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Photography vs Programming: a Minimalist Perspective

·2 mins
Photography Photography Personal Minimalism

As I build my photography side hustle while working full-time as a software engineer, I keep returning to one idea: minimalism. Both fields pull me in different directions. Programming has taught me to strip things down to their essentials. Photography constantly tempts me with more gear, more tools, more stuff. Balancing the two has made me think deeply about what minimalism really means in creative work.

The Simplicity of Code
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In programming, I live in a world of virtual tools. A laptop, an editor, a few accounts, and I can build almost anything. Over the years, these tools have faded into the background. GitHub, IDEs, frameworks, and cloud platforms all exist, but they feel weightless. They live on the screen, not in my bag.

I realize now that minimalism in programming isn’t about using fewer tools. It’s about mental clarity. Once I’ve internalized the workflow, the complexity disappears. I don’t think about the tools anymore; I just build.

The Weight of Gear
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Photography feels the opposite. Everything is physical. Cameras, lenses, flashes, stands, cards, and reflectors. Even the light itself becomes something to shape and carry.

I started out thinking I only needed a camera and a lens. Then I realized I needed backups. Then storage. Then a system to deliver photos. Suddenly I had websites, client portals, editing software, and AI culling tools. Each one useful, but together they formed a kind of noise.

As someone drawn to simplicity, I found it exhausting. I don’t want a closet full of gadgets. I want space to focus on light, composition, and story.

Choosing Less
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Minimalism in photography is harder, but not impossible. I’m beginning to design my workflow around doing more with less. One or two cameras. A good lens. Natural light when possible. Renting studio space at Maker’s Gym in Frisco gives me access to lights and backdrops when I need them, without owning them.

For editing, I stick to Lightroom and plan to automate where I can. I want fewer tools but more intention. Each tool should serve the art, not the other way around.

Related

Photography in the age of Generative AI

·1 min
Photography Photography
Generative AI has made my job as a software engineer much easier, but it’s also a bit scary. The question everyone is asking is whether AI will replace my job. The next question is, what can I do to secure my future? What are the skills that are hard for AI? For years, I have enjoyed photography, and I hope to turn it into a business when I retire to stay busy. It does seem that generative AI will eliminate the need for a lot of photography as well. Businesses could create ads from quick snapshots of their products, and people could generate professional photos from their family snapshots, etc.

My Photography Workflow with Lightroom, SmugMug, and iPad Pro

·2 mins
Photography Photography
Ever since I bought iPad, I have tried to make it my main computing device. I love the form factor. I love many apps on it. I have really started to enjoy many photography apps on it. Touch screen makes a lot of sense for photo editing. Snapseed, Apple Photos, Affinity Photo are my favorite photo apps on the iPad. But it has been hard to incorporate it in my photography workflow. So my current workflow looks like this:

My New Photography Workflow with iPad Pro and Lightroom 6

·4 mins
Photography Photography
Update: Here is my current workflow. Now that I have a 10.5" iPad Pro, I am trying real hard to use it as a productive machine, possibly as a main machine. Unfortunately, it has been a challenge. I almost want to return it but I really love the form factor of iPad. I am hoping that in the next few updates, it will be almost usable as a main machine. For programming, I am in love with mosh shell. Yes this is cheating by doing real work on a VPS but it is actually an enjoyable experience.