5 Tips for ‘Making It’ In Landscape Photography
Landscape photographer Thomas Heaton has set aside his gear for a moment to lay down some words of wisdom in this 11-minute video. In it he presents 5 great tips on how to further your landscape photography career.
Tip 1: Quality Over Quantity
Only publish your best photos. Think of your favorite photographers, Heaton says. How many photos of theirs can you remember? By publishing only your best work, people know that when you put something out in to the world, you consider it to be quality.
Tip 2: Create More Than an Image
Think bigger than just one image. Standalone images can be powerful, but you should be thinking about the broader story behind your work. Publications don’t usually want just a single image, they want a series of images with text to create a story. By linking images together, you can create a feature that is much more likely to get published.
An additional tip: media outlets love anything to do with the weather. If you find yourself in some kind of unusual weather event, consider taking a series of images and submitting it to different publications. Heaton suggests Rex Features, Science Photo, and Bav Media as potential places to submit your photos.
Tip 3: Be Original
Find your style. Landscape photography is incredibly saturated, and your images need to stand out somehow. The most iconic locations have been shot to death. As Heaton says, finding a way to take original images is the greatest challenge in landscape photography today.
Tip 4: Don’t Be Shy
Converse with other photographers. Contact them on social media, chat to them in the streets and get to know people. Networking is important – as other people see your name popping up more often, they’ll start to learn who you are and what you specialise in. If your work is good, this is how you will find jobs.
Further, if you can think of a collaborative idea that will benefit another photographer, consider reaching out to them, regardless of the size of their follower base. If it benefits them, they may just say yes. And if it benefits them, it is likely to benefit you too.
Tip 5: Manage Your Ego
You don’t know everything, you’ll never know everything, and you’ll never be the best. Accepting this and checking your ego will allow you to grow as a photographer and make you more open to trying new things.
Understand that you can’t please everybody and that you will always receive unproductive criticism from other people. Focus on what you love and your skills will develop naturally and in a style unique to yourself.
The world of landscape photography is hard to break in to, but with these tips from Thomas Heaton and a lot of perseverance, you may just be able to make a name for yourself. You can also find more of Heaton’s inspiring videos on his popular YouTube channel.
