encouragement

On the Fear of Photographing in Public

The joy of photographing on the street comes from close and engaging photos. Displaying the human nature and emotions in a way that the audience can relive these moments requires the photographer to be close and engaging as well. Unfortunately for a lot of us, it is not easy to stand out from the masses and overcome artificial social boundaries.

How to Get Better at Photography

I think you can look around at a lot of the content based around photography on the Internet and extract a theme: people want to be better photographers.

Dear Men: Stop Disrespecting Women Photographers in the Field

Before last week, I hadn’t talked about this outside of my circle of close friends, but I can no longer afford to keep it quiet. As a woman shooting assignments around male photographers on a daily basis, I commonly feel the need to act with bravado in order to prove myself worthy around other -- primarily older, primarily male -- photographers.

Infographic: Building Confidence as a Photographer

If you're just starting out in photography and your goal is to eventually make a living from your photos, one of the big obstacles you'll need to overcome is being bogged down by insecurities. Business and marketing guru Vernon of Shoot and Prosper has created an infographic to guide and encourage those struggling with this issue. It's called "The Ultimate Guide to Building Confidence as a Photographer."

Brutal Truth: Nobody Cares About Your Photography

Ted Forbes of The Art of Photography made this 7.5-minute video in which he talks about a brutal truth of photography: the fact that "nobody is interested in seeing your photographs. Nobody cares about the work that you're doing as a photographer."

Why You Should Take Bad Photographs

Remember your first time taking photographs? I'm talking about before you joined Reddit or a camera forum, before you started posting pictures to Instagram or sharing them with your friends. The time when you considered yourself a hobbyist. The time when you were considered a tourist in your own neighborhood.

‘Fauxtographers’ Go Away!

“Fauxtographer” (according to Urban Dictionary): A person that claims to be a good photographer when in reality they just set their camera to automatic mode a start shooting. This person also happens to fumble over photographic terms or has no knowledge of the terms or switches the color mode to monochrome and calls it artistic no matter what the hell is in frame.

How Long Will It Take to Learn Photography?

How long does it take a person to learn photography? Can -- or should -- you make the jump from newbie to working professional professional in a heartbeat? That's the question discussed in this insightful video by photographer Mike Browne.

The Yin and Yang of Photography: The Artist and the Geek

One of the things I love about photography is it appeals to both the geek and the artist in all of us. On the geek side you have the technical considerations of making an image; the f-stops, shutter speeds, depth of field, histograms, dynamic range, all the stuff we must all master in order to communicate our vision.

Of course we can’t forget about all the ‘geeky’ gear, super telephotos, focusing rails, tele-converters, extension tubes, fill flash, and such. On the artistry side things are a little tougher to define, shape, color, composition, mood, balance, and that fickle mistress light, to mention just a few.

Why You Should Keep on Shooting, Even If No One is Watching

In a world obsessed with views, likes, and viral hits, it can be discouraging to feel like no one is paying any attention to the art you make. If that describes your photography, then you should watch this fantastic 10-minute video essay titled "Painting in the Dark: The Struggle for Art in A World Obsessed with Popularity."

In it, Adam Westbrook of Delve takes a look at the life and work of Vincent van Gogh. Although he is now one of history's most celebrated artists, Van Gogh struggled through years of poverty and obscurity during which no one cared about his efforts.

Opinion: Ignore Mom and Dad — Just Snap Away

Dear young, aspiring artist,

It is no secret that today’s society raised an eyebrow on you when you decided to pursue that degree on photography, graphic design, or whatever you’re passionate about but “doesn’t pay well”. And if you haven’t come to that point in life, give these words a thought.

Develop Your Negatives: How To Turn Bad Moments Into Great Photos

The next time you are frustrated, having a bad day or negativity is simply surrounding you, break the cycle and turn everything around with your photography. It always amazes me how incredibly powerful photography is in bringing light into the darkness of life. While most of the things don’t have this almost magical power, your photography has. It’s one of the most positive things you could do, especially in moments when you need it the most.

Is Your Photography Improving? Graph Your Keepers to Find Out

Are you improving at photography? We probably all ask ourselves the question, yet often we don’t know how to find the answer in any meaningful way. It is something that has nagged me for years, so I finally decided to find out if I really have been improving. Here is how I did it.

8 Tips For Starting a Photography Business

I am often asked for advice by those starting out in the photography industry. And if there’s one thing I have no shortage of, it’s advice. So with that in mind, I present you with my 8 Tips for Starting a Photography Business.

Finding Your Inner Creative Soul as a Photographer

Alright photographers, here’s something esoteric from a person that isn’t esoteric at all. For a minute, let’s just forget about all the settings, lenses and cameras we photographers love to talk about all day long. This article is solely dedicated to your inner creative soul. That deep, underlying voice of your photography that influences all your creative decisions. What is it in you that actually leads to hitting the shutter?

Kill Your Master in Photography

Dear photographer friend,

I wanted to write you a letter on the concept of “killing the masters of photography”. It is kind of a Buddhist philosophy, as well as a philosophy I gained from Seneca, my stoic philosophy hero and mentor.

Dear Photographer, You Only Live Once

Dear friend,

You might have heard the term “YOLO”, which stands for “you only live once”. However, I think most people misconstrue the word. They think that it means to live a life of hedonism and pleasure, and give themselves the license to do stupid stuff and waste their time and money.

7 Things I Learned from My Portfolio Review

Last weekend I went to the small city of Ballarat in Australia for the Ballarat International Foto Biennale. I took a portfolio of prints of my most recent project with me in the hope I would get some nudges in the right direction. I also took part in a one-day workshop led by the very experienced and inspirational Stephen Dupont. While it’s still fresh in my mind, here is what I learned from the experience.

On Feeling Inadequate as a Photographer

My life is pretty good. I live in one of the coolest cities in the world (Toronto), I have a lot of close friends, good family, an amazing girlfriend who loves me, and I’m beginning to think my photography business is sustainable after almost five years of hard work. I’m happier now than I have been for most of my life. But here’s the reality: I am just a blue collar photographer.

You Need More than ‘Natural Talent’ to Make it as a Photographer

Movies on the big screen sometimes have valuable nuggets of wisdom that can be applied to photography (and life). We recently shared one such clip from the movie "The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty." Here's another one from the movie "Boyhood."

In this 3-minute clip, the main character, Mason, has a conversation with his photography teacher, Mr. Turlington, in the class darkroom. It turns out to be a fatherly lecture about the importance of adding hard work and other qualities on top of natural talent.

You Sure You Want to Be a Wedding Photographer?

If you want to be a wedding photographer, you need to stop and think about your life.

So you want to be a wedding photographer? Want to go pro, go full-time, ditch that desk and take the industry by storm? Stop and think about your life. Do you LOVE to work? Like, truly LOVE working? Not the recognition, not the money and the fame, and least of all the internal accomplishment feedback that comes from achieving small successes that only you can see. Nope, you pretty much need to love doing the work.

So, What Kind Of Photographer Are You?

“Hello, my name is Steve, and I’m a photographer.”

I have been told that as a photographer I should be able to explain to people quickly and easily what kind of photographer I am in a sentence or two. This is similar to an artist statement, only much shorter. An example of a great reply to this question would be something like, “Hi, my name is Annie, and I’m an American portrait and celebrity photographer who shoots for editorial and commercial clients like Rolling Stone and American Express.”

Robert De Niro to Graduating Art Students: ‘You’re F**ked’

Robert De Niro was recently invited to give the graduation speech to the 2015 class at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts -- a large audience that included photography students. What he had to say has caused quite a stir.

“Tisch graduates, you made it,” De Niro began. Then, with a pause, he continued: “And, you’re f**ked.”

Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is: Be Inspired by Your Photos

I think, as an industry, photographers talk about inspiration a lot. We are either trying to find it, discover it or attempting to evoke it. I’ve recently found inspiration in the last place I would expect it: in my own work. More than the work, actually, the inspiration is from the subjects. And the inspiration that affected me has nothing to do with photography. Over the last two years, I’ve stumbled into photographing more athletes and fitness enthusiasts, and it has, in great part, inspired me to take better care of myself.

The Only Way to Do Great Work is to Love What You Do

Cinematographer Tucker MacDonald created this inspiring video titled "Find What You Love." It features snippets of commencement speeches given by two men who were titans in their respective fields: tech entrepreneur Steve Jobs and film director Martin Scorsese.

Should We Listen To ‘Critics’ or Show Them The Door?

(The Roosevelt quote above is one of my all time favorites. I have a couple of copies of it and one is on the wall next to my cluttered, USB encrusted desk.)

Ahhh… the world of the artist. A place where we can nurture our ideas and share our bountiful creativity to others who will accept it into their lives with open arms, and smiles of gratitude.

Or… not.

Go Pro? Maybe What You Need is to Go Amateur

Photography is one of the most popular hobbies on the planet, but you’d never know it by reading most photography blogs, podcasts, books, and tutorials. It’s treated as a profession, where the goal is making money, buying more expensive gear or getting your prints into galleries around the world. You’re being enticed to “Go Pro,” and that’s just not realistic for the vast majority of photographers. Most photographers could benefit from going amateur.

10 Beliefs That Suck the Life out of Photographers

What if I told you that it's not the industry, the bad economy, where you live, what camera you shoot with, how many lights you have or how small your Facebook following is that is holding you back. None of those are truly capable of stopping you, they are only challenges for you to meet -- the same challenges everyone who creates art or starts a business has to meet and beat.

How “Doing What You Love” Can Be A Realistic Career Option

Here's a quote from a recent article I read titled "'Do What You Love' Is Horrible Advice": “It’s easy to confuse a hobby or interest for a profound passion that will result in career and business fulfillment. The reality is, that type of preexisting passion is rarely valuable.”

Um…no.

The 52 Week Photography and Business Challenge

Remember when I wrote "Dear New Photographer..." a few months ago? One of the big points I emphasized was valuing your photography and business skills.

Every year, on New Year's Day, the Internet is swarming with shiny new 52 Week Projects or 365 Week Projects directed specifically to photographers. And don't get me wrong -- I love these projects! The idea behind them is to get people shooting more, and shooting more outside their own comfort zone.

10 Photography Resolutions for the New Year

I love New Year’s. Halloween, Christmas and National Cat Day (obviously) are high on my list too, but New Year’s holds a special weight for me. It’s the resolutions that I’m so addicted to.

I love making them. I love hearing them. The idea of a clean slate, filled in with good intentions and exciting possibilities just makes me bubble with anticipation. Yes, I realize I sound like a delirious 12-year old, but my entire personality is a bit like a delirious 12-year old…plus the New Year is here and I’m all sorts of giddy!