How to be an AWESOME Photographer (Stop Overthinking)

Let’s be honest, everyone has dreams and aspirations in life. Whether it be financial freedom, becoming internet famous, or being a successful photographer. The reality is, few people actually chase their goals. People instead choose to continue a life of complacency. Many people fall into this category. Worse are those who decide they want to chase their goals, but never make it out of the planning phase. They are the ones who sit and daydream rather than take action.

My goal is to never allow my progress to slow due to inaction. Here are a few reasons why:

You come up with plan after plan

But for what?

Overthinking is Dangerous

Don't overthink the whole thing. While planning is a crucial step in any process, one has to realize when it is time to take action. This is something that I have struggled with. You want to go out and make things happen. But what if people don’t like your photos? What if you’re not good enough? What if no one sees your content? You come up with plan after plan, contingency after contingency, but for what? To sit there and never take action? There comes a point where you have to say “screw it” and dive in. Spend more time doing and less time worrying.

Practice Makes Perfect (duh)

If you never practice, how can you expect to learn? This should go without saying, yet its still an issue faced by many young creatives. If you’re a photographer, go out and shoot. If you are a writer, sit down and write. No excuses. Get serious about what you want, and practice the skills necessary to make it happen. My photos today are 100x better than those I took when I first started. This isn’t due to anything special. I got out there and practiced. I still practice daily.

A Strong Portfolio is Crucial

As a direct result of putting in the practice, you’ll create a sizeable collection of work. Having a strong portfolio is critical. For photographers, the more images you have, the more material you have to work with. You don’t want to showcase weak images in your portfolio because you don’t have enough work. Keep practicing and contributing strong images to your portfolio along the way.

Networking Leads to Opportunity

I can’t emphasize this point enough. Putting yourself out there gives you the opportunity to meet others doing the same thing as you. Some of the most cliche advice is to surround yourself with like-minded people. It’s no coincidence that everyone says this. It is 100% true. Networking is paramount in any industry, especially as a creative. Connecting with people has many benefits. That person you ran into on the street because you decided to go out and shoot one night, instead of sitting around watching Netflix, could be the person who lands you your next job.

Opportunity Leads to Growth

Opportunity is how we grow.

Practicing, portfolio building, and networking all lead to this.

Opportunity is how we grow. This is the most important reason to get out and start creating. Practicing, portfolio building, and networking all lead to this. Don’t stop there, either. Create your own opportunity. Reaching out to people is an amazing way to grow. So many people don’t take advantage of this, and I can’t understand why. All it takes is sending an email: “Hey! Let’s work together!”. If they say no, so be it. If they say yes, then you scored. All with minimal effort.

You’ll be hard pressed to find a successful photographer who isn’t focused on the points above daily. The bottom line is this: Get out and do. Nike was on to something when they said “Just do it”. It’s simple advice. No one said it had to be complicated.

This is something that I will stay focused on moving forward. I’d love to hear from you! What are some things that motivate you to get out there and start doing? Let me know in the comments.

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