Tulip Fest

Ah, it is Spring, and with that comes all the allergies, inconsistent weather, and of course, fun festivals. Myriad Gardens in OKC hosts a Tulip Festival every spring, and this year it was bigger than ever. Like, I remember going to the festival, but from what I remember, it was just the gardens having a curated Tulip section and making it look real nice. Of course it would bring visitors, but you could park on or near the park grounds relatively easily. This year, however, it was packed.

This year they went all out. They had food trucks, vendors, attractions, and picture opportunities, it was awesome. It was hard to be bored in the park today as there was always something to do. It was a great time and I just wanted to share it.

Group of friends gathered outdoors taking photos on a sunny day.

Capturing The Festival

I will be straight up with you all, I did not even know I was going to this thing until the day of. My brother, out of all people, brought up the festival, and Becca and I just happened to not be busy (which is rare), so we said "why not".

This is kind of the point of the blog, on how to capitalize on spontaneity and instead of focusing on getting good pictures, just get out there and live your life. As a photographer, I just happen to take photos while doing the things I want to do. I didn't decide to go with the focus on taking pictures; I decided to go because it sounded fun to me, and my brother wanted to go. My attention was on the people I care about, and the camera, instead of being a focus, was a medium I could share that love with them.

So how did it go? It went great! A bit crowded, as I mentioned before, but I got some fun photos while out and about, and I had a great time doing so. It was fun seeing the different food trucks they were offering, getting a handmade popsicle (which was delicious), and seeing all the fun animals. There were also a ton of photographers there with actual clients, which I don't blame them, but I cannot imagine how stressful it would be trying to get professional images to deliver to clients while in a crowded place with strangers. That kind of thing leads me to my final point, not all cool or pretty opportunities have to be a business opportunity.

Modern glass building with reflecting pool and landscaped walkway on university campus.

Shoot For Fun

The biggest takeaway I had today with this festival is to continue doing what I have been doing lately: focus on shooting for MY enjoyment.

As a professional photographer, especially early on, I did not care if I WANTED to take the pictures, as long as I was getting paid to do so. I was good at it (or so I thought at the time) and people wanted to pay me for it. This created a business-first mindset early on in my photographic career. If you have been following me, you know my transition to my current photography first approach, but early on, I was so focused on making money. I would see cool events as mini photoshoot opportunities. I would try to make deals with businesses (big and small) to get paid to photograph for them, and I wouldn't pick up my camera if they didn't pay me. If you are trying to only make money with a camera, all of this is well and good, but it killed the joy I had for the art. Hell, I didn't even see it as art, it was a service and only a service. So being out there today at the festival, I just reminded myself on how far I have grown as an artist, how I didn't view this as a business opportunity, and how I WANTED to take every frame I got from the festival today. That enjoyment I felt is worth more than a potential mini shoot I could have booked, and I think you can view that in the quality of the images.