I recently went on vacation with my wife where I attempted to create some new images. I always find it difficult to split my attention between two purposes; vacationing and creating. This has been an ongoing conflict, trying to be there for my family but also wanting to create in some wonderful locations.

 

Some of the challenges I face are: 

 

The family hates waiting for me while I photograph and they no longer believe me when I say "I'll only be 10 minutes!" 

 

I feel guilty taking time from the family to photograph...but I so want to get that shot!

 

Photographing on vacation makes me feel rushed, and my creative process does not like to be rushed. 

 

The family wants to help me out by pointing out every "great shot" they see. I know they are trying to be helpful, but what they think is a great shot differs from what I think.

 

I cannot be creative on a moments notice but rather need 2-3 days of full time shooting just to get into the "seeing mode" as I call it. And yet while on vacation I'm forced to carve out an hour here and an hour there, and so it's hard to get into that mode.

 

But as I reviewed my past vacation images, I realized that despite my conflicted feelings, I have been able to reach a compromise between family and photography. 

 

Sure, I'd prefer to create images on a dedicated photo trip, but photographing while on vacation still beats the alternative of not photographing at all! 

 

Here are some images from past vacations:

 

 

 

 

 Chuzenji-ko - My wife and I were visiting my son Corby who was a Marine serving in Japan. We visited the Village Chuzenji-ko and they took a walk and talked while I photographed.