Getting back into photography

I'm trying to get back into photography, but it's typically a hobby that triggers my perfectionism too much. I am not happy with any photo I take, that's why I stopped about 11–12 years ago.

This time, I'm trying to be more forgiving (my personal growth theme for this year). I'm picking up this hobby again, and I'm trying to be more open to what constitutes "a nice photo".

The first phase is going on photography walks, while just taking pictures of everything I find interesting. I have to get used to taking photo's again, how the settings on my camera work, what a nice frame for the shot is, etc. All this requires: volume. Going for a walk with the camera seems to be the best option for this.

The challenge I've set myself is to not be critical of any photo I take. (difficulty level: hard)

The camera I've chosen for this phase is my old Sony RV100 IV (bought in 2017, camera was released in 2015). It's not modern, and it has a lot of limitations, but that doesn't matter for now. It's small, lightweight, and there is no barrier to bring it with me everywhere I go.

Please enjoy some photos from a walk in my neighbourhood.

What I like about these photos is that they give an insight in what people in my neighbourhood like to do during the hot days in summer. They are chilling at the edge of the river Vecht, they are fishing, going for an evening stroll, walking their dog, all normal things. I liked taking pictures of these normal activities! Also pictured are some buildings in Oud-Zuilen: the church and a beautiful house. In the picture where people are fishing, you can also see the local restaurant, which is the white building.

In general, I love shooting pictures of:

• architecture
• nature
• people just going about their business
• interesting details

A problem I run into is that I often feel self-conscious with the camera in my hand. I feel like other people are judging me for taking photo's, and I do feel some doubt placing random people in my shots. I prefer it if their faces aren't visible.

None of the photo's on this page have been edited, btw. I don't feel like doing that as of now, as again, the goal is mostly focused on getting practice in.

This is the YouTube video that inspired me to pick this up again. Shout out to Emily for making this video, I needed that.