Photography is not a job, it’s a way of life.

Think about it. How many times have you gone on holiday without your camera? How many dinner parties do you go to where you are not asked to take the host’s camera and take a picture of the assembled guests.

Not that I’m complaining, I love what I do, and the day I stop feeling like taking my camera out when looking at a sunset on a beautiful beech is the day they can dig a hole and plant my bones.

That said, as a professional, it is often hard to retain the joy that you had when you first started. The risk is that you will lose the excitement and joy that comes with communicating through pictures as you start to communicate the messages of others, rather than your own.

It need not be like that though.

With a little bit of effort and the minimum of thought, it is easy to stay in love with photography.

I regularly set myself photographic challenges and goals. For instance, once in a while I try to go shoot a subject that I never get to do professionally and of which I have very little experience. This forces me to move out of my comfort zone and often helps me to sharpen my skills.

For instance, as a photojournalist, my photographic work mostly takes place on location, working with available light, so when I want to throw myself a curveball, I book a day in a studio, which is a different world altogether.

Then there is the question of inspiration.

Professional photographers spend a lot of time looking at their own work, and without care, one might become so entrenched in your own groove that it turns into a rut, and your work becomes stilted and stale.

My solution to this problem is to make sure I spend a lot of time looking at the work of my peers and those I admire. I buy good quality magazines, and not just of the photographic variety, wildlife magazines, news magazines, even fashion magazines, anything as long as the images are of outstanding quality.

But by far my number one rut beating tip is to keep a journal. Write down your photographic thoughts and ideas. This will keep you thinking about photography, and the mind is where good pictures are born.