When can I call myself a 'Photographer'?
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- Опубликовано: 13 окт 2024
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Music licensed with Epidemic Sound:
'When Sun Meets Moon' by Gavin Luke
In this video I answer a question I hear a lot, "When can I legitimately call myself a photographer?' I also share some thoughts on Imposter Syndrome, the fears which drive it, and give some ideas about how to deal with it so you can get back to making images.
#impostersyndrome #photography #inspirational
I heard something a while that said something along the lines of “you’re a photographer as soon as you intentionally compose a photo”.
Amen
I am an amateur photographer who particularly enjoys macro, but my main love in art is wood carving. My family and friends tell me my work is exceptional but I only see my errors. I appreciate this video. Please keep making your content. Sometime I may actually show my work to someone else 👍❤️
I started shooting 5 years ago. And I'd had an Instagram account for 3 years. And I didn't post for the longest time, because I didn't feel like I was good enough, or struggled with the idea that people found my pictures boring. It wasn't till recently that I took some pictures of a Forest fire where my uncle lives, and I shared them with him and he asked if he could share the pictures with the local newspaper, and they accepted one of my pictures. It blew my mind. And then shortly after that I was talking to one of my aunts friends(who happened to be an artists Coach, that helped people overcome artist blocks of all things) at a party, and she asked to see some of my work, and she loved my work, and then challenged me to post 100 pictures in 30 days on IG. So I finally after I had my picture accepted by the paper, it was the push I needed to get over the hump of "my pictures are too boring", to finally say "what have I got to lose" so I took the challenge. It took about a month before I took the jump. But having done it. Its helped calm my nerves in regards to sharing my work in a public forum.
What’s your ig? I’d love to check it out
what's your Instagram handle? I would love to see your work.
Always a good day when you release a new video Sean.
So many of us will benefit from hearing this balanced and rational perspective. You have done many a great service with this peice.
Sean is just great bro. he is the reason i am in film school if i'm being honest. I haven't even graduated yet, but I'm already earning a living from taking pictures. I have met some of my favorite musicians as a camera operator, and if I didn't see that video he made about his street photography experience with the Ricoh GR III, i probably wouldn't be where i am. He's been a huge inspiration and an insightful mentor. I love him so much, and i love his work. God bless him.
That's so kind mate, thank you.
Thanks so much Matt.
7:11 "If I know where I’m actually at, and I’m willin to be honest about it, then I’m not a pretender to something that I don’t have, and so I don’t have to deal with imposter syndrome."
This sentence is gold. Even though I wouldn’t have been able to put it that well, I started to understand this maybe two years ago. And it freed me to ACTUALLY pursue my goals. I’m transitioning to making photography my full-time job at the moment and it wouldn’t have been possible if I hadn’t let go of the idea of having to be perfect.
Thanks Rick:)
@@seantuck Thank YOU! ;) "The Meaning in the Making" played a big role in my journey! In combinadion with "Art & Fear".
Thanks for the great message, Sean. I work in healthcare and impostor syndrome is so common but rarely spoken of. I’ve learnt to embrace it and use it to reflect on improvements, but as an amateur photographer I often find it creeping up again.
It doesn't help when your social conditioning says you must be humble and self deprecating at all costs. It took me awhile to own that I could consider myself a photographer even as a hobbyist. It took me awhile to realize it's ok to defend my artistic choices. Just the other day I posted a nature shot to a forum I belong to and the critical suggestions began to come in. Some I decided to try in a re-edit. Two people described a bird passing through the composition as distracting. I sat on that for several hours instead of going with a knee jerk reaction, then responded. "Ah, but the bird does not care what any of us think, it was just being a bird, doing bird things. I swear, I am going to have a tee shirt blazoned with the words, 'Nature does not care about your photo.'" Cartier-Bresson would have left the bird in, I bet.
Thanks as always for great content.
In this case, just ask yourself if YOU like the bird being in the shot. If so, keep the bird!
Motivation is the key for my artistic happiness. Photography (for myself) is a compulsion, and not a money making scheme to get away from my day job. I shoot accordingly and the pieces fall into place, sometimes I make money from a project, sometimes I'm paying out of pocket for gear... either way that photo will be taken, because I need to take that picture...
Imposter syndrome doesn't happen just in the creative arts.
I'm a Registered Nurse (retired).
Conversation one evening in the nurses station of an Emergency Department:
Me: "I'm the most incompetent nurse I know."
Other nurse: "Chuck, I've never seen you make a mistake."
Me: "Then you aren't watching close enough because I make hundreds of mistakes a day."
We can get so hung up on the mistakes that we make that we overlook the positive things that we do.
How does this relate to photography? Well, recently I came across an old, dusty folder of photographs I took over 30 years ago. As I looked through them, I thought to myself, "These are pretty awesome photographs!" At the same time, I remembered how I was so critical of the mistakes (I thought) I had made in these photographs at the time. Thinking they were only, "meh." Years later, I find them to be pretty darn good and thinking to myself, "how did that happen?" As I take photographs today, I look at my photographs and think, "meh." 30 years from now, my descendants may look at them and might actually say, "hey, these are pretty awesome photographs!"
If perfection is stagnation, then Heaven's a swamp.- Richard Bach
Thanks mate, good point and great quote:)
Getting connected or even a casual chat with another photographer whose work you like can be huge. A local guy is a fantastic bird photographer with his work getting published in prestigious bird related publications. One day I just flat out asked what tips he had to get better shots of birds and he shared them them without hesitation. They immediately elevated my attempts from "hmm" to "hey, not bad!"
But even better is one someone reaches out to you for tips! That happened to me earlier this year and was quite a compliment.
I love teaching people that are less skilled than myself and I also enjoy seeing other's work because I learn from them as well. I've learned that there are various levels of skill and natural ability! Someone just starting and learning how to set up shots on their camera can put you in awe with their natural ability or eye for creating images!
I think the quotation "Comparison is the thief of joy" is apropos to this topic.
Great insight and advice as always. This especially speaks to me as someone who took up more serious photography later in life. I need to remember it's okay if I don't know as much as the "kids" 🙂
I appreciate the advice you give. Really puts things in perspective. Thank you!
Its good of you to bring this up. Speaking about myself, I feel that at times too much analysis is going on before a photograph is taken by other photographers. My most satisfying images of mine are the ones that just happened to be there and it looked good. Anything else is an effort for me.
From my humble experience, don't let that social platform we all know bring you down, paralyze you, or make you feel bad. The performance of any of your posts has nothing to do with the quality of your work but is dictated and regulated by an algorithm based on profit. If no one seems to like your work, it's because no one has been shown your work organically, or it has been shown to random people who are the least suited to understand its value. Feel free, keep shooting, and you'll grow. Your work should, first and foremost, satisfy yourself. Thank you for this video, a lot.
A most helpful video. I am old now and it is somewhat late for me, but I really do hope young people, many many young people, see this video and accept the wisdom it contains. It could make the difference for them. Thank you, Sean.
Thank you so much, Sean.
Such a needed and valuable voice in this crazy world. Thank you.
Thank you for this encouragement. I've been photographing for a number of years & have been feeling pretty beaten down lately about my images. I needed to hear this!
I just by your words learned, that my feelings, I sometimes have on my job, have a name. 😊
I think, that even if my boss introduces me as „the expert for [what I am doing]“ I don’t feel so, because I always have to learn and get into the problems and don’t have the direct solutions when I am asked.
Thanks for bringing that up. It really enlightened me and encouraged me. 😃
It's great to get a diagnosis on how I am feeling about my photography. Thanks Dr Sean another fantastic video
This. I need to absorb these words and fill my being. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for this, Sean. Something I really needed to hear at this time. It's lifted me.
Fantastic! And very relatable, Sean. Thank you.
This really hit home, thank you for another great video, Sean. Really wonderful advice on how to counter those tough feelings, feeling very inspired (as is usually the case with your films)🙏
This is also one of my favourite pieces of music, lovely choice ❤️
Your videos are always of such high quality, I only wish you were able to do more of them.
Thanks Thomas:)
This is pretty amazing. Story and photos at the end. It makes a lot of sense. Thank you! Cheers 🙂
I always think of Vivian Maier when I start feeling it. She did photography for the love of it, made no money, was completely unknown in her lifetime, and ended up one of the all time greats.
Thank you very much for such a powerful message. I appreciate your time and effort making this for us.
When I felt like it was going to happen to me again, your video came out. Thank you! 🙏 ☺ Gonna Believe in yourself!
I stumbled upon one quote on impostor syndrome that is funny and sad at the same time.
It was something along the lines of "I cannot have the impostor syndrome. Only the high skilled people have it."
Anyway, thanks for sharing!
Part of the problem is academic education, which most of us have been subjected to in our lifetimes. Academic education crushes those who make mistakes despite teaching that humans learn by making mistakes. Don't pass on learning because of the failure that is academic education.
I wish I could have liked this video 1000 times. As always, it is excellent advice, delivered with humility and honesty.
Not surprisingly we all need to hear the truth from those who we trust. We cannot put our trust in someone who is more concerned with not hurting our feelings than being honest. Humans build resilience (some call it self-esteem) by putting ourselves out there, getting knocked down, and then getting back up.
The struggle is real, friends. It sucks when you are going through it but keep faith that you will be better for it. Denying yourself the struggle is the path of a miserable life.
Thanks Charles. Good point about education these days.
Thanks for the video Sean. It came at the right moment, as I was feeling pretty awful about my photograhy at a recent big event. I'd never done portrait photography before and so i felt very uncomfortable and don't like my results - but taking a step back its quite clear that a first attempt at anything will likely not go smoothly, and beating myself up about like "i shouldve known better" perhaps isnt realistic. Thanks again.
For years people would see the gear and ask me if I was a photographer. And I would say, no. Recently someone said , you must be a professional photographer because you have a white lens on the front of your camera. I explained that it's just a lens and that the professional part is behind the camera. Sadly they didn't understand what I meant. But, after 45 years, I now say, yes, I'm a photographer, but I'm not a professional.
The thing I struggle with the most. I always feel like a dummy with my camera when it's so much more common shooting with your phone.
Ansel Adams was once asked, "what's the best camera?" He replied, "The one you have with you."
We all started somewhere.
Thank you for such an inspiring message.
Take photos for the sheer joy of it. Nuff said already
This could be called, “ fear of failure, fear of success, and when procrastination immobilization sets in”. Second guessing is something many do or have done, at one time or another. 🤔”Losing or making mistakes, is experience, leading to winning or getting better ”.
A 6 yr old, with a paint brush or camera, is an Artist or Photographer, just ask any parent. Labels do not define oneself, yet society has a love of labels for definitions and acceptance. For example, in one of my lives, I was called a Master Painter, yet, I just saw myself as a hack who loved to paint scenery or psychedelics on ceilings or walls for clients. I was as a child, having fun with my eyes sparkling, every time I got to play with paints. Still, dealing with clients labeled as a Master Painter, allowed me to come up with ideas and a plan with them, as an income. 😅
Enjoyed the rant/soliloquy with your philosophy, oh Socrates Sean of photography. 👍
I turned down an offer to shoot for a restaurant recently, the owner sees me in there with my gear when I come to town. He was surprised but I informed him that type of work requires special studio equipment I don't have. I suppose I could have rented it but food is of no photo interest to me...unless it's alive in it's natural habitat.
Thanks a lot...that talk to me ! Have a great day Sean !
I _know_ I'm not a "real" photographer -- but even as a casual photographer, I've been considering just getting rid of the gear I have. So this timely for me. Thanks Seán
I've also been considering getting more better gear to solve the problem lol
Thank you Sean for your perspective on this. If I may add, Gear Acquisition Syndrome (GAS) is a diversion for some to believe that a new light, lens, camera etc. will resolve their imposter syndrome, of course it never does.
I had two careers and was not excellent at either. Still, my opinion of myself always fell short of what it should have been. With photography, I have always succeeded at enjoying photography so imposter syndrome has had no way to attack me there. Still, last week, I took what I consider one of my favorite images, and my first thought was that nobody else would like it.
Just a big thank you.
Great piece!
I call myself a photographer but with a huge emphasis on "amateur" ............................ Many years ago I sat a supervised Mensa test and to my surprise I scored highly enough to become a member 🤔 I was delighted to see a comment in the Mensa magazine saying "Am I the only one who feels like I shouldn't be here?"
Anyone who takes a picture can call themselves a photographer. There are no mistakes. There are only more successful pictures. The problem with most photographers is that they imitate others too much. When their work doesn’t compare they develop inferiority complexes. Come up with your own concepts. Craft your lighting to suit. Don’t worry about formulas. Focus on making your picture successful.
I take pictures for a bit more than 14 years and I am still unsure to call myself a photographer. Thank You for this Video.
Insightful and erudite Sean
Whenever you want - as absolutely nobody else than you cares about that :)
The moment you push a shutter release 😂
Nothing that requires work is ever easy. A lot of people don't realize that time is a requirement, and you cannot speed that up or buy a piece of gear to make time go faster.
wise words!
Heh. I'm definitely someone that suffers with imposter syndrome. I've been doing photography for almost 8 years now (and put a solid amount of time into it each day!!) and I sell pieces of work all of the time, some for considerable amounts of money, but I don't feel good enough because I can't seem to make a career out of it. I can't find brands / people to work with. It makes me feel like I'm not good enough. I always think "I can't be good enough if nobody is going to hire me." 😂
this was helpful
good inspiration Sean I wish I had more motivation to continue photography, I lost it. I went for photo walk but shot photos less than 10 times. why do we artists lose sense of joy for creation?
Embrace the imperfections. If everything was perfect, everything would be dreadfully boring. Remember, as Theodore Roosevelt said, "Comparison is the thief of joy."
'Let the record show that Sean Tucker is the preeminent RUclips photography channel... '
Did you get a new couch? its lovely
Luckily, I just call myself an amateur. The cure for low self-esteem is no esteem.
The more you know the more you realize you don’t know
Photographers have "imposter syndrome" because they are scared that more advanced photographers see the gaps in their knowledge. I've been to school for photography and assisted on upwards of 1000 productions before starting and running my own business for decades. I never once thought I was an imposter, but I'm well aware that other photographers are nervous when they know that I can see all of their limits and mistakes. I can watch any popular RUclipsr etc and know when they're doing it the easy way. They know people like me are watching even if we're silent, and their conscience is telling them that they aren't as good as they are pretending to be. The "fake it til ya make it" type is the only person that worries if it's OK to claim to be a photographer. The people that didn't fake anything also don't worry about being fake.
Celebrate Growth 😎
It doesn’t help that some of the forums named “beginner…” are full of self-important prats who make actual beginners feel shamed for asking beginner questions.
I made $10 last month on Shutterstock. I'm a photographer.
You’re not a photographer until people say you’re a photographer . Many content makers like James Popsey or Thomas Heaton claim to be photographers all they are doing is selling their life style to subscribers to make a living. In 80 yrs time they will be forgotten .
You are photographer when you buy Leica camera and 10k lens😂😂😂
Perfectionism? Yep! Insecurity? Yep! Struggle? Yep! Isolation? Yep! Being the Village Idiot at work? Yep! ... **sigh**
Im a photographer but Im not an artist
You’re a photographer as soon as you print the photograph you’ve taken. Unless you do that, you’re only half a photographer.
First: get good.
I am a game developer. This applies to me too. 😊
In fact. This applies to everything 🫶🏻