If you’re bad at drawing, try photography

Me on my daily quarantine dog walk.

I always thought I had no creative ability until I discovered photography.

Since I was young, I have been constantly jealous of artists. I was actively annoyed by my inability to do simple acts like drawing, painting or even sculpting. Artists always looked so aesthetic as they expressed themselves through a creative medium, and I always wondered, “Why can’t that be me?”

No matter how hard I tried, my art always turned out to resemble toddlers’ scribbles. And for the longest time, I always believed I had no artistic ability — that is, until I discovered photography.

I traveled to New York during winter break of fifth grade, which was when I first started to take photos with the intent of actually making something I’d be proud of. As much as I tried, little fifth-grade-me had no idea what I was doing on my iPhone.

Still, that trip inspired me to take up the hobby.

It also helped that my mother was heavily involved in photography, even going as far as submitting her photos to competitions. I would watch her take and edit photos, and I thought I could never achieve anything on that level.

After the trip, I asked for some help and she taught me the basics of composition, camera operation and what to shoot. I then took her camera, went into our back garden and took some truly atrocious pictures; however, one of those pictures turned out really good — and it still remains one of the favorite pictures I have taken.

Photo by William Norwood

My favorite photo from my first photography session.

Ever so often, I come back to this picture, and each time I find another thing I could have done better. But most importantly, I took the photo, and regardless of how good it was, it was mine.

The pandemic was the best time to take photos for me. I could go on a walk and take photos, then return home to edit them. I used to do this on a regular basis, but as soon as life went back to normal I lost the free time to take photos.

Over the next few years, I sporadically returned back to photography, each time progressively improving. I took portraits, did street photography and shot landscapes, but however much I tried to branch out, I always returned back to my favorite subject matter, plants. I loved taking macro photos to see their intricate details and bursts of colors.

Photo by William Norwood

Picture of a rose bud I took during quarantine.

I was soon forced to branch out when I ran out of local plants to take pictures of, so I attempted more landscape photography.

On my first post-pandemic trip back home to England, I took hundreds of landscape photos to make up for the time spent away. One photo in particular that has since stuck with me is one I spent hours editing in Photoshop for an Instagram story.

Photo by William Norwood

A simple photo of two sailboats with an attempt of a Wes Anderson twist.

I now look back at those first photos and realize that, although I don’t really have any particular natural talent for photography, I certainly won’t let that stop me. I am proud that I can now have a little part of the aesthetic culture surrounding art, and I can now confidently call myself a photographer.