There's always going to be someone out there better than me... So what!
May 12, 2015• 1 Comment
Even though I've owned my own company since 2011, and have been shooting since 2007, I always feel like a newbie! There are SO many great photographers out there that inspire me every day and make me look at my own work and say... "You've got a long way to go kid!" I know we all start from somewhere, and even those great photographers have taken a not so great photo at some point in their road to perfection. (And FYI I LOVE to see these! It gives me inspiration and hope and also makes me feel better about myself... so please keep posting them!)
Creatively, I have doubted myself on everything. I was almost afraid to try things because they wouldn't be technically correct, not creative enough, not of "professional caliber, that which deserves a high dollar pay." I have a fear of lighting and would just say "I'm a natural light photographer." Which essentially meant.. "I don't know crap about lighting so I'm just going to say that". Even as a "natural light" photographer, you have to learn/know something about lighting. The day someone taught me to move clients into the shade I'm pretty sure a minor explosion "a Ha" moment went off in my brain. "What! No Way! OMG That is SO much better!" Why did I think squinted eyes and huge dark shadows were not easy to overcome? A Little shade action, a reflector and bam... changed the whole dynamic of the picture.
This past year I have been fortunate to intern and shadow some amazing photographers (I only regret not maintaining those relationships as much as I could have). Each and every one taught me something that I can carry with me into my own photography. How to be better at business, how to be creative, how to not plan everything and let the shoot organically progress, how to not be a push over and stand your ground, how to angle clients, how to interact and make them laugh (Michael Gomez I will not be making farting noises at my clients any time soon!) . I wish I had more time to just follow all of them around like a lost little puppy with a sponge to soak up all their knowledge. I can't build my own business lugging around equipment and holding the reflector for them just because I'm scared of pushing the shutter.
I may, or should I blatantly, say I will never be the best photographer ever. And I am (learning to be) ok with that. Something in me is driven by the power to capture a moment, stop life in it's tracks for a millisecond, and freeze time. I know when I compare myself to others, I lose site of the passion I have for photography and how even the most techiniqueless (and yes I know that is not a word) shot will be the one my client loves,. or even makes them cry (which FYI is the BEST feeling in the world for a photographer... when it's tears of joy of course!) Or that one shot that isn't tack sharp will be the one an artists uses as a huge banner on stage and you grimace because it wasn't the one I recommended, but it was the one they thought captured their image the best. I may never be the best photographer ever, but I can offer the best that I am capable and pray that is more than enough.