Many would say that I am not the one to write this article.  You must first achieve success to write about it. The truth is that like each of you I have had my share of both success and failure.  Also like each of you there have probably been more failures than victories.  It is how we look at both failure and success, that determines where we go next.

Most people have a fear of failure, I’ve always had a fear of success.  When you fail, you dust yourself off and there is nowhere to go but up.  When you succeed, the question becomes, where do I go from here.  What will they expect from me now?

When photographers evaluate their images, most make a very critical study of their failures.  They want to know what they did wrong so they do not repeat it. Many if not most of those image makers, take the successful pictures they create and just smile and share.  The tendency is to be happy with their success, take the applause and move on. The best photographers analyze those winning pictures at least as much as the failures. They want to know how to remain a success. They wonder (or worry?) how they can continue to turn out more winners.

If you share an image that is out of focus, poorly exposed, and has no point of view, you will certainly evaluate that image and do better the next time.  You can’t wait to make a better picture and share it. If you win the BBC Wildlife Photographer of The Year Award, staying at that level will be difficult. In fact one step forward and two steps back is often what transpires.  I am not suggesting that you continue to do the exact same thing, and copy your successful images over and over again. I am saying that understanding what makes one photo, or one action in life successful, by studying how and why that happened, is at least as important as understanding why you failed in another attempt.

While success and failure can provide equal amounts of head scratching and quandary, they are the two greatest learning tools you will ever be blessed with.  Use them both wisely.

Well in this part of the world spring seems to be reluctantly moving north.  New birds (and rain) are showing up every day, soon the woodland flowers will appear and then the insects.  Fox and coyote babies are out and about and before you know it, spring will fade into our memories.  Get out and tell us how you feel about spring.  Let your cameras do the talking.

If you have the inclination to check out a burgeoning new star in nature photography, give Laurie Rubin  a look.  I think you will enjoy.

God Bless,                                                                                                                                      Wayne Nelson

19th Century farm house