Comparison is a thief of joy
You are gradually completing your photography “career”. Everyday. Once a week. One photo after another. Pose for a slightly bigger Instagram every time. You can even improve the art with each image you take. Each published edit gets you a little more attention. It can even lead to some money at the end of the day, as you end up getting some paid contracts. But to you, you still seem like an insignificant grain of sand compared to all the famous, experienced and/or wealthy photographers out there. Seeing their numbers on social media makes you lose hope for what lies ahead and, worst of all, feel worthless. It seems they have somehow overcome the imaginary barrier of not being known and are now only monetizing their reputation, notoriety, and/or customer base. But let me tell you one thing to relieve some stress: you are not alone in this.
Sure, there are thousands upon thousands of working photographers making a living taking pictures for paying clients. And I’m incredibly happy for people who earn rent doing something they love. But this article is aimed at those who are not.
The vast majority of photographers are working their hardest to look like they know what they’re doing. The sad truth of the current social network is that the main goal is to look as successful as possible, the best of them, who to follow or hire. I won’t even try to count the number of messages I’ve received over the past few years asking me “how to make it famous”, “how to become a successful photojournalist”. ” or in a similar spirit. Every time I answer those things, I have to be disappointed, because I really don’t know either.
On the surface, I look like I’ve “made it” or “I figured it all out” with all my travels to a war-torn country followed by photo essays in my writing, but let me make one thing clear: I usually just take the cards I’m dealt and do my best to work with them. My photography has yet to give me an edge in the professional world. I don’t earn a steady income from photography. All my documentation work is done for free for the sake of creating it. Do not ask me why. I myself don’t know why. I just know I have to.
Life is in the way
Like most photographers in the world, I have a regular job that requires me to devote at least five, sometimes six days a week to it. Outside of that job, I have a family that needs me at home every day, a daughter that I love so much when I spend time with her. I don’t have as much time to take pictures as I would like. I spend time whenever I can, but not always with success. Sometimes, I go to work a few hours early to spend time photographing the streets of Prague. Or I don’t go straight home after my shift, but instead spend an hour or two in the city with my camera at the cost of not seeing my young daughter for the last few minutes before she is born. Baby goes to bed, maybe once a week. I save up extra money, vacation days, and overtime hours so I can go work on a story I feel close to, even though I could spend that time just relaxing on a vacation.
It was a careful balancing act between my passion for photography and storytelling with being with my family. My daughter is not yet two years old, so every day is different. Every day brings something new. It’s not easy not seeing her from time to time, but I do my best and relentlessly balance my life to follow what I feel is my calling and be the best father I can be. .
Not many people read the stories I brought back, some just skimmed through the photos, and many haven’t even seen them. But a large number of people have sent me incredible messages of encouragement or even gratitude for waking them up to go out and work on their own passion projects. Those are my favorite types of messages and comments that are inspired to create their own.
Beat the race and enjoy the process
However, there are some people who continue to ask the same questions I mentioned earlier. And my answer is always this: don’t do it to be famous. Don’t do it to get rich. Do it because you love photography. Once you realize it brings you joy, you can always find an excuse to pursue it. And if you really love photography, you will continue to pursue it regardless of your outcome or outcome of whatever you consider success.
Apologies in advance for the Thanos involvement, but honestly, I used to think I could finally rest and watch the sun go down on a universe full of gratitude when I hit the follower count.” X”, or when I easily sold out of tickets for exhibitions, or when I already had a series of bestsellers filled with my photos. All of that sounds hard to believe, but I stopped using them to define success for myself. Sure, I wouldn’t mind if that happened, and I know I’d be pretty pleased with myself. But I wouldn’t be disappointed if that never happened.
What’s important to me right now is to just enjoy the journey and figure it all out while I’m going. In the end, everyone does. Just roll with the punches and make the most of your time on this beautiful floating space rock.
