No Deadlines, No Clients… No Problem.

Picture this:
No clients. No stress. No “can you tweak this one by tomorrow?”
Just you, your camera… and that magical morning light you actually woke up early for.

Sounds like freedom?
Welcome to the wonderful life of the hobby – enthousiast photographer.

✌️ You don’t have to. You get to.

Here’s the big win:
You don’t owe anyone anything.
Not a client, not a portfolio, not even your Instagram followers.

So you can:

• Edit however you feel — yes, even with that weird split toning.
• Use RawTherapee today, Darktable tomorrow, and switch again on Sunday.
• Mess up, experiment, learn stuff — with zero risk of a refund request.

In short: photography at your own pace.

💸 Adobe or… adventure?

Adobe’s Photography Plan clocks in around €150 a year.
That buys you some fancy sliders, a logo, and a recurring monthly charge.

But imagine throwing that same money at something else — something real. Something fun. Something with more sunlight and less licensing.

🎯 What could €150 get you instead?

Let’s dream a little:

• A lovely vintage lens with loads of character (and maybe some mystery dust)
• Two large, drool-worthy prints of your favorite shots
• A weekend photo trip to the forest, the coast, or that place with the killer sunrise
• A half-day workshop — and maybe a cookie or two
• A proper tripod that doesn’t wobble like a spaghetti noodle
• A beautiful photo book that makes your coffee table 73% more interesting

And the best part? You get to do this every year. No subscription required.

🛠️ Open Source isn’t second best

Let’s kill the myth: RawTherapee, Darktable and GIMP aren’t “budget Photoshop.”
They’re powerful, nerd-approved, and community-driven — with no price tag and no strings attached.

You get to pop the hood.
Tweak the engine.
Maybe break something and learn in the process.

Sounds fun, right?

📌 Final thought

Photography isn’t about obligations.
It’s about freedom.

So before you auto-renew your Adobe subscription “because everyone uses it,”
ask yourself this:

Do I want to rent my workflow…
…or invest in my photography journey?

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This article was written by Marc R.
While I primarily speak Dutch and have some knowledge of English and a little French, ChatGPT helps ensure my writing is grammatically correct. I often mix Dutch and English in my drafts, and ChatGPT steps in to translate and correct.

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Header picture : Image by fxquadro on Freepik