Vendors sell sports memorabilia at National Convention — Baltimore Sun Video

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“Failure liberates you; it liberates you from the fear of failure; it liberates you from the delusion you can somehow be flawless.”

-Samuel G. Freedman from “Letters to a Young Journalist.”

I’ve learned by now that having a bad shooting day every now and then is inevitable. It’s part of the daily grind. Yesterday was one of those days for me.

I’ve found that on my better days, I don’t have to make a conscious effort to search for an interesting angle. It surfaces on its own. Yesterday, it felt forced. Nothing stood out or caught my eye, and I was thinking too much and not doing enough.

I’m reminded of the mental aspect of tennis, something I’ve learned a lot about over the past few years. When your game is on, you aren’t thinking at all, and the mistakes you make escape your mind immediately. When you aren’t playing well, all you can think about is what you’re doing wrong.

I think that same frame of mind can be applied to photojournalism. Luckily, this is a profession in which you prove yourself anew every day.

Thanks to Chris Assaf for his editing wisdom.