People message me for advise about the business side of photography. Don’t ask a photographer such questions. Most of them haven’t got a clue. Me included. I just know that I try to focus entirely on doing only what I love. People message me telling me how much they admire my talent. That’s kind and very much appreciated, but, frankly, I don’t believe in my talent. I know how much time and effort I put into this job and on trying to hone my skills and improve my eye for detail. It’s been a long journey so far.
In many ways I’m the typical example for somebody who’s bound to fail in a creative business. I had to learn the hard way how to price my work. You will never be able to make a living from a creative job if you try to compete in the price. I’m more introvert and definitely not the most self-confident person. I would rather like to wait for opportunity to strike (which very seldom or never happens). But it just doesn’t work that way. I, too, keep focussing on my insufficiencies, the things I still don’t get right. In many ways it seems like a miracle that I run a successful photography business.
From my experience, success is the sum of highs and lows, self-doubts, worries, continuous education, and a ridiculous amount of patience and tenacity.
If you still manage to enjoy the process, you have a chance to succeed. To me success doesn’t mean that I have lots of money, it means that I am able to spend my time doing what I love and make a living from it. Currently I am able to do this, but I’m not taking it for granted. As a photographer you have to be extra ambitious, extremely patient and learn to be an optimist. I’m enjoying the process thoroughly and gradually learning to embrace every mistake I make or any imperfections I might discover over time, because it means that I learnt something along the way. Thankfully, this will be a life-long task. Nothing happened over night for me.
Forget talent, and keep your main job as long as necessary.
Listen to an interview I gave to Neale James of The Fujicast podcast to get some more information on how I got into photography:
Read an interview on Prodibi:
Take care. And best wishes from all of the Wieselblitz bunch.
