a philosophical approach to life itself.
Photography fuels my love for life.
So if you’re feeling burnt out, it’s internal.
It’s a physical thing.
If you lack vitality, how can you cultivate curiosity?
Simple habits make all the difference:
- Get deep sleep
- Eat red meat
- Lift things
- Become stronger
Because when your body has energy, your mind has clarity —
and your eyes have curiosity.
Memento Mori
Every night before I sleep, I remind myself that I may die.
I assume when I wake up in the morning that I may not open my two eyes.
And so when I do wake up —
I’m reborn again.
With enthusiasm, strength, and a childlike spirit.
You must remember that you will die —
for only through impermanence do things become fresh again.
Fall in Love with Life Each Day
You won’t feel burnt out when you have abundance of physical energy,
when you cultivate curiosity in the morning,
and remind yourself:
“Wow. I’m grateful to be alive.”
That’s how you overcome burnout.
By falling in love with life each day.
That’s the duty of the photographer —
to fall in love with life over and over again.
Through that love, you’ll walk more, see more, notice more, and play more.
The Amateur’s Mind
If you ever feel like you’ve done it all, seen it all, photographed it all —
return to the beginner’s mind.
Return to the amateur’s mind.
Return to the child’s mind.
That place of being where there is infinite potential, infinite possibility.
A child’s curiosity never dies.
And neither should yours.