Even with big, conventional cameras, I was always fast. Not just fast—lightning quick. Friends noticed it, colleagues commented on it, and I knew it about myself. It wasn’t bravado; it was just the way I was wired. Patience? None. Zero. Zip. I had no time to linger, no interest in waiting for the “perfect moment.”
Go, go, go.
Click, click, click.
Couple that with what I’m fairly certain is a lifelong case of undiagnosed ADD, and you’ve got a recipe for speed—pure, unfiltered speed. My mind doesn’t settle; it races. My feet don’t stop; they shuffle. I move at the speed of light, and so does my photography.
But here’s the twist: with my iPhone, I move even faster. I know, I know—it seems counterintuitive. Shouldn’t a smaller, simpler device slow me down, make me think, and encourage a more meditative approach? Maybe for some people. For me, it’s the opposite. The iPhone gives me permission to let go, to shoot with reckless abandon. I don’t overthink. I don’t hesitate. I don’t analyze. I just shoot.
How do you think, over a 13 year period, I’ve managed to shoot over 1 million iPhone phone photos, on 10 devices, in over 50 countries of the world.
And that brings me to the first secret I want to share: analysis leads to paralysis. If you spend all your time debating the angle, second-guessing the light, or questioning whether it’s “worth” taking the shot, you’ll miss it. Every. Single. Time. Don’t wait. Don’t ponder. Don’t overweigh every conceivable option. Just shoot the damn thing.
Click.
Here’s the second secret: I never know if I’ve truly “got the shot” until I’m editing. That’s right. I shoot now, and I figure it out later. Maybe I’ll glance at my screen to double-check focus or exposure, but I don’t dwell on it. I don’t get stuck in the weeds, zooming in and agonizing over details. I keep moving. The world doesn’t pause for me, so I don’t pause for it.
Click, click, click.
And here’s the kicker: more often than not, my impatience pays off. My impulsiveness pays off. The shots are there—raw, unfiltered, brimming with energy. Could I spend more time carefully crafting an image? Sure. There’s a time and place for that kind of contemplative approach, and I honor it when the moment calls for it. But let me tell you something: 90% of the time, hesitation kills creativity.
You don’t have to be perfect. You don’t have to be “ready.” You just have to shoot.
So here’s my gift to you: stop asking questions. Stop waiting for the stars to align. Don’t worry about what’s in the frame right this second. Just go.
Click.
Shoot now. Edit later. Keep moving. Keep clicking.
Jack.
