Who defines what the perfect photo looks like? Who has the overarching authority to look at an image and give you the thumbs up or thumbs down? As a photographer, the hardest thing to conquer is self doubt. It is easy to get down on yourself when no one comments on your craft, or no one gives rave reviews, or even a lack luster response at that. Someone once told me that it doesn't matter what other people say, what matters is how you feel about it. For two years I have grappled with that life lesson. When I started out, I was making business cards, launched a website, posted photos, was doing photo shoots, sharing my work and getting no response. I thought I wasn't doing the right things, shooting the right people, doing a good enough job, and all the hard work I was putting in was not making an impact. Those words of advise were the hardest pill to swallow.
How do you breakthrough all the noise that social media throws out at you and how do you stand out amongst the crowd? What is interesting enough is that its not so much about what you post, but why you post it. With whatever you are wanting to share to the world are you interested in what others have to say? Looking for validation to know what you are doing is of quality? Or are you sharing to truly add to a body of great work and allow others to take in whatever it is you have to offer without expectation of anything in return? The latter is where you should be. That proves difficult because it is in our nature to want to be wanted, validated, and know that we are being noticed. To breakthrough the noise is a feat that may be insurmountable but it shouldn't be about the breakthrough, but more about the message.
My passion for photography and media is something that can't be measured by how many people like a photo or a video I produced. Success of a job well done isn't measured by how much money you make or even how many people were impacted. At the end of the day, with whatever you do, if no one says anything be ok with that. So long as you are putting your best foot forward, being genuine, and know you couldn't have done anything different for that outcome to have happened, mark it as a job well done and move on to the next venture and continue to improve for yourself. The moment you do something in order to fulfill someone else's ego is the moment you lose yourself.
One day I might take the perfect photo. One day I may even produce the most compelling short film. Today I am ensuring that the goals I set for myself, the body of work I continue to make, and the messages I intend to share, tell a story of the past, present and future. The support that I have received to date has been a blessing. Expressing yourself through any form is a vulnerability. It takes a lot to truly show who you are to people you may or may not know. To be vulnerable is to live life to its fullest and in my search to find the perfect shot I have found that each picture, each video, each story, has a level of perfection that I see as being worthwhile.
Find the perfection in what you do and the things you will do in the time to come will be limitless.
How do you breakthrough all the noise that social media throws out at you and how do you stand out amongst the crowd? What is interesting enough is that its not so much about what you post, but why you post it. With whatever you are wanting to share to the world are you interested in what others have to say? Looking for validation to know what you are doing is of quality? Or are you sharing to truly add to a body of great work and allow others to take in whatever it is you have to offer without expectation of anything in return? The latter is where you should be. That proves difficult because it is in our nature to want to be wanted, validated, and know that we are being noticed. To breakthrough the noise is a feat that may be insurmountable but it shouldn't be about the breakthrough, but more about the message.
My passion for photography and media is something that can't be measured by how many people like a photo or a video I produced. Success of a job well done isn't measured by how much money you make or even how many people were impacted. At the end of the day, with whatever you do, if no one says anything be ok with that. So long as you are putting your best foot forward, being genuine, and know you couldn't have done anything different for that outcome to have happened, mark it as a job well done and move on to the next venture and continue to improve for yourself. The moment you do something in order to fulfill someone else's ego is the moment you lose yourself.
One day I might take the perfect photo. One day I may even produce the most compelling short film. Today I am ensuring that the goals I set for myself, the body of work I continue to make, and the messages I intend to share, tell a story of the past, present and future. The support that I have received to date has been a blessing. Expressing yourself through any form is a vulnerability. It takes a lot to truly show who you are to people you may or may not know. To be vulnerable is to live life to its fullest and in my search to find the perfect shot I have found that each picture, each video, each story, has a level of perfection that I see as being worthwhile.
Find the perfection in what you do and the things you will do in the time to come will be limitless.